Tagged lifestyle

Fighting against my YouTube addiction

This is my 2nd attempt at writing this

When I originally wrote this, it ended up complaining about the state of YouTube rather than focusing on the subject which is stopping myself from watching YouTube. Basically it was about to be another rant type of post that offer no value.

What I might do is have a separate post if anyone is curious on what I have to say about the platform. Or maybe I won't.

Here is my current state right now.

I want to showcase what I am dealing with and I also want to prove that I am not perfect.

Formerly Current Ideal
Channels I'm subscribed to 200 2 Zero
Hours wasted watching per week 40 5 Zero
Comments I've made per month 2 Zero Zero
Hitting the Like/Dislike per month 10 Zero Zero

What I used to watch in the past

Hmmm. It's a lot of junk when I think about it.

What about what I watched for the past year?

Not much other than two channels. One that focuses on consumerism and the other is a laid back technology channel that focuses on many subjects ranging from explaining basic subjects to making coverage on recent trends.

Have I at least quit overall?

Yeah I do remember trying that as a challenge. I don't think that is a good approach because how I do it is once the new month starts, the challenge begins. It's better if I just quit right away rather than just waiting it out.

What happened after that challenge?

The results ended up being interesting. What happened is that I've been in a state where I felt a bit brainwashed. Conditioned to watching content that has little to no new content. It's embarrassing at least. Glad I noticed after the challenge.

For example, I would watch multiple videos on the same subject matter. Awhile it seems great to catch different opinions on the current subject matter, most content creators if anything just seems to default to the same opinions, therefore I am not getting anything new.

Even worse are content creators being impatient by means of making too many videos on a slowly developing issue. Either we could wait and watch a very well produced story a month later or watch too many videos that has little or no new information right now. I'm getting a flash back to a TV broadcast that had to stop a show because "breaking news" had to happen ... and it was just a small information that needed to be showcased: a few photos, that's it.

List of issues on the videos I've watched

I am going to summarize what I've typed from my "rant," here I go:

History-wise, a good chunk of YouTube videos have reached from Trolling, to Click-bait, to finally, Rage-bait.

If you think about it, YouTube and other websites are having war on emotions. They don't want you to think logically. Everything has to be reactionary. These websites love their users to be angry and/or sad. It's what keeps the users staying on the platform long term.

Let's speak about the website itself

I understand there are plug-ins to fight against the issues but allow me to at least list the issues:

My first attempt: Plug-ins and bookmarks

It's been a long time I've used the plug-in so I apologize in advance that I don't know what it's called. I just know the keywords is "distraction free" or something like that.

The goal is to have the recommend/related videos to be removed whenever I watch any videos on YouTube. And on top of that, I have the subscriptions feed be bookmarked so I don't enter into the dreaded front page of the website.

However, awhile this may have worked out at the start, I was still watching YouTube on mobile so that another obstacle. Later on I would download apps like NewPipe which allows me to have more freedom on both desktop and mobile.

By the way, the plug-ins, awhile nice, can always break after there is an update from the website.

Second attempt: Invidious and blocking YouTube.com

If I were to show you a screenshot of what my experience is for watching YouTube for the past few years, it would look like this: A search bar. That's it. Nothing more.

For those who don't know, Invidious is a third party method of watching YouTube without needing to providing your data. Users who are privacy conscious are already using this. And yes, no ads and you can download etc.

Whenever I access to new instant of Invidious, I go to settings and disable recommended videos and switch from trending videos at the front page to just a search bar.

I've managed to distance myself away from many of the content creators that I used to watch daily to never ever watching them ever again. Pretty much a lot content creators I see today make predictable content. The whole experience has become too artificial.

It's crazy that I went from having 200 plus channels I've subbed to and then ... zero. I haven't missed anyone, well except one which is a channel that speak about consumerism. And eventually I would find a tech channel that makes content is respectable towards the audience.

However there is another problem I am stumbling upon, blocking YouTube.com. Awhile I have the plug-in installed to block access to the website, there are times I would turn it off just to watch a single video ... only to watch five plus videos. You can tell it is not working. The reason why I go back to YouTube is because certain Invidious websites would go down sometimes, it's clear there is a war going on between YouTube vs Invidious. Awhile Invidious claims there is no rules being broken, YouTube does not care, they want Invidious down forever.

