Treekllr, like everything else, it's a mixed bag. A lot of Substack blogs are excellent, truly, although finding them can be dependent on interests plus reading comments. I found a couple of excellent blogs by clicking on peoples' usernames and then looking at the sites they recommend. I suppose it's mostly chance, but i found novelist E…
Treekllr, like everything else, it's a mixed bag. A lot of Substack blogs are excellent, truly, although finding them can be dependent on interests plus reading comments. I found a couple of excellent blogs by clicking on peoples' usernames and then looking at the sites they recommend. I suppose it's mostly chance, but i found novelist Elif Shafak's Substack by following a link. (I like her work, so that was a nice discovery!)
Good tip, but im not actually looking for more. I subscribed to ted pretty early in my substack career, and thats been enough for me. I ventured around early on, found some things that seemed promising, but in the end felt like it was a waste of my time. Theres so many books to read, you know? And im not trying to be a part of this online world. After reddit i realized just how much it(online content) affects me(not in good ways) and honestly dont feel like its something i need more of. I do a little shouting into the void on occasion, but i wonder if thats even as cathartic as i suppose. Probably better to go tell it to the trees.
Its all trash imo, and i dont mean the content. The whole thing ia designed to keep us right here, looking at a screen, not living life. But living life is what im after. This phone will be my last smart phone. Ill get a laptop for my internet needs(which are pretty basic) and a flip phone for communication. The social side of the internet has little i want, and comes with a high mental cost that isnt worth what i get back out of it.
Also, social media *can* be non-toxic. I only use 1 platform, my posts are private, and i just don't venture into certain areas. That means that i can focus on things that i enjoy and find interesting. I don't see much value in it otherwise. And many other people i know keep their stuff locked down, too. It allows many of us to keep our sanity.
Ik a couple people who do the same with social media. Ive never had it to begin with, so its easy for me to just not get it. It never got its claws in me lol.
But ive seen what it does to people i care about, and when viewed from the outside, it looks horrible..
There is a "middle way," though i realize that some folks are very much at one end of things or the other. Most of us are somewhere in between.
As for trusting autocorrect - never! It's only as good as the human beings who program it, and it's riddled with errors. I do use it to a degree, but it's frustrating.
I read a lot. Usually for 3-4 hours per day. And although i follow a couple of blogs, most of my online time is about reading and researching. It's just that journals, papers - and all of the magazines i used to read - are mostly digitized now. But the bulk of my reading = books. For enjoyment.
Im definitely in that middle way rn. Even with no social media(other than substack, which again is minimal. I dont even have the app and only get here through email alerts to a couple subs, and replies) i cant seem to get under 3 hours a day. This frustrates me, that so much of my life happens through a damn phone.
And im in the same boat with periodicals. I looked into getting the nyt delivered, which was stupidly expensive for just the sunday paper. So i get that in emails as well. I have no tv so its really my only source of news. This pissed me off, i really liked the idea of reading a real paper(my local papers are worthless).
So i get it, im stuck in this shit too. But slowly and surely im working my way out. I "need" internet for banking, credit cards, etc, it would be ridiculous to try to go back to paper with all that. But i dont need internet in my pocket, so i think thatll be a good middle way for me.
Plus i want that laptop so i can start burning cds again;)
About the laptop: you'll have to get a USB-connected drive for burning, ripping and playback of CDs, DVDs, etc. Some companies *may* still include them, but only in the top-tier machines. I've been using peripherals for this for over 10 years now. There are good ones available for decent prices, but you'll need to factor that in per your upcoming laptop purchase.
I cannot tolerate using my smartphone for much except phone calls, some texting, and snapshots. But i will say that the audio quality for voice calls is far superior to any flip phone i ever had, so there's that.
You *might* want to think about a decent, inexpensive tablet as well. Unless I'm writing, I'm generally using an 8" tablet. (No phone connection involved.)
As for subscriptions to newspapers and magazines, they're ridiculous. A situation made much worse due to large corporations buying up small- and medium-sized town newspapers. There's little difference between any of them now.
Hm good tips! Its been forever since ive even seen a laptop lol. So what brands would you recommend, both for the laptop and the drive?
I dont mind spending some money if thats what quality costs. Id rather do that than buy something that wont last.
Ive also run into the problem of cd players. Rn ive got a cheap sony dvd player acting as my cd player, but im looking to upgrade that eventually too
Point being, any recommendations with anything cd related would be appreciated!
