This afternoon I felt like I had to step away from life for a few moments. We have a small sitting area up near the entrance to our guest room, otherwise known as The Solarium. This is a small, cozy area with a desk and a “guest computer” for folks that are visiting. It also includes a comfortable chair.
It was enjoyable to sit and just relax, avoiding my phone and all the chaos that’s routine fed by the Internet. I read a book for a little while. Lucky came up and situated himself on the mezzanine to make sure all was OK.
I enjoy writing on my Lenovo ThinkPad T460s. The ThinkPad series, even in its IBM days, had some of the best keyboards I’ve ever used and this particular laptop continues the tradition.
I bought this laptop a couple of years ago on a whim; it was on sale at a refurbished computer place online, had decent specs, and I thought it would make a great second computer to have in the lab. It runs Debian Linux and has done so for quite a while. To avoid distractions in my home office during work hours, this laptop sits on the other desk in my office, away from my way work area, and is the only computer allowed in the room (other than my work laptop). I find if I have my Mac or iPad at hand I tend to be a little distracted, especially when the news is blowing up.
The news has been blowing up a lot the last month or so.
I decided to look up the age of this computer and was delighted to learn it’s eight years old. When the computer arrived a few years ago it was running Windows 10, which of course is no longer supported by Microsoft. The processor is decent; it has an i7-6600u CPU with 16GB RAM. For web browsing, writing with Obsidian, and doing stuff on the terminal, it does its job very well and I don’t see this machine being retired anytime soon.
As society moves further and further away from sustainability by following the lead of corporations and their planned obsolescence (I’m looking at you Microsoft and Apple), it’s good to breathe new life into these older computers. There’s no reason to fill landfills prematurely.
I know a few folks with Chromebooks lying around that have probably been dumped in the support department by Google. Again, here’s another opportunity to put a lightweight Linux on these machines and keep these older computers out of the landfill.
When Apple stops supporting the M2 chip in my MacBook Air, I’ll probably either convert it to a Linux box or donate it to someone. Aside from my multimedia production work, I don’t have a reliance on the Apple ecosystem anymore, and that’s a great feeling.
I know I’ve been rather “anti-Apple” for the past month, which has been in concert with the explosion of ridiculous news. I’ve come to the realisation that Apple is doing what they have to do in this new economical mindset. It’s the economical mindset that the most unfortunate, but it’s also unfortunate that the FAANG1 bros are perpetuating a legitimacy of this mindset by playing along.
I just want to keep things out of our landfills for as long as possible.
Yesterday’s hike in Saguaro National Park East was enjoyable. It had rained the night before, so there was a little more humidity hanging around than what we’ve seen in quite a while.
I snapped a few photos to try to capture the moody vibe of it all. I found it delightful.
I need to turn off the valve on the social media fire hose for the weekend. I’m fine with photos and videos, as long as they’re not politically bent, but the writing and the words and the outrage and the clutching of the pearls and the extreme language? I need a break.
I definitely need a break.
I’m going to attempt to step away from social media for the entirety of this weekend. I don’t know if I’ll be successful, but I’m going to give it a whirl.
I’ll still write here on the blog. I’ll still make videos and share photos. But reading a stream of consciousness in the form of micro blogs and short blurps of words from members of various communities? Pass.
My mind needs to rest. My brain needs to relax. And after that I will be ready for the next fight.
I love windy days. I love the movement across the landscape. I love the motion of the trees. I love the clouds marching across the sky. And I love the feeling of the wind, no matter how strong, moving over my body. It is such an awesome feeling.
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.