Another addition to add is that every time I restart Librewolf web browser, the settings for Invidious keeps restarting. Meaning I'll keep having treading videos at the front page and recommended videos on the side of the website.

Third attempt: Going offline

Awhile some will find this to be a rather desperate attempt, I think this is a necessary action.

The fact I lack self control whenever it comes to the video platform is indeed sad. But I have no one to blame but myself.

I can tell the amount of hours and days dominated from just watching pointless amount of videos. That amount of time could of been used towards making content instead.

So what I've done is remove the wi-fi chip inside the laptop and remove the wi-fi adapter from the computer. The only device that has access to the internet is the e-ink tablet.

If you think I'm trying to live like the 90s or early 2000s, then yes, that's the goal. I want to relive the old days when I was a kid and all I had was offline devices and books.

End goal? Quit watching YouTube?

I understand that YouTube used to be my only source of entertainment, I haven't watched movies in a long time. I don't even watch other video platforms such as uhhh--I know there is Netflix, ParamountPlus, DisneyPlus, Hulu, Vudu, and uhhh ... yeah that's all I know on the top of my head.

There is wonderful aspect that we all loved about YouTube, the connection between just ordinary people sharing content with other ordinary people. You can tell there is way too much production value when it comes to TV and Films, it becomes disconnecting, but YouTube? It's just a person in a bedroom hitting the record button and sharing what they've made. It's very easy when content creators make relatable content. However there does reach a point when it becomes parasocial, that's when the creators just have to know when to keep a distance.

Don't get me wrong, I'd be missing a lot of wonderful content but ... the real question is this: what have I been doing for the past decade? Nothing much. I want to change that.

Looking at my August 2026 blog posts

This is going be a short blog post

I wanted to take a step back and look at how much I've typed and posted so far. And I have to say I'm quite happy so far. The reasons why I even wanted to do this in the first place is because I had a lot to share but I held back because I wanted to put it in a video format. But then I realize that is never going to happen.

I think the reasons why I no longer want to make videos comes in two ways. One, it takes quite a long time to put together a video, and two, I'd pay too much attention to what others are doing rather than focusing on myself.

The fact I make these blog posts on my very own websites is amazing. There is no silly moderation tool to stop me from posting. Sure I do not post anything extreme, but if you ever looked into YouTube, you can find the most PG friendly content creators getting some sort of community guideline strike or something ridiculous.

I never cared about the numbers. The view count, subscriber count, and any other nonsense that YouTube wants you to care about. It is nice that Twitch's dashboard allows streamers to disable the numbers by directly clicking on the numbers, this allows the streamers to focus on making genuine content instead of desperately pandering.

Let's see ...

Ignoring my first test blog post ... I've posted 13 blogs. Looking at the word count is crazy to me. I never knew that I had some sort of energy to type so much. However I wonder if it had to with the mechanical keyboard I've purchased. Right now I am typing on a hall effect switches instead of optical or membrane and sometimes I switch to a different keyboard that has the usual mechanical switches.

Honestly I feel great about writing all of this. It was about time I've done it.

The next blog post

So right now I've been working on my next blog about my YouTube addiction. However after taking a break from writing it for a day or two, I realize the blog is very ranty. Too much complaining rather than talking about solutions. I felt like it was straying off course. So what I'll have to do is cut almost 70 percent of the writing and just summarize what I dislike about the platform, and again, focus on the solutions.

What I might do, is have a separate page about YouTube. Like-wise I'll put a disclaimer that reading it is completely optional.

My challenge on September

I thought about doing this for a long time. It's happening. On this month I'll be removing my wi-fi chip inside my laptop and hiding my wi-fi adapter just in case I need access to my computer.

The odd challenge is to find a way to keep posting these blogs.

The goal is to be more offline by focusing more on my projects such as my webcomics, blogs, and of course more personal matters that needed to be resolved.

I hope to read more books as well. The only device I've allowed access to the internet is my old Boox e-ink tablet. This small 6-inch display can at least allow me to read books but also check e-mails.

How long will I survive the challenge? I don't know. We'll see.

How I write without hand pain by using a 1 dollar pen

Quick note before you continue reading

This blog contains:

My beginnings as a child

Tripod

This image showcases a "tripod grip." Notice the middle finger going under the pen. This grip was forced onto me from a family member who could not stop yelling at me. This was quickly short lived as it felt too uncomfortable to write.

What I later adopt

Quadpoint

This is a "quad-point grip" where four tips of the fingers are gripping the tool. Notice the index finger flexing inwards, that's showcases additional force being applied to the pen.

