The other evening I watched the film the Social Dilemma on Netflix on the recommendation of a buddy.
The film talks about social media - Facebook and Instagram, but also Google and youtube, and any software with an algorithm that gathers data and tries to serve up the content that is most alluring to the individual user. That means the most emotionally engaging, provocative or inflammatory…
I have been trying to better navigate my relationship with technology. It feels like a silly concern - I'm an adult, I should just be able to make sensible choices. But I am not always sure where the lines are between technologies being intentionally addictive, craving escapism as a way to avoid my problems, and just needing better habits. Probably a combination of the three.
Regardless, I…
I started to write a whole post explaining my move from Linuxrocks.online Mastodon instance to Fosstodon.org, but honestly it's just not fun, and I don't want to give any more attention to the players or fuel the drama. So I'll just give this brief summary:
An inflammatory blowhard who used to be fun to listen to but is now just being trans-phobic and acting like he's under constant persecution,…
I do enjoy a sweet gadget! I tend to always look for alternatives to distractions built into devices with Internet connectivity. I appreciate the single use technology, with a simple interface and no pop ups or obtrusive vibe-hijacking "suggestions" like computers and phones have unless you take bold steps to mitigate it. My gadgets are mostly inexpensive and bought used.
This is…
It has been quite a year. For me it was overtaken by baby life, as I got pregnant in February and had our new baby in November. So most of the year I was just trying to roll with the physical experience, take care of myself (pregnancy is exhausting!), and make preparations for the little one. Since November I have been in the new baby haze, because newborns are relentless and don't leave much…
I have restructured my web site. Again.
What I have been hoping for is a really simple web site, so I can just edit text/markdown files, sync them directly to my server and be done with it.
I am trying to use my computer as little as possible, and not to need it for writing. I find the computer rife with distractions, and want it to be as minimal as I can make it. This is why I do things like…
I got a new keyboard, the Logitech TypeAway, for my Palm M500. The old one, the Ultra-Thin folding keyboard was gradually becoming less responsive, so it was time to replace it. Fewer keys seemed to work each time. So that's no good.
I liked the Ultra-Thin very much, but the fact that one failed made me hesitant to get another of the same.
I generally like Logitech devices, so that's what I…
Technology summary:
Since this is nerd stuff, here is a rundown of my technology.
It’s a great laptop, I’ve had for about four years, after buying it used on EBay. It works well. I like Gnome now (took me a while to warm up to) and it’s a nice machine. It’s a bit big and clunky so I don’t carry it around that much.