A short while back, I picked up one of those newfangled folding phones so I could (ostensibly) read more. This purchase obviously went against my “single-purpose devices” and “offline-first technology” rules, but I got caught up in a wave of techno-consumerism that ended up inspiring additional purchases of new wireless...
A few years back, I picked up an AlphaSmart 3000 to try and do some writing without the distraction of an entire computer.
Earlier this week, I wrote about digitizing and purging the extra shit I’ve accumulated over the years, but the reality is that some things just can’t be easily minimized—not that I’d want them to be… minimalism sounds exhausting.
I have a confession to make: I fucking love automation.
I’ve written before about my undying love of typewriters. The *clickety-clack* of the keys, the smell of the ink, the feeling of the machine under your hands… I even love the inevitable ink smudges you get on your fingers from pulling the paper off the drum too fast.
I know that I’ve written about this subject before, but can I just say that I love “obsolete” technology?
It’s 2023 now, and one of my themes for the year is simplification. I’ve let life get too chaotic, so I’m making some moves to reduce my cognitive load, one of which is reducing the amount of digital infrastructure I rely on and manage. So, it is with a heavy...
I still remember the first CD I ever bought myself: 311’s self-titled album, purchased in the 4th grade with my own hard-earned birthday money at the recommendation of a friend who I’m pretty sure based his entire musical taste on the presence Parental Advisory sticker.
I’ve done some writing before on sustainability as it pertains to technology, and some of my efforts to keep my own tech (and some salvaged tech) alive and useful for as long as possible. The amount of e-waste we generate is staggering, and as technology becomes obsolete, the throwing-away of...
Sometime near the end of this year, every Apple computer in my home will be rendered obsolete and insecure. To be more accurate, every Apple computer released prior to 2013 will suffer the same fate, thanks to the impending death of macOS Catalina.
What is it about smartphones that make them the most useful technology ever
created, while at the same time being the single-largest source of brain drain
and anxiety in existence?
A few days ago, I found my old HP TC1100 tablet computer in storage and decided to see how it held up in the decade and a half since I last used it.
I found my old Audiovox XV6600 Pocket PC in storage a few weeks ago and have been trying to get it back in working order. As you can imagine, the original battery had ballooned after 15 years in a box, but after a quick eBay adventure I was able to...
I revived my old Linksys WRT54G the other day. With a little help from dd-wrt, I powered my home network with it nearly 20 years ago, but thanks to improvements in wireless speeds eventually retired it to the ‘ole “boxed hoard of cable and gadgets.” Not being one to let...
I finally installed LineageOS on my old Nexus 5x. I’m not entirely sure why I did it, seeing as Lineage dropped support for the 5x over a year ago, but the simple act of deGoogling one of the most Googley of the Googled devices I have felt surprisingly cathartic. Sometimes...
Years ago, before Google and I stopped seeing eye-to-eye, I bought an Asus Chromebook C100P. It’s a great, cheap little machine with mediocre specs and decent battery life that was good for browsing the web and not much else. I had originally intended to get a lightweight laptop for writing...
I’ve been experimenting with offline-first technology lately. Typewriters, cassette decks, Game Boys… I like single-purpose tools that can’t distract, divert, or otherwise take my attention away from what I am doing – seriously, why the hell does a fridge need an internet connection?
Popped into the thrift store today, just to see what I could find. I like looking for new VHS movies to import or older technology I can rescue, but today… I stumbled upon a treasure trove of semi-modern gadgets for a tenth what they would cost on eBay. For myself,...
Anyone remember Gopher? It was an old alternative to the World Wide Web that was largely text-based (see: awesome). Over the last few years, computerists (computerers?) more adventurous than myself have been flocking back to Gopher in droves—relatively speaking. I think that most people can agree that the World Wide...
I have a weird appreciation for “upgrading” old (see: obsolete) technology. I don’t know what, exactly, but there’s just something completely satisfying about surfing the wave between the past and the present. In one sense, finding ways to extend the life-span of aging tech is exciting; but, in a completely...
Like many technologists out there (see: nerds), I have an inordinate amount of obsolete technology that I can’t seem to make use of, nor part ways with. The thought of trashing perfectly good gadgets is a painful one, and not the least bit unsustainable. There are enough old smartphones and...
