💾 Archived View for gem.saayaa.space › gemlog › 2022-11-15-grabbag.gmi captured on 2023-04-26 at 13:10:59. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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I just wanted to write a little bit about a bunch of things while also formally introducing the new name of my gemlog.
I bought my first mechanical keyboard! It's a Keychron C1 and I absolutely love. It looks like the keyboards I used to use when I was younger but with a modern touch. I didn't want to spend a lot on my first keyboard so I focused on finding one without RGB. It was quite difficult finding models that didn't have it which I found surprising.
Eventually I found Keychron and their RGB-free model. It was reasonably priced I received it within a week. I'm currently using it to type out this post and I feel like an absolute boss. I went with the Ten Keyless (TKL) size and it's been pretty easy adjusting to not having the number pad. I'm actually pleasantly surprised by how much more room I have on my desk now.
I definitely feel like I've caught the mechanical keyboard bug. I find myself wandering over to r/mechanicalkeyboards more often than not. Maybe one day I'll dive right in and build one.
I'll be honest y'all, I like that Signal added this stories feature. When I had Instagram, stories were my go-to feature for sharing. I could post a dumb random picture or video and after 24 hours it would disappear. I enjoy the fleeing nature of stories.
Since leaving Instagram I've missed that feature the most of all the social media apps. With stories on Signal, I can share like I did when I had Insta but with people I actually text and talk to. Unlike Instagram where there's like 100 people who might see your story and you actually care about 6, the stories I share are with just those 6 people.
In my circle of people I'm literally the only one using the feature and usually the only one opening the app more than once a week, but I still like that I have the option.
I started using Thunderbird when I moved to Linux. It's incredibly feature rich and I like how easy it is to set-up and use. They went through a redesign relatively recently and I actually dug it. Icons and interfaces looked smoother and cleaner, and overall I was happy with my experience.
I recently read through a link on Techrights (I love their daily links roundup, highly recommend) that they are working towards a total revamp of the calendar next year. Looking through what they're proposing and some of the mock-ups, I'm excited for it.
I have a lot of love for Thunderbird, but I will say that damn thing runs a lot heavier than I'd like. I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm using an older laptop, but it'd be nice if it used a little less. I'm not a super technical so maybe that's a stupid ask considering what the app provides.
Regardless, overall I'm a very satisfied Thunderbird user.
There's been a lot of discussion going on about gate-keeping and Gemini. I didn't want to dedicate a whole post to it but it's something I often think about so I figured I give my two cents in this here grab bag.
I am not a very tech savvy person, but I love the FOSS community and small tech space. As a result, I learned what I could to begin to actively participate in the community so I could contribute as well as learn. But I'll be honest, it's been a years long process to get to where I am. Before I started on this journey, if someone told me to open up a terminal or use the command line, I would have no idea what they were talking about. I just used what I was given and went as far as those around me went. What that meant for me, and still means for most people, is Microsoft or Apple, Chrome, and Microsoft Office. I didn't grow-up in a family that was very tech savvy, nor did most people in my extended family and friends. Going from zero to Gemini is a lot farther and daunting than I think many people on here understand.
I'm not advocating for Gemini to completely abandon everything that makes it great so more people can access it. But I do think there is real value in making the on-ramp less steep.
I've read some pieces from individuals saying that keeping the technical walls high protects Gemini's long-form written culture. What I have to say to that is maybe that's not actually Gemini's culture? Sure, a lot people write long form on Gemini because text is its heart and soul. But I don't see how shorter and varied forms of content detract from Gemini as a whole. Hell, I write recaps of one of the most trash television shows on planet earth in The Bachelor and post it on Gemini. I think a diversity in content would enrich as opposed to detract from the space.
I enjoy reading all kinds of content on Gemini. I even read all the techy posts even though I don't know what the hell they're talking about. However, it'd be cool to read someone's breakdown of last night's football game, or a comedic take on something in pop culture. I know there are plenty of mirrors to that content taken from the web, but I genuinely believe that writing natively on Gemini changes how the content is written.
I'm speaking from experience when I say that Gemini has helped re-program the way I post on the internet. I write differently because on Gemini I write for the sake of writing, and not for clicks and shares. I want to introduce people outside this small bubble to the joys of writing in this way.
I might not be able to do much technically to help on-board newbies, but I will continue to gush about how much I love it here to those outside of Gemini. Most people don't even know this place exists. If they learn about Gemini, and they want to become an active part of this community, it would be nice if their limited technical ability didn't completely prohibit their participation.
I would like to add that there now many more ways to post on Gemini than in the past, and that's lowered that has definitely lowered the Gemini on-ramp. I just think we can do even more.
Anyway, that's the grab bag. Didn't expect to write this much, but here we are.