Hooked On Books Lately

I’ve been reading a lot lately — MOAR BOOKS! I’ve found books on sale via Amazon and the Kindle store. It’s been very satisfying and relaxing to enjoy several good reads over the past month or so. And I’m catching up on my annual Reading Goal, having read 7 out of 12 so far this year. Now there’s just four months left for me to read five books; it’s still a challenge.

Update To My Blogging Process

A few months have passed since the last post about my blog workflow. That means it has probably changed since then. Yup. I use more apps and steps than before, yet it's still simple. There are three stages and three apps.

Others Struggle To Juggle Tech Too

 After posting about my struggle to balance the use of my MacBook and iPad, a fellow blogger replied likewise in a blog post and wrote to tell me about it.

A Battle For Tech Balance

My tech setup occasionally gets a refresh. Sometimes it’s upgrading; out with the old device, in with the new. Other times it’s shifting how I use my current gear or apps. Lately, I’ve been juggling my tablet and laptop, preferring one and then the other. But what if I can find the balance between them?

Will The Kindle Be Killed?

About a month ago, I started to draft a post about how, after all these years, nothing has killed the eReader. Despite tablets and huge smartphones, the humble eInk reading device keeps kicking. I still love reading a good book on my simple device, the Paperwhite. But this week I read an article with an arresting, if not foreboding, paragraph. It gave me pause. What if Amazon kills the Kindle, either on purpose or by neglect?

From Mini To Max Phone

If you really want to go minimal and minimize your smartphone, then something like the iPhone 12 mini is literally a great fit. That’s what I did last Summer. I wanted my phone to be hand-holdable and pocketable. It being easily affordable was icing on the cake. So why would I think an upgrade would be to upsize, getting a Plus or Max iPhone?

Thoughts On The Anxious Generation

I recently finished reading a book by Jonathan Haidt, “The Anxious Generation.” It’s a must-read for many, especially those who interact with kids on some level. Or if you’ve ever struggled with smartphone addiction to some degree, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Teachers, parents, and people who sense screen-time is too much will benefit from reading Haidt’s research and well presented findings. He names the cause of anxious Gen Z as The Great Rewiring of Childhood.

The Orange Tech-Style Totally Got Me

Okay, okay, I know I said at the start of this year that I wouldn’t replace any of my devices, maybe. Well, I did. First, it was my Apple Watch SE, swapped out with a “dumb” watch. And yesterday, I finally switched out my small JBL Go 2 wireless speaker.

Apple Watch Traded For Simplicity

My Apple Watch SE (gen 1) served its time; now it’s back in Apple’s hands. I traded it in. That’s one less computing device for me to manage: less charging, less updating, fewer interfaces, fewer apps. It simplifies things for my feeble brain. So while I enjoyed my time with the Apple Watch’s great fitness features, I’m relieved to let it go.

A Social Media Break

My on/off relationship with social media is now cycling off. Again. I was really using only one platform: Mastodon. But about a week ago, I signed out everywhere and deleted the apps and bookmarks. I’ve done this before with other social networks. After spending time on them, I grow weary or disenchanted and try Social Media Distancing. Sometimes I detox and disconnect. Maybe this time, I’ll break the cycle for good. Quitting is easy; not restarting is hard.

No Need For Feeds

Well, I did a thing. I’m trying to free my mind from content feeds and the near incessant pull to check, check, check them. The human brain, though neuromarvelous, is not a computer. An app can aggregate hundreds of websites with new content to feed on, but it always ends up overwhelming and never-ending — infinite scroll. My brain simply can’t keep up. So I’ve ditched feeds.