A personal weblog.
I have many concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) and LLMs in their present state. I'll elaborate on these concerns in future posts, but I wanted to make it clear that until my concerns are resolved, this is an AI-free blog.
I feel the need to get back into the habit of writing regularly. And I can't think of a better way to do it than to take the 100 Days to Offload challenge a second time.
For a long time – at least a decade and a half – I have been learning about and gaining greater understanding of the problems with Big Tech and how pervasive it is in our lives. I have tried numerous times to move away from using proprietary, corporate-controlled technology but have always been drawn back to using it for one reason or another, burying my concerns in the dark recesses of my mind. But recent events have drawn those concerns again to the forefront of my thoughts. And I feel a great sense of urgency to try to adopt and use freer technologies.
I took down my blog because, for a brief time, I was trying live scambaiting on Twitch and I wanted to be extra careful about privacy. But I'm not doing that anymore and there are some things I have been wanting to write about. So the blog is back!
I am aware of at least two people I personally knew and interacted with in real life who died due to COVID-19.
One was my wife's aunt.
Another was the father of a former foster child.
The latest estimates put total COVID-19 deaths in the United States at nearly 1.2 million. More than double all US lives lost in all wars combined.
Currently, more than 300 people per week are dying from COVID-19 in the US.
Today is Memorial Day. And since there is no formal day on which we as a country recognize the lives lost to COVID-19, I choose to honor them among all others I honor on this day.
That's a line from the movie (based on the book by the same name), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I only recently watched it for the first time. As I wrestled with the decision of whether or not to quit Twitch, this line resonated with me when I heard it.
I no longer refer to people who watch my Twitch channel as a “community.” I call them viewers or friends, but I don't think it's accurate or helpful to refer to them as a community.
It's interesting the things you come across online when you wake up in the middle of the night. For some reason at 2:30am today, my half-conscious-but-apparently-not-tired-enough-to-sleep brain decided to search Startpage for “boycott Twitch” and discovered there is an actual Amazon boycott starting today. I took that as a sign. I'm joining the boycott. I won't be streaming on Twitch this week.
I can't shake a feeling I've had since before Easter.
Sometimes I can almost forget it. But like my tinnitus, it's always there when I stop and think about it.
It feels like a chapter of my life may be ending. And I feel...mournful. Sad.
I started watching Twitch again after taking a break for 7 weeks. It's only been a few days, but I think it's causing me to slip back into old thought patterns and habits. I need to cut way back and limit myself to specific streams and times. Or stop watching altogether.