It's possible that my current job will morph from designing and building interactive data visualizations to using AI to design and build them for me, with me validating the output. But that also means that fewer people will be able to do the work of data analysis and data visualization than are needed now. So if I'm not “lucky” enough to remain employed in my current field, I'll need something to fall back on.

One possibility I've been thinking about is getting a real estate license and becoming an agent, so I recently talked with a couple friends who work in real estate. One friend is an agent working at a large name-brand brokerage. The other friend owns his own small brokerage. They both gave excellent advice and had good insights and perspectives to share.

The broker friend said he can see a future where a “Zillow AI” can do 40%-50% of the work real estate agents do now. But there will still be a human element needed. People will still want a real live human being they trust to help them with a transaction as important as buying or selling a home.

These conversations have made me realize just how pervasive “AI” has become and how it is disrupting, well, everything. Jobs that you would think are relatively “safe” from being replaced by AI are still being impacted by it, even indirectly.

How we work, communicate, learn, teach, think, etc. – it's all being disrupted by AI.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 168) #tech #AI

I can see how such a feature could be genuinely useful. Keeping a personal journal, keeping track of what was discussed in business meetings, etc. But I think the privacy implications are serious.

I don’t like the idea that anything I say in a public setting or in a conversation with others could end up in a transcript summary on someone’s personal device. But this is just the latest in a long line of concerns about surveillance as the devices we use become more and more technologically advanced.

In truth, there have been concerns for many years about smartphones, smart speakers like the Amazon Echo, and even smart TVs listening in on us without our knowledge or consent. I've lost track of how many times I've experienced or heard others relate their experiences of how they were discussing a particular topic with a friend or family member and then as soon as they get on Facebook or another social media platform on their smartphone, they see posts and ads featuring the very topic they were discussing.

Meta's AI Glasses have been causing a stir because people who wear them are wearing video cameras that can record everything – and everyone – they see.

OpenAI is developing a wearable device, designed by Johnny Ive of Apple fame, that will no doubt be constantly listening, recording, and transmitting data to OpenAI's servers and who knows where else.

And whether we personally own or use any of these devices ourselves, chances are we will be interacting increasingly more with people who do.

For all the controversy around Flock cameras being installed everywhere, eventually they might become obsolete. Because the surveillance devices won't need to be on top of poles strategically posted in public places. The surveillance devices will be hanging around our necks, in our earbuds, built into our glasses. We will be wearing them, carrying them in their pockets, driving them, etc.

This goes far beyond the breadth and scope of the telescreens George Orwell envisioned in his dystopian novel 1984. And that story did not end well, either.

#100DaysToOffload (No. 167) #tech #privacy

I think a case can be made for staying on Twitch while being aware of its faults and speaking out about concerns. Not that I think I can change anything from within – I will never be important enough for them to care. But there are two big reasons to stay: the people, and the experience.

Over the past three years I have come to know some wonderful people through Twitch and I enjoy interacting with them. I really do love the experience of connecting with people over a shared appreciation for music.

Also, boycotting without parallel alternative systems in place doesn’t work. So I can work on building an Owncast audience alongside my Twitch audience, and maybe Owncast will get to a point where I can leave Twitch without feeling cut off from the people and experiences that I love.

What I want to guard against is complacency. I will go back to Twitch with eyes wide open and be on alert for more shenanigans, which will surely happen. And I will be ready to call them out.

Another recent decision I made was to stop using the Clicks Power Keyboard I recently got because they wanted to force me to sign up for an account with them to get firmware updates for it.

But two can play that game. I signed up with Apple and used a throwaway email address (because Apple gives you the option to do that whenever you sign up for something with your Apple account).

In fact, I have typed most of this post on my Clicks Power Keyboard. I still need to build up muscle memory and that will take a couple weeks, but I think it’s a good device. Brings me right back to my BlackBerry days.

I guess the point of this post is that I needed to be reminded that we live in a fallen, imperfect world. And I can either hide in a cave somewhere and isolate myself from it as I continue to learn about all the bad things that people have done and are doing, or I can try my best to draw attention to the problems while using whatever talents and resources God has given me to help others and do some good.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 166) #tech #Twitch

The purposes of this project are: to foster human connection, promote personal balance, and preserve the experience of letter writing for future generations.

They have also established a network of stationery shops, book stores, and libraries that function as a pen pal service that protects the privacy of the correspondents.

I love this idea and it reminds me of a similar project: The World Needs More Love Letters, which I have known about for many years and in which I participate on occasion.

