Specs

Model: HP Laptop 14-dq2053cl Released: November 2021 CPU: Intel Core i3-1125G4 @ 2.00GHz x 8 RAM: 8 GB Graphics: Integrated Storage: 256 GB SSD

Believe it or not, even though it's four years old this month, this is now the newest and most powerful computer I own.

My next-best would be my streaming PC – a HP Z240 Workstation desktop PC with a Core i7-6700.

In terms of processing power, the laptop actually edges out the desktop in PassMark CPU benchmark scores at 9282 vs 8050. Being five generations newer really does make that much of a difference.

Despite being only an i3, the laptop CPU is a quad-core with hyper-threading, so the OS actually sees eight cores. Nice!

I haven't popped the back cover yet, but I believe I can upgrade the RAM and SSD eventually, too. But the current specs should be more than adequate for my experiment.

Distro

The Linux Distro I chose is Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS. I keep going back and forth between Pop! and Linux Mint, and Mint has been my go-to for at least a couple years now, so I want to give Pop! another good shot. Both of them are often mentioned in conversations about best all-around Linux distros and best distros for beginners. I don't mind using a terminal when I have to, but I want the least hassle possible.

Installation was a breeze – except when I tried to install some UEFI firmware suggested by Pop!_OS. It just showed up as a notification that a firmware upgrade was available, so I tried to install it and the laptop rebooted and then...nothing. I waited for an hour, still nothing. I forced a reboot, and still nothing. I ended up having to reinstall the OS. And this time, it said the firmware update was already installed. Alrighty, then.

Use Cases

I'll be using my old desktop as a dedicated streaming PC for my Twitch and PeerTube live streams – it has all the USB ports and dedicated graphics (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti) and is already configured for it. I'll keep using that as my streaming PC at least until extended Windows 10 updates end in October 2026. But probably even beyond that as long as all the software still works, since I won't be using it for anything but streaming.

I'll use this laptop for everything else. Here's an overview of what everything else looks like:

Web Browsing and Web-Based Apps

My current browser of choice is Vivaldi. Great performance. Features and customization for days. Cross-platform. No crypto or AI garbage. Firefox is a backup.

Web searches, email, banking, Google Drive, etc.

Watching Video

I watch a lot of Twitch. Not gaming, mostly DJ streams and musicians. And a little scam baiting. Oh, and for some reason Sumo. I feel the desire to quit Twitch both as a viewer and streamer, but I would really miss interacting with some good people there. I'm trying to figure that out. More on that in a future post.

I don't watch YouTube hardly at all anymore, but I'll check it occasionally.

I am currently subscribed to Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+ and will watch stuff on those services, too. Paramount+ had a crazy good deal – $40 for one year with ads (which I can block in a browser). I love Star Trek, and I wanted to watch Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, so there you go.

Prime Video will be hard to cancel unless brick-and-mortar retail suddenly enjoys a resurgence and we can reliably get more things we need locally in our area. I could probably live without it, but my wife would struggle.

Audio, Video, and Image Editing

Audacity, Kdenlive, and GIMP have been my go-tos for years. I don't anticipate any problems here.

Blogging

I'm writing this blog on it!

Messaging

I'm not a fan of Discord, but at least I don't have my own server on there anymore. There are some individuals and communities on there I value.

I also use Element. Probably not Signal Desktop anymore, though, after moving to Delta Chat.

Light Gaming

We'll see what runs on this thing! Valheim stuttered a bit in the 30 seconds I tested it, but I'm sure I can tweak the settings for smoother gameplay.

So far I have also installed Stardew Valley and plan to install Undertale, which I still have never played.

Other

There is an application called Tableau that I occasionally use for data visualization. It has no Linux desktop version and does not run in WINE. So I may have to install a Windows VM if I want to use that.

I'll be using the laptop quite a bit for church, too. I'm in the lay (volunteer) ministry and use the laptop often for Google Drive, notes, calendars, and proprietary web apps for administrative stuff.

A Small Act of Defiance

If I can't make a clean break from Big Tech, I can at least try to move in the right direction. Committing to using a Linux Laptop exclusively for any amount of time is just one small act of defiance of Big Tech and the tech bros trying to control and monetize us.

One thing I will greatly miss is the ability to send text messages from my laptop like I can on my old MacBook Air 2017. I loathe thumb-typing on glass slabs (#BringBackBlackBerry). I'll also miss GarageBand – a pretty great app for a music nerd like me.

But I have to be willing to make some compromises and sacrifices if it means living truer to my values. It's a balancing act, and it's never as clear or easy as one thinks. But I have to try.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 106) #tech #laptop #Linux #FOSS

It was an uncomfortable moment, but a welcome one. I have gotten way too worked up over Elon Musk and his Twitter antics because that situation is at the intersection of a lot of issues I'm passionate about like #tech, #SocialMedia, #politics, #FOSS, #privacy, and others.

