My 2023 Reading Retrospect

Last year, I bought the newest Kindle Paperwhite; it’s awesome! This year, I read almost zero books on it; that’s awful! Goodreads thoughtfully reminded me how badly I bombed my Reading Challenge 2023. And you know what? No worries.

My 2023 Gaming Retrospect

This year, I didn’t watch a single minute of the annual Game Awards show. I was too focused on finishing construction on my home’s bathroom addition before Christmas. And honestly, I’m not that interested in the show itself but in the results. I just like to know what RPGs won awards and how well Nintendo games did.

Setup Switching Habit And Hobby

As a tech geek, I suffer from chronic setup switching. Bouncing from one system of devices or apps to another is an ongoing habit and hobby. Either bored with stale or tempted by shine, I like to try new tech tools or revert to the familiar.

Apple Journal Lock In

The Apple Journal is coming. And as I’ve expressed my concerns before, I plan to abstain from using it and don’t think I’ll even try it. Not to brag, but journaling is a “solved problem” for me, so I don’t need a new solution no matter how shiny Apple markets it. Yet having some interest, I watched CNET’s recent video in which Bridget Carey previews it. Something she said about “lock-in” struck a chord in me. And with that I want to reiterate some reasons why I won’t use Apple Journal.

Sometimes Hardware Sells Software

There’s the idea that “Software sells hardware.” If there’s a certain app you want or need strongly enough, you’ll buy whatever device that’s required for its usage. If you want to play PC games, you buy a PC instead of a Mac for example. Want to play Mario or Zelda? You must buy a Nintendo device. Many folks prefer Apple’s software operating system or Mac-only apps like Final Cut Pro, so they buy a Mac instead of a PC. But sometimes it goes the other way: hardware sells software.

Forgetting My Phone Was Unsettling

Today I took one of my sons to our local Pokémon League meetup. He has a phone, so I was to drop him off and he could text me if he needed anything while I was Christmas shopping. But as I started to leave, I suddenly realized my phone wasn’t in any of my pockets. I left it on the charger at home! It was kind of an unexpected shock. I casually told my teenage son he wouldn’t be able to text me, but I’d be elsewhere in the mall and return before too long, so no worries. Yet once I went Christmas shopping, concern gripped me.