I decided to take The Sunday Letter Project pledge, although I'm slightly rewording it for my own use. The pledge as they have written it is:

I pledge to write one letter each Sunday – to myself or someone else – as an act of reflection, connection and calm. I believe in the power of carving out a pocket of time for myself and I am committed to embracing this ritual as a way of creating balance in my life.

My wording of it is:

I pledge to write one letter each Sunday – to myself or someone else – as an act of reflection, connection, calm, and service. I believe in the power of carving out a pocket of time for myself and giving of myself. I am committed to embracing this ritual as a way of creating balance in my life and bringing joy to the lives of others.

I wanted to emphasize that it is not just for my own benefit, but for the benefit of those to whom I write. It brings me a tremendous sense of peace and fulfillment when I am able to look outside myself and make even a small difference for good in the lives of others.

Whenever I receive a real letter from a real person it sure brightens my day. Knowing that person took the time to write and mail the letter specifically to you – that for a brief time, their thoughts and intentions were focused on you – it is a special thing.

Amidst a deluge of digital distraction, it has never been more important to find ways to be more intentional. To slow down and do some analog things. I hope The Sunday Letter Project can help me to establish an intentional habit of letter writing that will endure for years to come.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 165) #intentionism #writing #analog #LessConvenient

I have been streaming on Twitch for three years, but have been considering quitting as early as March 2025 when I drafted – but never published – a blog post about my reasons for leaving. I have come close to publishing that post and quitting several time since then. Yet I had always managed to stop myself and feel like the good outweighed the bad when it came to Twitch. But this incident has tipped the scales unfavorably.

The Bad

Here are some of the other reasons I am leaving Twitch.

Ads are only getting worse.

I block ads almost everywhere else on the web, but I chose to not block them on Twitch to support streamers I don't subscribe to in some small way.

Some months ago, related to the point about toxic content, I was repeatedly shown an ad on Twitch for a lingerie brand that was pornography by most definitions of the word. I do not want to view pornography. I do not seek it out. I strive to avoid it.

There was no way to skip this ad. I had to minimize my browser or look away. There was no way to block it aside from using ad-blocker browser extensions or paying for a subscription to Twitch Turbo, which removes ads across all streams. I found a way to provide feedback, and I did so. But there is no guarantee I wouldn't be shown such ads in the future.

I've also noticed I have to watch an increasing number of pre-roll ads, sometimes 7, 8, 9 pre-roll ads at a time, before I can even tune into some streams. This is at least partially due to the streamer's own ad schedule settings. But it seems like Twitch is ratcheting up ads, in general.

Ads are getting out of control everywhere, not just on Twitch. But now every time I stream, it's not just increasingly more ads my non-subscribed viewers have to watch, but now I'm potentially exposing them to pornography and other questionable content. Even if I block ads for myself, there's no way I can personally justify streaming on Twitch or continue to use it as a viewer knowing that other viewers who can't afford to pay are drowning in ads and potentially blindsided by inappropriate ones.

And as I mentioned earlier, subscribing to Twitch Turbo to get rid of ads site-wide is an option (if you can afford it), but that would be funneling even more money to Amazon and Jeff Bezos. And, as I will explain in the next section, I don't want to do that any more than I have to.

It's part of the Amazon machinery.

Amazon is the parent company of Twitch. Reasons not to support Amazon would be a blog post unto itself. But there already many articles and blog posts out there explaining reasons to avoid or actively boycott Amazon. The “Criticism of Amazon” article on Wikipedia is a good place to start.

Here's a quick bullet list of some of the most common, well-documented problems with Amazon:

• Tax avoidance
• Crushing small businesses
• Profiting off surveillance data
• Poor environmental record
• Terrible treatment of employees

Suffice it to say, the less money I make for Amazon and Bezos, the better I'll feel.

And now we can add:

It does not respect users and opts them into data collection to train Amazon's generative AI models without their prior knowledge or consent.

At some point, we have to not only speak out and declare that this kind of behavior is unacceptable, we have to take action. And one of the best actions we can take against companies with terrible business practices is to boycott them.

I'm done being taken for granted by Twitch and Big Tech. Done being tracked, manipulated, exploited, and monetized. Done being opted into all of this without my consent.

The Good

Despite the bad, my experience streaming as a music selector (DJ) and interacting with good people on Twitch has been a mostly positive one and I will miss it dearly.

My love of music has been reignited.

I have always loved music and have enjoyed listening to it in some form or fashion. But I had forgotten how wonderful and enjoyable it was for me to sit and intentionally listen to music – particularly entire albums – rather than just have it playing in the background while I did other things.