I would use this grip throughout elementary to high school.

The pain

For the longest time, I would just do a lot of artwork. Which means sketching. This activity would dominate most of my life and I haven't had the chance to return to writing.

Around the start of 2023, I got back into reading text only books (rather than graphic novels,) the book was filled with so much information that I had to get a notebook and start writing down notes.

Within 10 to 20 minutes, my hand started to feel pain. I was at utter confusion. I was confused because I don't have any hand pain when it comes to sketching. But writing, it hurts. Some would call it "death grips" but I cannot find solid information about it. Either way, I had to stop and investigate on why my hand is hurting.

Starting fresh

I would buy a cheap sketch book and a bunch of cheap pens. It was time to experiment. I ended up adopting the same grip I would use for sketching artworks.

sketching

writing

I ended up using the same pen I was already writing which is the Pentel RSVP. A pack of two that cost less than 1 dollar. The other cheap pens I tried was gel and it did not meet my new requirement which I'm going to call "gentle writing."

The goal is to write with little amount of pressure. Just like how I sketch with little amount of pressure, the pen is handled differently compared to the classic "tripod grip."

tripoint

This is the "tri-point grip." Notice the middle finger is no longer under the pen.

tripoint2

And from this angle you can tell I am holding it as light as a feather. Like what most painters would do with their brushes.

For the experimentation, I open my sketchbook, turn to a blank page, and start writing the pangram "the quick brown fox" over and over again. I would adjust my seating posture, try using my arm to write rather than hand only, and mess with the angle of the pen. And it's not just the angle, I also adjust the position of my grip, the placement of the fingers could be close to the tip or far away from the tip.

After the week of experimentation was over, I went back to writing notes for the book and it was clear that my hand pain is no more. It is interesting to see the before and after, it was thick lines back then but now it's all thin lines. As long it's readable, that is all what matters in the end.

Some will find it crazy but I tired to keep practicing holding the pen gently on my hand whenever I walk. It's like I'm holding a cigarette but instead it's a ballpoint pen. Mind you this was a short lived experiment, I don't know if this method goes a good job of reinforcing a habit of holding a pen gently rather than hard.

My question: Is there such thing as a correct way of holding a writing tool?

Honestly, I don't think there is ever a correct way of holding a writing tool. It'll depend from person to person.

The "tri-pod grip" puts me in a locked position and hurts my palms (lower part of my hand.) "Quad-point grip" for me is the same problem but the worst part is an unnecessary amount of force and pressure from my hand, like I'm in pure rage. And yes, I'll admit, I was angry at that time.

I think the reason why "tri-point grip" worked for me is because the fingers are not curled too much and the lower part part of the hand is open just a bit more.

The arm? It depends. There are times I'll use my arm to move but sometimes I don't.

Seriously this puts me in an odd position where I finally learned that the standard "tri-pod grip" is just ... not that important.

I'm fortunate to have years of experience sketching because otherwise it would of taken me more additional time to figure out what is going on.

But yeah. It's just a matter of experimenting. I cannot imagine left handed users struggling right now.

Beyond the 1 dollar pen

pens

Look, I really recommend the Pentel RSVP but if you are interested in other pens I'm showcasing, then fine.

I'll provide my results from writing light AKA gently on the paper and then hard on the paper as well.

The paper is Bloc Color by Rhodia N 16, 90 g.

ballpoint

Ballpoint:

Besides the Pentel pen, you might ask me if getting the bigger pens with nice grips is the way to go. My answer? Maybe? ... If you know you going back to awful habits of gripping the pen hard, sure. But I also want to advocate on practicing with an affordable pen due to how lightweight is it. I don't blame you if you want to keep it as a backup just in case things go wrong.

The grip on the Bic Atlantis is soft and squishy and awhile Pilot Dr.Grip RT is hard because it has two layers of grip. Perhaps those two layers is meant to counter the pressure from the fingers pushing in too hard?

low-vis

Low-Viscosity:

Unpopular opinion, I really do not like most of the low-viscosity pens expect one. I've tried Pilot, Zebra, Pentel, and of course, Uni.

The Uni Jetstream is very popular and I get it. The issue I have with the pen is how it bleeds onto the paper too quickly. If I were to write the letter "O" multiple times, the starting point where I write will create a blob and the afterward it'll be a smooth line.

