A.I. Is Messing With WordPress

A.I. is getting into everything, and it’s gotten on my nerves. It’s disruptive, and its promise or potential still seems overhyped to me. Most recently, A.I. is disrupting Tumblr and WorPress.com. I already had much unwelcome upheaval with WordPress a couple years back and am in no mood to repeat such. Yet here I am, contemplating once again migrating to a new blog host. Sigh.

Apple Ring Does Not Need To Be A Thing

There’s talk about Apple making a smart fitness ring, because “wearables.” In Mark Gurman’s latest Power On, he lists reasons for it. But for all of them, a device already exists. It just lacks an Apple logo and an overly high price tag. Yet Apple’s ring would be “magical,” right? Well, Gandalf cautions against magic rings.

New Blogging Themes

WordPress has a few new themes this month that really stand out. One reason is about their aesthetics. The other reason, even better, is about their purpose. The noteworthy themes are: Strand, Bedrock, and Nook.

Not Sure I Need A Magnetic Charger

In January, I said I would buy No New Tech. I meant I should try to keep using my current main devices this year. So far, so good, though tech temptation has occurred. I did buy a small new accessory: a MagSafe charger for my iPhone. While it solves a problem, I kind of feel like a chump for buying it.

Giving Up Device Storage

It’s 2024 and modern computing is of course all about the cloud. It has taken me years to reluctantly adopt and appreciate its convenience. Until recently, I’ve bemoaned that device makers include too little internal drive storage, forcing folks to rely on the cloud, which brings in those perpetual subscription fees. But now I’m finally giving up the need for tons of bytes inside my machine. 256GB inside a $1,000 MacBook? 64GB inside a Chromebook, iPad, or iPhone? Okay, fine, you win, sign me up for more cloud storage.

20 Years Of Feacebook

Somehow I totally missed Facebook’s 20th birthday or anniversary on February 4th, 2024. I need a moment to just let that number sink in…twenty years…since Facebook became a thing. In technology and internet fields, that’s a crazy-long time for anything to not become obsolete. And for Facebook, it’s more surprising due to its countless controversies over the last two decades. Yet it keeps making billions of dollars off the billions of people still using it today. And I’m one of those people.

Good Enough Computing

Have you heard of “good enough computing?” I happened across this term recently and it caught my interest. I haven’t read much about the subject yet, but it sounds akin to both a simple and frugal approach to what computer devices and apps one chooses to rely on. Of course, this ties into the idea of the “Apple Tax” and things like a $3,500 Vision Pro headset versus, for example, a $350 Chromebook. (Yeah, this geek has the audacity to compare a 3D VR headset with a “just a browser” laptop.)

Apple Vision Pro A No Go At Launch

The 3D headset from Apple is now available. Apple’s new platform, and the so-called new paradigm of Spatial Computing, is here. Whether it’s the future of computing or just a big fancy iPad for your face is unclear, though it’s likely somewhere in between. I’ve taken in some reviews and remain unsold. The high price isn’t the only issue. I’m reluctant to have Apple’s ecosystem further lock me in with yet another device. And I’m concerned with people burying their faces in headsets; it seems like total screen capitulation at a time when more people see the need to “touch grass.”

A Groundhog Tradition Again

Well it’s Groundhog Day…again…and I’m enjoying my annual re-watch of one of my all-time favorite movies, Groundhog Day. In the spirit of the film and its repetition, I’m re-blogging my Groundhog Day post from previous years below. Enjoy.