I had also forgotten how fun it is to collect and listen to music on physical media. The experience of going to record stores and losing all sense of time as I discovered musical treasures. Getting lost in the stacks. Taking those LPs, CDs, and/or cassettes home, listening to them for the first time. It's an intentional experience that brings me a tremendous amount of joy.

Sharing music in this way is also a joyful experience, one I will always cherish. It breathes new life and fresh perspective into music I've loved for a long time because it's like I'm hearing it for the first time when I introduce it to others.

And being able to discover brilliant music that I couldn't have discovered any other way has been one of the reasons I found the Twitch experience so compelling in the first place. I will have to work hard to find other ways to discover human-curated music outside of algorithms and playlists.

I have met some amazing people.

It's been wonderful meeting and getting to know people from different parts of the world and diverse backgrounds, nerding out over music together. I have met kindred spirits and made good online friends through a shared love of music. I've even met one of them in-person and I was delighted to discover that he is as authentically himself online as he is in real life.

It brought a little joy into people's lives.

I have always tried to make people feel better for having tuned into my stream. Whenever a viewer said something like “I really needed this today” or “you've helped me through a bad day” or “I'm glad I found this stream”, it made it all worth it. This is what gave me the greatest sense of fulfillment as a streamer, and I will miss those points of connection and bright spots the most.

I've learned a lot.

I have learned how to create fun and interactive live streams and how to configure and use the technology to make it all happen.

And I've learned what really matters to me, what is most important. I've been reminded that, although it can bring some momentary pleasure, money really cannot buy enduring happiness. And joy that comes from material possessions is shallow and fleeting.

Relationships and shared experiences provide much deeper, richer, and more enduring happiness. Real relationships with fellow human beings, and especially, with God.

If I went deaf tomorrow, my music collection would no longer be a source of entertainment or joy. But my relationships with loved ones and with God would continue to provide joy, comfort, strength, and meaning.

Changing the Channel

Until last week, I felt like the good outweighed the bad when it came to Twitch.

In my own small way, I hoped that I could do with Twitch what Fred Rogers did with television. He lamented the mindless, crude content on TV, yet he saw the great potential of the medium to be a tool not only for education, but for spreading goodness, truth, and beauty throughout the world. And he made it happen.

But given the present controversy and legitimate concerns about “AI” as it stands today, I don't believe Fred Rogers would have allowed any company to use his program to train generative “AI” models, either, especially without his consent.

And I also realize now that Twitch is really not like television as a whole, it is merely one “channel” among many. And when my stream is live on Twitch, it is just one “program” on that channel buried amongst hundreds of thousands.

So it's time for me to change the channel.

I will have to use other live streaming platforms besides Twitch if I wish to continue to refine and share the social and musical experience I have so enjoyed. Platforms that treat users like human beings are not nearly as popular as Twitch (yet), but they exist.

I have already done a few streams on a platform called PeerTube, a decentralized, federated video hosting/streaming platform with no ads, no algorithms, and no mega-corp baggage.

I am also testing my own Owncast instance, which I think will be a closer experience to Twitch.

It's possible, though, that this might be the end of my live-streaming adventures. It might be time for me to pursue a different hobby and other ways of connecting with others over shared interests.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 164) #Twitch #tech #AI

I was excited when the Clicks Power Keyboard was first announced. A mag-safe physical keyboard that turns your phone into a slider and is also a battery pack? I immediately pre-ordered one.

When I received it this week, I was impressed by the build quality and how good it felt to type on. I was a bit skeptical about how the round keys would feel, but my thumbs didn't seem to have a problem with them. No doubt, as muscle memory improved, I would have mastered it like my old BlackBerry phones.

When attached to my iPhone, both devices together are quite heavy, but still manageable and not as top-heavy as I thought they would be. I couldn't see myself using it for marathon typing sessions, but for long emails and texts or moderate-length blog posts, it would be so much better for me than typing on glass.

I didn't try it, but you can also pair the keyboard with any other Bluetooth device that accepts keyboard input. So it's a pretty versatile gadget.

But today I tried to install an available firmware update via the Clicks app on iOS. And it prompted me to log into my Clicks account. It gave me two options: “Later” and “Sign In”. “Later” doesn't actually mean later, it means cancel, because it just kicks you out of the update screen. “Sign In” takes you to a screen with two options: sign in with Apple, and sign in with Google. No option to use a different sign in method or even a preferred email address.

So Clicks has locked the ability to install firmware updates for its products behind the creation of a Clicks account using your Apple or Google account credentials. I have both an Apple and Google account (for now), but what if I didn't have either? What if I didn't want either?