The only pens I love in this category, is the Parker Jotters. They write uniformly, and they behave more like a ballpoint pen rather than a gel pen. Making it rather easy for anyone to pick up and write straight away. That's not to say gel pens are difficult to write, it's just most people have experience with ballpoints than other pens out there.

Another thing I love to point out for Parker Jotters is how excellent the body of the pen is. It's very skinny that it allows the user to experiment on holding the pen in different positions. The weight is good too, I prefer plastic body because it allows me to grip better.

pressure

Pressure:

Pressure pens are awesome and I know most people love the legacy from anything that is Space Pen. Trust me, I own way too many Rite in the Rain pens and multiple Space Pens, both manufactured by Fisher. If I ever had to use them, it's more for work, outdoors, and emergencies.

What about writing for long periods? Well ... as you can see from the image, Space Pens are not going to be the ideal solution. But Tombow? Somehow they managed to create a pen that seems to work no matter how light I go onto the paper, it's like magic! The trade-off is that it writes very thin if the user writes gently on the paper.

By the way, if you are not familiar with pressure pens, they are designed to write in harsh conditions and even upside down. Can even write underwater as much that sounds crazy.

fountain

Fountain:

I want to like fountain pens. When I started with Platinum Preppy (Fine nib), I was not impressed from the start. But as time passes on, I had to revisit the pen because I needed to know if I just handling it wrong.

When it comes to using fountain pens for the first time, it's the same as picking up a new musical instrument. I think the issue for me was how I was angling it incorrectly. However I finally found a pen that made me happy and learned a critical point.

The Pelikan Twist is awesome and made learn that it isn't just the angle of the nib but also the nib size as well. I was writing with fine nibs for a long time on and off but the medium nib (and board) allowed me to have the smooth writing experience I'd ever imagined.

Okay awhile Preppy Medium provides smooth writing to the point it has little to no feedback sound, Pelikan Twist does provide that bit of "toothing" sound but both really writes smooth.

Granted the problem with fountain pens is that they do not write well on normal or cheap paper. It's a lot worse here in USA. From what I learned from certain users on Reddit, Pelikan's ink is somewhat okay on cheap paper but your mileage may vary.

Gel pens?

I don't like any of them. They don't work for me because they keep skipping whenever I'm trying to write gently. I guess I'll never understand why they are popular.

Rollerball pens?

Now that's what my family uses for a long time. Even I still use it for my calendar now-a-days. If I remember, they use a combination of Pilot Precise and Uni Vision, they are excellent.

The reason why I don't use them is because they bleed too much onto the paper. My fingers could accidentally smudge the writing.

Basically I'd use them for niche reasons.

Let's keep it simple here

I highly recommend the Pentel RSVP. It's a good starting point. Keep this in mind:

Don't give up. Keep practicing. There is no need to worry about putting your hand in constant pain.

Why I believe phone interviews are a joke

Let's start with a quick story that happened a decade ago.

It'll be quick. It will allow me to get the point across.

After working for a minimum-wage job for 4 years, I had to move to a different place. With-in 2.5 months of being unemployed, I couldn't get a job whenever there was a phone interview. But the moment I had a physical interview, I got the job, I was hired.

Now mind you there were a few places that did human to human interaction type of interview before so I don't want to out-right lie to you. I did several of those interviews and I'll be honest, I was not giving my 100 percent.

Speaking of percentage chances, why on earth do I have a high percentage chance of getting hired whenever a company doesn't do phone interviews?

The phone interviews

So let's understand this.

I'm given a time to answer the phone (home-line or mobile) to engage with the person who is interviewing me. Okay ...

I wait patiently next to my phone and answer once it rings.

The interview begins. The person on the other end of the line asks me questions and I answer.

At the end of the interview, I'll either be given a notice or ... well-let's-be-frank-here ... I'm not getting hired. If they don't call me again, I think it's very clear what is going on.

Let's dig deep into this process for phone interviews

The person who is conducting the interview has to capture information that'll be crucial.

In this case, answering the questions correctly and also providing enough information to any related questions. With enough additional information, the interviewer can trust the interviewee.

Let's push past the questions and answers and let's talk about charisma. If the interviewee is able to express level of energy and charm within their voice, that means they care.

Because let's be honest here, it's very hard to hire someone who is expressing low-energy, doesn't care, and is potentially selfish.

