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January 22nd 2021 : I don’t smoke Gemini

My morning ritual involves making a cup of tea then sitting alone checking my emails, checking my RSS feeds and doing a Gemini tour with AV-98. Also, sometimes procrastinating on some other websites I should avoid.

I became so efficient at this routine that, most of the time, I’m finishing it before my cup of tea. Which is stressful. I want more of this procrastination! Give me more stuff to compulsively check.

Which is why I appreciate RSS and AV-98 so much: there’s a end. When AV-98 tells me "End of tour", well, I know it is finished.

Yesterday, I realised something strange. As I had to spent the whole day interacting through Microsoft Teams, I didn’t had the time to do my routine. No big deal, I could do it during those slow times in the conversation. I checked my RSS feeds multiple times that day.

But, to my stupefaction, I was unable to do a Gemini tour. Reading Gemini requires some focus. My tour is usually short, focused, interesting. I can’t browse mindlessly on Gemini. So, as during every meeting, I ended up opening random lobste.rs or reddit links.

It’s a clear illustration at how much the modern web is built for unfocused people. It is litteraly built to catch your attention but to require very little of it. Make you addict while providing no benefit. Like sugar or cigarettes.

The web is tobacco. Somthing I’ve been telling about Facebook since 2008. The television is the same kind of dope.

I’ve decided to fight the bull by the horn. Incidentally, I’ve received yesterday my Hermes Baby Typewriter. I’m joining the revolution led by Richard Polt.

If you feel a bit overwhelmed by all this web stuff, there are two books to read.

Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport and The Typewriter Revolution, by Richard Polt.

Both have unique insight on our relationship with technology.