How Books Are Better On Consoles

What if I told you there is a game console for books? I don’t mean you can shove a paperback into the cartridge slot of a game system and play it. I’m talking about a single purpose device designed to do one thing, but instead of playing games, it’s dedicated to reading books.

I Deleted Twitter

I've left the sky where the Tweets fly. Good-bye, Twitter. On April 26, 2022, I deleted my ten-year old Twitter account. Previously, when I had deleted Instagram or Facebook, I always held onto Twitter. But now I've let it go for good.

Newest Kindle Ticks The Right Boxes

Alright, time to talk Paperwhite. And time to upgrade some tech! Recently I shared that I had ditched my Kindle Paperwhite and switched to Apple Books for all my eReading needs, but then in the last week I rediscovered my Kindle and rekindled my long-form reading. That’s all good, but greater still is the newest Kindle, which ticked all the right boxes I wish-listed years ago.

Kindle Rekindled Again

I’m not reading books on Kindle anymore, because…Apple!

I said something like that in late 2020 after getting a new-to-me iPhone. I dove headlong into the Apple camp — nice walled-garden that it is — and decided it was natural to simply use Apple Books on iPhone to read eBooks. So my Kindle Paperwhite sat in a drawer for 18 months, untouched. Until last week.

Social Media Disconnecting

Twitter? Signed out. Facebook? Logged off. It started a few days ago after noticing my frequent phone checking, which spurred a reality check. How did I get so hooked? It felt like brain drain. So Wednesday night, feeling staggered, I turned the key that arms the big red nuke button. I signed out of all my social media accounts and removed all links to them. I'm off.

Who Let The Blogs Out?

This week, I found an old book (copyright 2004) about blogging by Biz Stone, who helped create Xanga nearly two decades ago. Amazon was selling the paperback for $5 so I grabbed it.

Checking Out WordPress Alternatives

April started with WordPress.com quietly pushing new unwelcome plans with all-or-nothing pricing. Like many others, I’ve written about it (here and there). Besides causing much consternation, the change also caused me to start seeking another blogging platform just in case — still no word on the new a la carte options said to be coming. I’ve been sampling other services and will share where I’m at thus far. But first, a general word on paying for services.

Smartphone Addiction Reality Check

Mobile computing is a nice modern convenience. It’s also an encumbrance. I’m talking about the smartphone of course; it can do so much. In fact, it does more than Steve Jobs envisioned… For me, I’ve recently taken a couple steps to, uh, decouple a bit from my iPhone 8 Plus.

RPGamer Editorial April 2022

In my latest editorial at RPGamer, I share why RPGs should have overworlds and why I like them.

Jason Journals Launches On Twitter

Earlier this week, I took a new step forward with my blog, creating its very own Twitter profile. I had considered this before but never thought it was necessary or worth the extra management. Now, though, it seems fitting.

New WordPress Plans Don't Impress

WordPress has made its new plan changes official. The announcement covers the radical reduction to only two plans and includes somewhat clarifying information about related options. It’s nice to see this news properly addressed outside WordPress forums. And it really looks like WP is listening to its customers and adjusting some of its new plan offerings. But...

WordPress Plan Changes Concerning

Surprise! In a non-telegraphed move, WordPress launched a new plan pricing paradigm recently. Brought to my attention by fellow blogger Aywren Sojourner, I looked at the plan tier updates to see what’s up. As things now stand, I don’t like what I see. In fact, this sudden and unwelcome plan pivot moved me to begin checking out other options in the greater blogging space.

Backup Your World

Yesterday, March 31st, was World Backup Day. Funny thing is, I was already thinking about and planning some new backup strategies for my household.