Why is this even a requirement for firmware updates? The only reason I can think of is so Clicks can track, market to, exploit, and monetize their users. It is wrong, and it is insulting. It means that I don't really own the product Clicks sold me. Rather, they are allowing me to pay for the privilege of using their product, and they get to decide how it is used.

I am already trying to wean myself off the likes of Apple and Google, and it is not easy in a society where their products and services are ubiquitous. I don't want to entrench myself with even more companies that are trying to copycat unethical Big Tech practices.

So farewell, Clicks Power Keyboard. I hardly knew you. My thumbs are sad again. But my conscience – on this matter, at least – is clear.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 163) #tech #smartphones #accessories

Psalm 27:14 (NRSVCE)

Though I wander in darkness I wait for the Lord

Though my heart is broken I wait for the Lord

Though I feel betrayed I wait for the Lord

Though I drown in confusion I wait for the Lord

Though my prayers feel unheard I wait for the Lord

Though He is silent I wait for the Lord

In my sorrow I wait for the Lord

In my pain I wait for the Lord

In my fear I wait for the Lord

In my doubt I wait for the Lord

In my Gethsemane I wait for the Lord

#100DaysToOffload (No. 162) #faith #poetry

Sister Leticia Ugboaja was released the next day, but only after parish officials posted her story on social media and it gained traction in the news, leading to intervention of members of the United States Congress on her behalf.

ICE, of course, refuse to comment on the incident. But this is not the first time ICE agents have arrested someone who was in the very act of exercising their religious freedom. There are numerous accounts of ICE raids in and around places of worship. And who knows how many people who have been arrested in this manner may still be in ICE concentration camps without the intervention of members of Congress on their behalf.

This story had me asking myself: can we truly have religious liberty in a country with a federal government that can and does infringe on other rights every day?

On the last Sunday in May of this year (2026), congregations in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States had a special lesson on the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, with an emphasis on the importance of religious liberty.

LDS Church leaders have also asked that all members engage in a special fast on Sunday July 5th, 2026 to “express gratitude for religious liberty and to pray that it be strengthened throughout the world.”

I believe this is indeed a worthwhile and good cause for a fast. But this call rings hollow for me because of the Church's near silence when it comes to attacks on other God-given, Constitutionally protected rights in the United States and elsewhere. If we believe, as the Founding Father did, that all our rights come from God, and that it is the duty of government to protect those rights, why does LDS church leadership not consistently speak out when any of those rights are infringed and declare the doctrine of Jesus Christ on such matters?

This coming Sunday, I will be fasting not just for religious freedom, but for ALL our God-given rights to be protected from this madness. Because, religious liberty is really just liberty, and all rights are in need of protection.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 161) #faith #Christianity #politics

Sometimes I feel like I need to get out of my house an go to a place where my thoughts and intentions can be drawn to God and to holy things. To turn my attention to Jesus Christ. To be still.

LDS meetinghouses are only open for worship on Sundays, and Sacrament meetings are crowded and focused on the ordinance of the Sacrament.

LDS chapels (the main gathering rooms where we have Sacrament Meeting) are nice, but plain and functional. Little to no ornamentation, no religious art or imagery of any kind. And outside of Sacrament Meetings and other meetings like conferences or devotionals, LDS chapels sit closed to the public, dark, and vacant. Even on Sundays, you don't really see people quietly sitting in the chapel unless they are waiting for a meeting to start or a meeting has just ended. If there's not a meeting in the chapel, you are expected to be elsewhere.

Instead, LDS are encouraged and expected to go to the temple during the week. Temples are different from meetinghouses. We go to temples to perform what we believe are sacred ordinances, first for ourselves, and thereafter on behalf of our ancestors and the deceased. We believe that through our participation in these ordinances, we enter into covenants with God that – as long as we remain faithful to them – qualify us for eventual exaltation in the hereafter (becoming like God and living with God and our families forever in the eternities).

But you cannot go inside temples and participate in these ordinances unless you are a member of the church and have a Temple Recommend – proof that you have been interviewed by local church leaders and are deemed worthy to enter.

And even if you have a Temple Recommend, you go to the temple to work and serve. You are either participating in ordinances or waiting to do so. Unless one is a temple worker (someone who has a calling or assignment to serve in the temple and assist temple patrons), one does not usually go to straight the Celestial Room (considered one of the holiest and most sacred rooms in the temple) if one wishes to just sit and pray and meditate.

Maybe this is just due to my own misunderstanding of what is appropriate for a temple patron to do, but I would personally feel awkward entering the temple without the intention of participating in any proxy ordinances. To just be still and to think and to pray. I'm not saying it is impossible to do these things during temple service, just that we're expected to be doing other things, as well.