I still have my old ipad 2, still works, though the battery only lasts 4 or 5 hours:/ But that thing is a tank, they dont make em like that anymore! Bout all i use it for is reading harder to get books, or free classics. Still, it is nice to have on occasion
Treekllr, like everything else, it's a mixed bag. A lot of Substack blogs are excellent, truly, although finding them can be dependent on interests plus reading comments. I found a couple of excellent blogs by clicking on peoples' usernames and then looking at the sites they recommend. I suppose it's mostly chance, but i found novelist Elif Shafak's Substack by following a link. (I like her work, so that was a nice discovery!)
Good tip, but im not actually looking for more. I subscribed to ted pretty early in my substack career, and thats been enough for me. I ventured around early on, found some things that seemed promising, but in the end felt like it was a waste of my time. Theres so many books to read, you know? And im not trying to be a part of this online world. After reddit i realized just how much it(online content) affects me(not in good ways) and honestly dont feel like its something i need more of. I do a little shouting into the void on occasion, but i wonder if thats even as cathartic as i suppose. Probably better to go tell it to the trees.
Its all trash imo, and i dont mean the content. The whole thing ia designed to keep us right here, looking at a screen, not living life. But living life is what im after. This phone will be my last smart phone. Ill get a laptop for my internet needs(which are pretty basic) and a flip phone for communication. The social side of the internet has little i want, and comes with a high mental cost that isnt worth what i get back out of it.
Also, social media *can* be non-toxic. I only use 1 platform, my posts are private, and i just don't venture into certain areas. That means that i can focus on things that i enjoy and find interesting. I don't see much value in it otherwise. And many other people i know keep their stuff locked down, too. It allows many of us to keep our sanity.
Ik a couple people who do the same with social media. Ive never had it to begin with, so its easy for me to just not get it. It never got its claws in me lol.
But ive seen what it does to people i care about, and when viewed from the outside, it looks horrible..
There is a "middle way," though i realize that some folks are very much at one end of things or the other. Most of us are somewhere in between.
As for trusting autocorrect - never! It's only as good as the human beings who program it, and it's riddled with errors. I do use it to a degree, but it's frustrating.
I read a lot. Usually for 3-4 hours per day. And although i follow a couple of blogs, most of my online time is about reading and researching. It's just that journals, papers - and all of the magazines i used to read - are mostly digitized now. But the bulk of my reading = books. For enjoyment.
Im definitely in that middle way rn. Even with no social media(other than substack, which again is minimal. I dont even have the app and only get here through email alerts to a couple subs, and replies) i cant seem to get under 3 hours a day. This frustrates me, that so much of my life happens through a damn phone.
And im in the same boat with periodicals. I looked into getting the nyt delivered, which was stupidly expensive for just the sunday paper. So i get that in emails as well. I have no tv so its really my only source of news. This pissed me off, i really liked the idea of reading a real paper(my local papers are worthless).
So i get it, im stuck in this shit too. But slowly and surely im working my way out. I "need" internet for banking, credit cards, etc, it would be ridiculous to try to go back to paper with all that. But i dont need internet in my pocket, so i think thatll be a good middle way for me.
Plus i want that laptop so i can start burning cds again;)
About the laptop: you'll have to get a USB-connected drive for burning, ripping and playback of CDs, DVDs, etc. Some companies *may* still include them, but only in the top-tier machines. I've been using peripherals for this for over 10 years now. There are good ones available for decent prices, but you'll need to factor that in per your upcoming laptop purchase.
I cannot tolerate using my smartphone for much except phone calls, some texting, and snapshots. But i will say that the audio quality for voice calls is far superior to any flip phone i ever had, so there's that.
You *might* want to think about a decent, inexpensive tablet as well. Unless I'm writing, I'm generally using an 8" tablet. (No phone connection involved.)
As for subscriptions to newspapers and magazines, they're ridiculous. A situation made much worse due to large corporations buying up small- and medium-sized town newspapers. There's little difference between any of them now.
Hm good tips! Its been forever since ive even seen a laptop lol. So what brands would you recommend, both for the laptop and the drive?
I dont mind spending some money if thats what quality costs. Id rather do that than buy something that wont last.
Ive also run into the problem of cd players. Rn ive got a cheap sony dvd player acting as my cd player, but im looking to upgrade that eventually too
Point being, any recommendations with anything cd related would be appreciated!
I still have my old ipad 2, still works, though the battery only lasts 4 or 5 hours:/ But that thing is a tank, they dont make em like that anymore! Bout all i use it for is reading harder to get books, or free classics. Still, it is nice to have on occasion