And finally, I don't feel comfortable talking about this, but it has to be done. The ability the speak a language. Back then it's just foreigners struggling to speak languages in where they currently live. Now we have to worry about certain generations who are struggling to speak their own languages. Right now Gen Z and Gen Alpha are the groups that has low literacy rates.

Now, let's dig deep elsewhere, to in-person interviews

Now let's look into the in-person, physical, human-to-human interaction, interviews.

Now before the interview even begins. The person who arranged this event can track if the interviewee is arriving to the destination on-time or not. This gives a clue to the interviewer, if the interviewee is to be trustable. If that person comes in late, there better be a good reason why.

Next we have to talk about looks. Depending on the workplace, it's very critical to not just dress appropriately but to dress seriously. Something that is either formal or business causal is the level that most will take seriously.

We are not done yet, looks is one thing. But the other, is hygiene. It's good to have a haircut beforehand, that's great. I'm speaking about the smell. It's not good if the interviewer can smell that either the person have went overboard on fragrances or never bothered to shower.

Now, before the interview even happens. First impressions and a quick introduction is needed. Providing a greeting such as "hello" and also providing a name is good. But it's even better to take the next step, a good firm handshake. This gives insight to the interviewer that this person is a good candidate.

It's time. To sit down. And of course, understand the power of body language. Awhile all of us are wired to the internet, we all have the infamous hunched over pose whenever we use an electronics device. That will not happen, it needs to be the opposite. It's one thing to walk straight, sitting straight is essential. By having a good posture, it gives signal the interviewer that things are going to get real. It's a challenge to do this for a hour or so, but it pays off. Besides, who wants to talk to a person who is crossing arms and slouching (not at eye level if you think about it.)

Head and chin must be upwards, not pointed downwards.

Bonus points if the interviewee is utilising arms and fingers if needed. No need to get crazy with it, just use when necessary.

But here comes the massive part, eye contact. There is no need to be creepy about it. But it's very simple. The more eye contact is being used, the more the interviewer is able to take the interviewee very seriously. Do you think the interviewer would like a person who is constantly looking down and away? I don't think so.

There is something beautiful about a human's voice. Their vocal cords. The fact the interviewer can hear clearly in-person compared to a phone call, is night n' day. Let's be honest, phone calls can drop, volume issues, interference, and maybe some embarrassing 3rd party disturbing the call (maybe even a child making noise.)

Thankfully there is no technical issues when it's voice to voice in person. Meaning, that the only challenge, is to provide excellent answers to the interviewer.

Now for some extra points, for the interviewee to become the interviewer. It's okay to ask questions and learn more about the company. They really like that because they know when they see a potential employee. Even better, turn the interview into a friendly conversation can be a secure way of winning. Just don't derail too far. Just focus on work only.

Okay let's put it on a table

Phone In-person
Voice+tone Voice+tone
Q&As Q&As
Literacy Literacy
Body language
Dress
Hygiene
Being punctual
Physical interactions (handshake)

You can see there is a lot of positive variables here. The chances of getting a job from an in-person interview is a lot higher than phone alone.

What about group interviews?

I've only done that once. And guess what? I got the job. What made this easy for me is that I happened to be sitting next to a guy who is dressed in the most basic clothing you can ever expect, t-shirt and jeans. That's not it though, he did even worse. The guy was slouching and crossing his arms, not giving a darn. He sometimes looks down at the empty table. Awhile I was wearing a white dress shirt and black business pants, the rest of the ladies were wearing fabulous dresses. That's right, there were only two guys in that room, it's the slouching guy and me. This was an easy battle for me.

Group interviews are designed for one big aspect, to test to see how friendly each person is. It's not just pleasing the interviewer, but it's pleasing the rest of people inside the room. It's clear the most social can win but the questions still must be answered no matter what. Any slip up can happen, so lowering one's guard is never a good idea.

Obviously, try not to talk over someone. Let each person take their time speaking. Of course, everyone has to look at the person speaking too (I'm talking to you Mr.Sloucher.)

But why? Why do phone interviews even exist now-a-days?!

I think the only simple reason is to save time.

I feel as if I am ever given the moment of a phone interview I'd just tell that they won a lottery. They are gonna have a guy that'll come to office on-time, dressed sharp, smells good, willing to have a nice conversation. Even better, I'm not just wasting time, money, and gasoline to get there ... I'm already there, like a horror film. So, let's talk in person like the good ol' days.