When I get too worked up over issues like this, my emotions get the best of me and I don't think clearly. I'm not as articulate or persuasive in my arguments. I get upset, argumentative, contentious. I feel anxious, agitated, frustrated. I lose control. And I don't feel good about myself or others when I'm like this.

Over the years, I've made some changes to keep from slipping into this state of mind and continue to participate on social media in productive ways, but it still happens and I don't like it.

It's time for another news and social media fast. So here are the changes I'm making starting today and continuing through the end of the year:

• Log out of Discord, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Mastodon on all devices (these are the only social media platforms I use)
• Refrain from checking news sources. I will block specific news websites on my devices if force of habit gets the better of me.
• Strengthen real-world relationships
• Pray and meditate more
• Read more
• Write (blog) more
• Enjoy holiday festivities
• Focus on being present and living in the moment

When the status quo isn't working, it's time to change things up. So here goes!

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 84)

Warning: Andor spoilers ahead!

My favorite TV show of 2022 – and probably my favorite TV show ever – is the Star Wars series Andor. I have been watching its debut season again and loving it even more the second time around. In Episode 5: The Axe Forgets we learn a little more about the beloved character Nemik – a young Rebel idealist who is in it all for the cause – so much so that he creates a Manifesto which is referenced prominently later in the season.

In Ep. 5 we get a taste of Nemik's brilliance in a little exchange he has with Andor:

Nemik tinkers with old navigational device.

Andor: That's an old one.

Nemik: Old and true. And sturdy. One of the best navigational tools ever built. Can't be jammed or intercepted. Something breaks, you can fix it yourself.

Andor: Hard to learn.

Nemik: Yes, but once you've mastered it, you're free. We've grown reliant on Imperial tech, and we've made ourselves vulnerable. There's a growing list of things we've known and forgotten, things they've pushed us to forget. Things like freedom.

This got me thinking: what is the equivalent of “Imperial tech” in our world? And then my mind flashed back to a line from Episode 3:

Luthen: Rule number one, never carry anything you don't control.

If you don't have 100% complete control the computer technology you use – software, hardware, firmware, everything – it's “Imperial tech”. And these days, you have to be very intentional – and give up some conveniences – to completely avoid using Imperial tech.

My iPhone? Textbook definition of Imperial tech. I can't install whatever software I want on it, and I'm completely dependent on Apple for updates and support. Apple (or whoever has the power to influence Apple) have it within their power to render my iPhone completely useless, or worse, use it for nefarious purposes without my knowledge.

My laptop and desktop? They're not Apple products and can run the software of my choosing, but they still have some proprietary (not free-as-in-freedom and open source) firmware. Also, I'm currently running Microsoft Windows 10 on the desktop, which is definitely Imperial tech. My laptop is running Linux (Pop!_OS). Overall they're both still much better than my iPhone, but still technically Imperial tech.

And what about the other computer-related tech in my house? Roku? Amazon Fire TV? Google WiFi mesh routers? Brother laser printer? My car's infotainment system? All Imperial tech.

Just like the protagonists in Andor, we can't completely avoid using Imperial tech. It has become too pervasive and integrated into too many aspects of our lives.

So what can we do? A big step in the right direction is just becoming aware that we're using Imperial tech and how it has made us vulnerable. We can be more intentional about how we use it. And we can seek out and use non-Imperial alternatives whenever possible. Sometimes that means using older tech.

Like Andor said, non-Imperial tech can be hard to learn. It can be less convenient. But like Nemik said, it's usually sturdier, easier to repair, and once you've mastered it, you're free.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 70) #tech #TV #FOSS

Topics of Focus

#faith – thoughts related to my religion #tech – self explanatory

Other Topics

#100DaysToOffload #accessories #AI #automobiles #Bandcamp #books #business #cassette #charity #Christianity #Christmas #ChurchOfJesusChrist #climate #community #compactDisc #contention #COVID19 #decentralization #DigitalMinimalism #economy #electronicMusic #EveryDayCarry #eWaste #family #FOSS (free-as-in-freedom and open source software) #friends #gratitude #haiku #health #hobbies #HomeOffice #humor #intentionism #internet #laptop #LessConvenient #libraryMusic #life #Linux #loneliness #media #meditation #mentalHealth #misc #movies #music #news #nostalgia #physicalMedia #planning #poetry #politics #privacy #prophets #retro #smartphones #SocialMedia #synthwave #travel #TV #Twitch #unity (not the game engine) #Utah #vaporwave #writing