mpblack

u/mpblack@lemmy.ml
3 posts · 32 comments

Recent posts

Recent comments

Facebook. It’s easy to drop all the other platforms, but even my homeowner association insists on using FB for communication, which locks everyone into Meta’s data harvest. 🤢

Reading on my e-reader (e-ink) or print books. Short periods - eg waiting for a kid to do something - are good for poetry. Meditating. Listening to music. Listening to podcasts. Sometimes I’ve taken out some paper and doodled while listening to something - which is really gratifying (even though I’m no Picasso). I also cook, which is wonderful. Or I go for a long walk. I’m also actively trying to fill my time with offline human engagement - volunteering twice a week and participating in a men’s group (a safe space for men to share their experiences).

I agree. It’s not constructive to call non-techies “dumb.” Nor is it helpful to demand they”just” spend 30 min searching for solutions online. If you love tech, this is worthwhile - if you’re, say, a rights activist you’d rather spend that time reading an important report or meeting with people to advance your work; if you’re a retiree with limited means, then it might be overwhelming to “just go online”; and if you’re a musician working on an album, why should you need to spend time on tech when you could be spending that time mixing? I see examples of Linux becoming pretty user friendly compared to days of yore (eg Mint, Ubuntu), but has that improvement somehow compromised the techie side of Linux?

on *Permanently Deleted* · c/climate · 4 pts · 1y

These guys give me the creeps. I've canceled my Spotify account - I'd rather not support a platform that promotes this kind of garbage (de-googling and de-FBing, too). Don't worry, I'm not telling you what to do - just sharing what I've done. 😉

Wow, smukke billeder - det giver ro i sindet bare at se på det. Jeg gik i skole med Ryder og synes det er så fedt at han har udviklet noget som har hjulpet så mange. Jeg er lige rykket over til en fysisk notesbog igen efter mange år, men jeg arbejder stadig på at skabe rutine omkring det, så jeg ikke ender på bærbar eller smartphone hver gang…WIP! 😊

An interesting McKinsey article on cost of AI. Basically it’s hard to predict, but the numbers here are staggering. And then there’s the “hidden cost” of environmental impact. All these data centers etc will add to CO2 emissions, which may worsen climate change and result in more climate disasters (drought, flooding, etc) that carry huge costs. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-cost-of-compute-a-7-trillion-dollar-race-to-scale-data-centers

on I'm done! · c/digitalminimalism · 3 pts · 1y

You’re so right: perfection isn’t the goal. It sounds like you have a good sense of what aspects of digital life can be helpful and which can be harmful to you. And how to use hardware and apps to lead you to the moments that bring you joy - such as time with your friends and playing the guitar.

It is encouraging that we’re seeing more e-ink and other technology to counterbalance the potentially toxic rabbit-holes of modern tech. I hope for a future in which we rely on tech as true tools, not attention eaters. I love having a blender in my kitchen, but I don’t want to spend time with my blender beyond blending. Somehow computers have become more than computers.

Anyway, I’m happy to hear that you’re finding ways to address the parts of tech that make you feel bad. And I hope you continue to find ways to prioritize non-tech moments with friends and strangers and music and nature — all the things that humans loved before we invented computers and smartphones.