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

I had a 720p flat screen TV in there with a Roku, blu-ray player, VCR, VHS tape rewinder, and some VHS tapes. I moved all of that into my office. I put the devices on a small TV stand, and the tapes into one of the cubes in my Kallax shelves.

I moved one of the three desks (IKEA tables which I had positioned to form a large L-shaped desk) from my office into my bedroom where the TV used to be.

When I want to read, study, write, or just think without being distracted by or tempted to use a device with a screen, the bedroom desk will be my go-to place of refuge.

I may take devices to the bedroom desk with me when I need them for something intentional – like using the internet for research or study, or listening to a podcast – but I will not keep any chargers in there. When I'm done using them, all devices will be returned to my office, which is where they will “live” from now on.

I hope this will help me to be more intentional about how I use technology at home, and I look forward to breaking the habits of checking my phone first thing in the morning, using my phone in bed, and watching TV in bed.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 122) #tech #intentionism #HomeOffice #LessConvenient #writing

Before, I had two tables arranged in an L shape to form a single “desk”. Now those tables are separated. One table is for all the digital technology I use – the “Online Table”. The other table is the “Offline Table” and strictly for tasks such as research, study, planning, writing, and meditation – anything that doesn't require me to be looking at a screen.

With the Online Table, I have purposely tried to pare down and consolidate all the digital technology I personally and exclusively use so that it fits on this single table. I now have only one display – my trusty old Dynex 32” 720p LCD TV. This is the only display my desktop PC is connected to. The TV is connected to a KVM switch so I can also use it as an external display for my work or personal laptops, if needed. I adopted a single monitor workflow a couple years ago, so no worries, here. My laptops are stored in a vertical dual laptop stand beside the TV when not in use. I also have a small audio receiver and two speakers, a dual SATA USB 3.0 HDD/SSD dock, and a wireless keyboard and mouse. All of this fits on a single table.

The Offline Table is where I will keep a paper planner, notebooks, writing utensils, books, and other related materials. It is where I will write letters, brainstorm ideas, study scriptures, and generally “disconnect” from technology.

These tables are physically separate from one another for both symbolic and practical reasons. This is just one of the many changes I will be making in the coming days and weeks to help promote a healthier relationship with technology.

Discuss...

#tech #intentionism #DigitalMinimalism #HomeOffice

When it comes to room, desk, and equipment configurations for my home office, I like to change things around. A lot.

Lately I've been feeling like my desk was too cluttered with separate monitors, keyboards, and mice for my work and personal computers. Then I remembered that I had a KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch and decided to bust it out again and see about decluttering and consolidating things.

So after a revamp, here's my setup going from left-to-right in the photo above.

GTPLAYER Gaming Chair – I bought it 2 years ago this month when it was obvious I'd be working from home a lot more than I had been thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and I needed a decent office chair. It's alright. Not super comfortable, but it does promote good posture and is the best home office chair I've had so far. It also reclines and has a leg rest, but I don't use those features nearly as much as I thought I would. I eventually want to get something that gives off a more professional vibe (I'm not a gamer, Twitch streamer, or YouTuber) and is more comfortable.

IKEA Tables – Two cheap tables arranged in an L shape, so not a desk in the true sense of the word. I really wish I had something with drawers to hide knicknacks like SD cards, thumb drives, dongles, earbuds, etc. when I'm not using them.

EleTab Standing Desk – that's the thing the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and KVM switch are sitting on. I can raise it up with the help of hydraulics. Nothing too fancy. No motors or anything. But it does the job and was lots cheaper than a “regular” standing desk.

Logitech Wireless Keyboard & Mouse – I got these for free from a relative who didn't want them anymore, so I can't really complain. Nothing fancy, but they work well. They take standard AA and AAA batteries and last a crazy long time.

Dell 22” Monitor – Another freebie from a relative. Nicest of the monitors I currently own. About a year ago I adopted a single-monitor workflow so one monitor is all I need. If you think that's crazy or just want to know more about that, I plan on writing about it in a future post.

Aukey 1080p Webcam – Purchased in the Spring of 2020 this was an early pandemic acquisition when webcams were hard to find because everyone was suddenly working from home. The nice Logitech webcams were stupid expensive at the time. I found this one at a reasonable price and took a chance. It's not terrible.

PWAY KVM Switch – (on the standing desk between monitor and laptop) This allows me to connect my work laptop and personal desktop to the monitor, keyboard, and mouse and toggle between them by pressing a button on the switch. This particular switch is USB powered and requires no external power. It supposedly supports monitors up to 4K resolution (I haven't tested that). It works well and reduces a lot of desk clutter.

Dell XPS 15 9500 Laptop – this is my work laptop. I try to be careful not to introduce more potential attack vectors than necessary to protect the data of the company and our customers, so the only thing I use it for personal-wise is web browsing. Everything else I do on it is work-related.

Specs:

• 15.6” FHD+ Display with Webcam
• Intel Core i9-10885H
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
• 32GB RAM
• 1TB SSD
• Windows 10

Non-Branded Dual Vertical Laptop Stand – Made of metal and quite sturdy, this allows me to stand up to two laptops vertically on my desk, saving oodles of space. I have my work laptop configured to remain on when the lid is closed. I put it in the stand front-down so the back is up and has plenty of air-flow when the fan spins up. This doodad and the KVM switch are the biggest space-savers in my setup.

Panasonic Cordless Landline Phone – I hadn't had a true landline phone in many years. Then, there was a severe wind storm in my area in September 2020 that knocked out power for extended periods of time over several days. During these outages, not only was the internet down, but cell phone service was also down or unreliable at best. We had no way of getting in contact with anyone unless we drove to an area with cell phone service. I remembered that traditional landline phones don't require external power and still function in the event of a power outage, so I got a landline once again. We have the cordless phones for convenience, but we also have a couple corded phones if the power goes out. When I'm at home, I have my cell phone forward calls to my landline. The service is stupid expensive ($70/month for a single line including national long distance) but it works great and is one more option in an emergency.

HP Z220 Workstation Desktop – It's old, but it works well and is my primary personal computer at the moment. I gave my ThinkPad T460 to my son at the end of the school year in May when he had to turn in his school laptop for the Summer.

Specs:

• Intel Core i5-3550
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
• 16GB RAM
• 256GB SSD
• 2TB HDD
• Windows 10 & Linux (Pop!_OS)

Sabrent USB 3 Dual SATA Drive Dock + 1TB SSD – (Out of frame behind the desktop) When I want to use Linux, I currently boot Pop!_OS on my desktop from the SSD via this dock. It works surprisingly well and means I don't have to mess with dual-boot partition configs on a single drive that always seem to break. Each OS has its own drive and that's just fine with me.

So there it is. I'll use this nifty setup for a while and will inevitably get tired of it, at which time I'll reconfigure everything again.

I'm thinking about acquiring a laptop and repurposing my desktop as a home server, but that may have to wait until after the holidays.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 30) #tech #HomeOffice #COVID19

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