Digital Downsizing

When my iMac died, I decided I had had enough with the crazy prices from Apple. Yet, the thought of going back to Windows made me throw up a little bit in my mouth.

I did a little research and decided to give a Chromebook a chance. It was cheap and everything I wrote was automatically backed up.

People said there was no privacy, but I didn't really care. I figured privacy on the internet was long gone years ago. That's how I saw it. Until... one day it, occurred to me that the point wasn't that I was an open book, but that because I was an open book, I was a commodity. As long as I was typing, searching and logging in, I was making data for Google to sell.

Over time I started thinking about how to change this. But I was using Chromebooks, I may as well be living at Google headquarters.

I thought about using Linux. I had dabbled with different distro's over the years, but it had been a long time.

Searching YouTube on the topic just brought up videos on how to install the onboard Linux that was part of developer mode on Chromebooks. Until, I stumbled across a video that gave instructions on how to overwrite Chomebook bios'. And so I did, to both my machines.

Now I run Linux Mint and have been for many months. I love it! I feel like I'm part of something positive.

The next thing I wanted to tackle was software subscriptions. I cannot believe how fucking greedy software developers have become! I went back to the free version of YouTube. It's unusable! It's just advertising.

I buy my software outright now. I have Story Architect, Fade In, and Atticus. I would prefer that Story Architect and Atticus did not require signing in (sigh).

Story Architect support said the login is just the way that the premium services get switched on and I did not have to be actively connected to the internet to use the software. This seems to be legit.

Atticus can be used offline and synced when connected.

This is not perfect, but I do believe neither program is saving or selling my data. If it turned out they were, they would lose their customers.

I also switched to a 'dumb' phone. It's a TCL flip phone. So when my bank, pharmacist, dentist, doctor, grocery store, coffee shop, insurance company, utilities, support group etc., says I have to download the app and make an account, I tell him I can't. Everything is a fucking app now! I can't take a piss without logging in!

Most of the apps have online versions anyway, like online banking, insurance, doctor... the important services.

So now I don't see any ads when I use my computer, my flip phone doesn't squawk or ding, much because there's no apps running, and my computers never freeze and run fast.

Life, at least the digital part of it, does seem more relaxing now. However, there is a new enemy that's always staring me in the face, like right now, as I type this... enough with the AI! At least let us disable it!

Confession... I de-Googled my smart phone the best I could, but I know they're lurking. I purchased prepaid Spotify gift cards. And I use my smart phone as a music player, with a USB, High Def DAC and High Def, open back headphones. I will be buying a music player soon and ditching the Samsung phone. But they're so expensive. I can dream.