But again, only members of the church who have a Temple Recommend may enter the temple. For this reason, and because our chapels are not open during the week, many members and non-members alike go to the temple to walk the grounds. The beautiful temple building and well-manicured grounds are indeed a wonderful setting for meditation, reflection, and prayer. I have done this, myself. However, weather conditions are not always agreeable. And some days, the temple grounds can be bustling with activity and people when there are weddings (sealings) and such.

A couple more things about temples. While the church has accelerated temple construction to provide easier access to as many members of the church as possible, there are still many members of the church who live more than an hour driving distance away from them.

Temples are also closed on Sundays and Mondays, holidays, and for several weeks each year for cleaning.

Sometimes going out in nature can also be a wonderful way to connect with God. I enjoy doing this. But weather conditions are a factor here, too, as well as travel time depending on how far away you want to get from...everything.

We can and should learn to pray and contemplate and connect with God in our homes and, really, wherever we are. And I strive to do this, with much room for improvement. But sometimes I just want to get out of the house, away from my distractions, to a holy place with no other expectations of me than to just be. To be still and know that He is God.

And this is one of the many things that draws me to Catholicism. Catholic churches are open to the public most days if not every day. Weather is not usually a factor. Many of them even hold daily Mass. I'm sure they have events and things that need to be planned around, but if you just want to go sit in a holy, quiet place for a while and just be, there's a good chance you can. You don't even have to be Catholic. They don't check at the door.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 160) #faith #Christianity

It's a quote that's often misattributed to Gandhi. There doesn't seem to be a consensus on who said it, but that doesn't make it any less of a good quote. And it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately and trying to make some changes with it in mind.

“I wish more people would __________.”

“If more people would __________, I would, too.”

There a lot of things that I'm not doing that I wish I was doing, because they just make sense to me and I feel that they're good and right. But I don't do them, or I give up when I try to do them, because they're hard. Or nobody else is doing them. Or any number of other excuses I come up with.

But my conscience nags me. It's relentless. And maybe some of the discontent I feel is because I'm not doing as much as I could be doing to better align my actions and behaviors with my values. Maybe it's time for me to start trying to live the kind of life I wish I could live.

Lent has already been a time of spiritual change for me. I intend to keep working on that area of my life, but I've started making some temporal changes, too, and I will be sharing my experiences in all areas over the coming blog posts.

In this post I'll share some changes I'm making with regards to the technology I personally own and use, starting with my personal computers.

Aside from the company-issued laptop I use for work, I currently own three desktop computers and two laptops:

• HP Z240 Tower Workstation
• Acer TC-1760 Mini Tower
• 2019 iMac
• 2017 MacBook Air
• HP Laptop

I feel I need to reduce this list down to one machine instead of five, and I have chosen to keep the HP Laptop for a number of reasons. It's lightweight and versatile. I can use it in my home office or on the go. It takes up much less desk space than a desktop. It's much newer than the MacBook Air (which is long past its official support from Apple) and has much better specs.

I've also installed Pop!_OS on the HP laptop and have committed to using Linux as my primary personal computing OS going forward to reduce my dependence on proprietary non-free software (more on this in an upcoming post).

The HP Z240 workstation was my streaming PC for over a year and did the job admirably. But I recently acquired the Acer mini tower as its upgrade/replacement. I feel I can let both of these go because I've decided to stop streaming on Twitch and stream exclusively on PeerTube (more on this in an upcoming post) with a greatly simplified and less resource-intensive approach compared to what I was doing on Twitch.

I also am fine getting rid of the desktops because they tempt me too much to play video games, which I enjoy playing, but they tend to suck me in, make me lose track of time, and neglect more important things in my life.

The 2019 iMac is a fairly recent acquisition (it was given to me for free) and while it is still a very nice machine – especially with its beautiful 5k Retina display – I find that I prefer the more versatile wall-mounted dual monitor setup I have in my home office, which frees up more desk space. And I can use them for work and personal use, connecting them to either my work laptop or personal laptop as needed.

Another reason I want to let go of the Macs is because I would like to reduce my use of and dependence upon Apple products as much as possible. As with other Big Tech companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, etc., I don't trust Apple to do what's in the best interest of their customers – or humanity, in general.

This week I shifted to using the HP Laptop exclusively and will be looking for ways to sell or re-home the other computers, preferably to people who truly need them. Doing so will help me to simplify and streamline how I use computers and reduce the amount of proprietary “Big Tech” products I use. The reduced clutter and cables in my office are going to be most welcome, too.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 160) #tech #DigitalMinimalism #HomeOffice #laptop #intentionism