💾 Archived View for zaibatsu.circumlunar.space › ~visiblink › phlog › 20190102 captured on 2022-04-28 at 17:37:32.
⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-03)
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Rogue thoughts about disconnecting and satisfaction. I've been trying to disconnect from the net more these days, because I spend too much time on my phone and laptop. A couple of developments have helped in that respect. I've gone back to using my BlackBerry Q10, which is really nice to use for phoning, texting, music and podcasts. I've buried all of the internet-related apps on the second screen inside a folder and to my surprise, that actually works. When I don't see them everyday, I don't use them. If you're wondering why I don't just uninstall the apps, BlackBerry World shut down the paid apps section a while ago. They're closing the app store completely at the end of this year. Apps are disappearing in the meantime and I don't want to lose them as I may never get some of them back again. It's the security blanket approach. If it turns out that I don't miss the apps over the long term, they'll get deleted. The other development that has helped a lot is gopher browsing. I end up reading thoughtful -- and thought- provoking -- material more often and compulsively surfing the gadget shopping sites (hi, eBay, we were friends once...) a lot less. There's also a limit on the new material available in gopherspace, which is a good thing. On the subject of online gadget shopping, when your main interests are on gopher, there seems to be a lot less impetus to upgrade devices. But I also *think* my device nostalgia has run its course. There were a lot of devices (especially handhelds) that were far too expensive when I was a student and I ended up buying them later, after I got a permanent job. So now I have a drawer full of interesting relics. I was pursuing some kind of happiness in buying those things. I read something once -- I can't remember the author any more (maybe H.L. Mencken?) -- that decried a shift in values in 1940s America. The crux was that people were valued for what they consumed and no longer for what they were capable of producing, and that the change was not a positive thing. I think I'm guilty of that on a personal level: of thinking that what I consume might change me, make me happier, make life better, whatever. It's not going to happen. The weird thing is, I'm not sure that producing material things makes you happier either. I've renovated and re-wired every room in my house but one (this summer's project) and while you get satisfaction from completing those kind of projects, it's transitory. I hate to cite Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (only because it sounds pretentious), but Robert Pirsig had a good point when he said that you have to learn to love the process and not always be focussed on end goals (he was mountain climbing and *not* enjoying the process!). I've remembered that point for two decades, but I don't seem to be able to actually do it while I'm working on things. I wish I could. The only time I remember to *try* to enjoy myself while working is when I'm gardening. I've got to do more of that this spring.