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

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

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

It doesn't help that, in addition to taking a break from Twitch, I deleted my Discord because I don't trust the company anymore. So I've been trying to seek out other online communities on IRC, Jabber, etc. but not really finding any that click with me.

I plan to reengage with Twitch before Easter while trying to be careful about not using it as mindless entertainment or background noise.

But I also realized: I have no real-life friends that live near me. My only IRL social interaction is with my family and my church community. I love my family dearly, but we need friends, too. And I love my church community, but I don't interact with them much outside of church meetings – with the exception of occasional visits in their homes as part of my leadership role, which I absolutely love.

Online friends are great, and I have met some genuinely good people that way, but electronic interaction is no substitute for in-person interaction.

We need people. And I need to make more friends in real life.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 156) #faith #Lent #Twitch #family #friends #loneliness #tech

I've already written about this but it bears repeating: if you do not have control over the tech you use, you should assume that it can – and probably will – be used by those who control it or later gain control of it for nefarious purposes.

This is why I have never owned a smart speaker, smart doorbell, or other such devices, and why I am constantly wary of using an iPhone or a conventional (“Googled”) Android phone.

I understand that my iPhone is not truly mine. Apple ultimately decides what software I am allowed to run on it and they have the ability to completely brick it or turn it into a surveillance tool without my knowledge or consent.

So why do I keep it? Because I'm expected to use a phone for work and church purposes, some of the apps I need to use do not run on de-Googled Android, and from my perspective, “Googled” Android phones are even more of a privacy nightmare than iPhones. So it's a situation where I have to choose the lesser of the evils.

To mitigate risk, I try to use my iPhone only for the purposes required, and I have a second phone running de-Googled Android with OS-level tracker blocking (/e/OS) for everything else. It's not perfect, but it's better than doing nothing.

This is just one of many adjustments I have made by assuming that tech I don't control can be used to spy on me.

Beware of the dangers of using Imperial tech and make adjustments accordingly. Every change you make, no matter how small, makes a difference.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 129) #tech #privacy #AI #smartphones #internet

It actually stopped recognizing the SSD altogether. So I thought maybe the SSD went bad and I bought a replacement. It wouldn't recognize the new one, either. The RAM tested ok, so I suspect it was a motherboard issue. I didn't have the time or patience to fiddle with it any longer, so I abandoned the experiment. It was a free laptop – one that its previous owner basically threw away. I guess I know why, now.

There is still a future for Linux among my personal computers. The only working laptop I personally own at present is a 2017 MacBook Air. It's usable, but struggles. I have an old HP desktop that I use for streaming on Twitch, light gaming, ripping CDs and DVDs, and other things. It's still running Windows 10 and I refuse to put Windows 11 on it. It's getting extended updates from Microsoft through October 13 of this year. I'll probably put Linux on it before then.

But I'll need a new laptop before the end of the year, and I keep waffling back and forth between getting a newer MacBook and sourcing a good laptop to put Linux on.

The reason a MacBook is in the running is because my wife gave me an iPhone 17 for Christmas, which I use for work, church, and travel. And a MacBook would play the nicest with that phone and all the Apple things.

But I also have a second phone – a Motorola One 5G Ace running a de-Googled version of Android – /e/OS. For the sake of privacy, I use that phone instead of the iPhone when I can. I'd like to have a laptop or desktop running Linux for the same reason.

I'm leaning towards getting a Linux laptop and trying to make that work. If necessary, I can always get an iPad for the Apple-y things I might need to do.

I'm going to have to wait a few months before I make any big purchases, though. Money is always tight this time of year and who knows what tax season will bring.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 127) #tech #Linux #laptop

Watch the video and check the website for more details, but I'll give a quick summary of each product and my impressions.

Power Keyboard

This is a bluetooth keyboard that you can pair and use with any device that supports bluetooth keyboards. But what's unique about it and made me pre-order it is that it can attach to my iPhone 17 via MagSafe and I can use it as a slider keyboard in both portrait and landscape.

I had been seriously considering buying a Clicks keyboard case but I didn't hesitate to pre-order the Power Keyboard because of its versatility. I can easily attach it to my iPhone when I want to use it and remove it when I don't. And I can use it for other devices (tablets, Apple TV, etc.), as well.

As someone who loathes typing on glass, this was a no-brainer. Especially since it's cheaper than their keyboard cases!

Communicator

If you are familiar with Michael Fisher (aka Mr. Mobile) and his content, you know how much of a Trekkie he is and there's no doubt he had something to do with the name of this phone. (And I'm pretty sure most of the folks behind Clicks are all Star Trek fans because they're nerds like me.)

A phone that looks like a BlackBerry that was made by BlackBerry fans and former employees! Finally!

The recognizable form factor and minimalist default launcher instantly hooked me, but what sealed the deal for me is when they announced it will have a SD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack! This is how I know Clicks means what they say about giving customers choices and being intentional about how they designed the Communicator, because I believe the real reason both of those features have been removed from mainstream smartphones is to make more money by forcing people to pay for more internal storage and buy wireless earbuds or headphones whose batteries eventually fail, requiring them to buy regular replacements.

I haven't pre-ordered the Communicator yet, but I am very seriously considering it. Given the current state of tech (and everything in general), prices are only going up. So I think the regular price of $499 USD for the Communicator is a steal in a world where $1K+ smartphones are becoming the norm. But the pre-order price of $399 USD is almost too good to pass up.

The only reason I hesitate is that, as part of my personal efforts to reorganize, consolidate, and be more intentional about the tech I use, I am in the market for a new laptop – likely a new MacBook, but I am not 100% settled on that yet.

I also am trying to figure out the best arrangement for my smartphone use. Right now I am using my iPhone mostly for work, church, travel, and iMessage and FaceTime. I am using my Unihertz Jelly 2E as a secondary personal device, mostly for listening to podcasts and music right now, but also for some communication and light app use.

I'm not sure if I need the Communicator if I have the Power Keyboard for my iPhone.

But, without question, I want the Communicator! And if money were no object, I'd pre-order one now. I just need to decide what my my focus and priorities are and whether what I currently have in the way of mobile phones is sufficient, so I'll wait a bit and think about it before pre-ordering one.

Kudos to Clicks

I'm pleased to hear about any tech company trying to make products that bring back intentionality and choice to the devices people use every day. Sometimes, less is more. Tried and true designs and features don't need to be forced into obsolescence.

It seems like Clicks is on the right track – their keyboard cases have clearly appealed to enough people that they are in a position to take their offerings to the next level.

I wish them success and am excited to get my hands on the Power Keyboard for sure and, perhaps, the Communicator, too!

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 124) #tech #smartphones