I’m trying really hard not to get whipped up by the news. It’s going to be a long four years.
So, here’s a selfie of me, in a hoodie, on a chilly morning in the desert. It was 45ºF when this photo was taken.
I’d write more but I’m not feeling particularly inspired tonight.
Today is a really good day to stay away from state social media. Little is to be accomplished by doomscrolling, and by all measures of intelligence you should stay away from properties owned by Meta: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsUp. Lean in on the opportunity to read a book or something.
The chaos officially begins in the U.S. today. I, for one, have better things to do than watch the idiocy commence on television or browse through hysterics. We’re all going to need to maintain our mental agility through these chaotic times. Don’t kick off the era by mentally burning yourself out.
I released the latest episode to my YouTube channel this evening. While the main purpose of the episode is to highlight my hike to Hope Camp in Saguaro National Park here in Tucson, I also talk about my feelings around the content moderation changes/elimination at Meta, which will affect Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
I left Threads about a month ago when the place went crazy with bots and MAGA folks. While I’m not abandoning Facebook and Instagram, they have been removed from my phone and I have decided to no longer promote my YouTube channel releases on Meta owned platforms. If you’re curious as to my reasoning, see the first 90 seconds or so of my latest episode.
I’ll probably write more about it this week. I’m in a mood.
My mother-in-law passed away on Friday. Technically she was my stepmother-in-law but in reality there was no “in-law” in the equation at all; we’re just family.
One of the more positive human beings I’ve met in my life, Barbara almost always had a smile and a great attitude about everything.
She kept a cancer diagnosis pretty much to herself, and apparently after surgery that removed part of a lung, the cancer was gone but her body had a hard time recovering from it all.
Fuck cancer.
I believe our lives as we know it right now are just a part of a much more fulfilling, robust experience. We are a flash; we are a blip on a radar screen. Gone in an instant. The goal is to make that blip shine bright and complete, then it’s time to move on to the next part of the journey.
I’m going to miss her.
Truman had his annual visit with the vet this week. He’s still a big boy but not getting any bigger and appears to be in excellent health for a seven year old male cat. He was not pleased with the short ride to the vet, but he was happy to get home.
Here, as he gazes out my office window, he is contemplating these crazy humans under his care
I don’t have a vested interest in TikTok. I don’t really go to the site that often, I don’t have the app on my phone, and I’ve never contributed to the platform. I know a lot of people that enjoy TikTok, and they seem to enjoy the experience very much.
Today, SCOTUS (they no longer deserve anymore than an abbreviation, as there’s NOTHING ‘supreme’ about any of them) decided that the TikTok ban can go through and apparently it’s lights out for TikTok in the United States come Sunday.
Personally, I think that’s governmental overreach, but I suspect the other minions like MuskRot and ZuckerPerm probably want to send their data to China, instead of a Chinese company extracting U.S. user data directly. In this day and age, if people want to send their data to other countries, that’s their prerogative. I don’t know that China is stealing data from Americans, they probably are, but again, I’m not that invested in the platform to care.
There’s a plenty of awful things coming in 2025. Banning TikTok is not going to stop, halt, or belay any of them.
Let the TikTokkers have their fun.
I’ve mentioned before that as of late, Apple has been disappointing me a little more than usual. Not only is the new iPhone 16 Pro kind of ‘meh’, but their latest version of MacOS seems to be a bit more buggy than other recent releases. Yes, the camera on my iPhone 16 Pro is amazing but otherwise the phone feels like the previous two iPhones I’ve owned. And iOS 18 doesn’t really blow my skirt up.
Tim Cook’s recent donation to the Trump Inauguration Fund rubbed me the wrong way as well. I know he did it in Apple’s best interest, and plenty of other tech moguls have done the same, but if there was ever a tech company to have a rebellious streak, it’s Apple.
I am keeping a close eye on Apple’s progression through the 2020s. When the time comes for me to buy a new laptop, which let’s face it, is going to be a couple of years since my M2 MacBook Air is still pretty new and snappy, I’ll be considering all options. I’ve always been a fan of Linux, but I don’t know that Linux can do what I want it to do in the creative space. It’s something I’m exploring right now.
But I’m not going to get rid of my current setup just to make a point. Not only would it be expensive, it would also contribute to this endless cycle of buying the shiny things to keep the American Dream alive.
I am writing this blog entry on my M1 iPad Pro, which I purchased a number of years ago. It’s still quite snappy and does everything I want it to do. I’ve even edited video on it.
I don’t know that I’ll ever get another iPad Pro, but this one continues to purr along, even with a chunk missing on the corner of the screen.
I’m a bit of a rebel, but as I get older I’m trying to be a thrifty rebel.
Two weeks ago from the moment I’m writing this blog entry we were all at home celebrating the first day of the New Year.
Two weeks ago. That’s it. It feels like it’s been eight months and we’re not even half way through January.
2025 is off to a hoot and a half.
There are some home designs that I just absolutely love. Throw on some smart technology and I’m enthralled.
I think I’ve found something to spend my trust fund on.
I’m really tired of hearing about Elon Musk. I’m really, really tired of Mark Zuckerberg and his “thoughts” on masculinity. I’m even tired of Tim Cook and his exuberance for and donations to Mango Mushwad.
I’ve had enough, and this idiotic presidency unsurpassed travesty has even kicked into gear yet.
I don’t know if anyone else is tired of all that’s transpiring in “the greatest country in the world”, but I could use a really long nap.
Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.
Weird? Eccentric!