But really, let's speak more about the companies reasoning. If I understand right, you'll have a HR person just going on a hiring spree, let's say ten candidates. They could spread out three plus days to conduct in-person interviews, or, just do phone interviews all in one day.

Don't get me wrong, there is such thing as multiple interview processes. How that works is that there'll be two phone interviews and the final interview will be in person. Either way, you know my preferred method by now.

Fine, what about video calls?

That, I have no experience with.

But what I've listed so far should still be relevant. The catch is to understand the limitations of the video calls which is going to be video, audio, and network issues.

I think it's painfully obvious to make sure to have a headphone plugged in or otherwise it'll be creating echo. Also microphone must be tested too. And prey there'll be no issues network wise.

If there is anything I want to explore is the idea of a "webcam etiquette." It's very gross to have the webcam lowered down to the point where viewers are going to see the nostrils of a nose. The webcam must be pointed at eye level. The real challenge though, is looking at the camera rather than the monitor. There are specialized webcams that can be placed at the middle of the monitor. Either way, it's going to take practice.

The other side: Faking it

This is something I'll have mixed feelings about no matter what. And that is faking it.

I understand that getting a job is even more difficult than ever before. So it's no wonder many people are choosing to either lie or just pretend to be someone else when the interview happens.

I think this is why I despise phone interviews, because other than answering and having the right tone of the voice, what else can you do? Go out of your comfort zone and be over-the-top? This is why I prefer in-person interviews because you can be genuine and authentic. The interviewer can automatically detect lies and nonsense right off the bat by both audio and visual. Back to the phone? It's just audio only.

For me I believe it's best to be honest. The more lies that will be put on the table, the more the company will expect a lot.

So should phone interviews be banned?

Yes.

LightPhone II review (2.5 years of using it) and impressions of LightPhone III and Light Flip

mylightphone2 (My LightPhone II and extra case.)

Four things to warn you before you continue reading this.

  1. This is a 300 USD product, I bought mine used.
  2. This uses 4G network awhile the newer products have 5G network plus user-removable battery.
  3. This was a 1.5 year journey for me. I started with modified smartphone first, then a cheap dumbphone, and finally the LightPhone II. I didn't just buy it "out-of-the-blue."
  4. I love this device and believe it's "perfect" for me.

I figured I write this first so half the readers can continue reading or just skip this blog post. I understand it's awful to watch a YouTube video and figure out how much the product is until it's revealed either in the middle or the end of the video. It's annoying and that's why I rather tell you now than later.

Hold on. Still need to give another warning.

Around 2024 when I bought the device, the supply of these phones are mostly in stock. But once we hit 2025 and onwards ... wow, LightPhone II just keep being sold out.

soldout (When will these ever be back in stock?!)

It's so rare to see these in stock. I would just check the official website and dumbwireless.com, yeah ... they are sold out.

So much I have to ask, why? Lack of resources? Demand is way too high? Is it being discontinued?

For the last question, I remember reading their newsletter from the e-mail and they said they dislike the idea of discontinuing the LightPhone II because they feel it has to stand with the other products such as LightPhone III. They dislike the idea stopping software/OS support for the LightPhone II because that'll create e-waste. They want their products to not just last for the typical "2 years" nonsense but something that'll last for at least 10 years plus.

But still ... I'm in an odd situation here. Is there any point for me to write this review if the product is not available because it's sold out?

I feel like this is a bit of time waste for me to write all of this but I'll have no choice but to focus on certain key areas. And of course, the comparisons between the old and new devices.

lightphone2 (Promo image of the LightPhone II)

First, why on earth is this 300 dollars?!

Great question.

First we have to understand how can a smartphone or even a feature phone (dumbphone), become super affordable. Let's start with the Samsung A series, from this video we learn that the company is able to make money from big app developers/publishers, it also collects data from the users. Let's not forget advertisement whenever it's from the notifications or just straight up pop up full screen.

It doesn't stop from there, Samsung is able to pump out so many units that it is very easy to cut corners for the hardware side of things. No need for a fancy metal case, just go all plastic. Why bother having multiple cameras when one is good enough? And of course, the OS user interface can be strip down.

Mind you that even my Nokia 6300 4G had adverts in the phone. It is using KaiOS and whenever I browse through the app store and download the app, or even use the app, it'll provide an ad to encourage me to download another app.

Let's recap:

But what about the LightPhone:

Basically, if you bought this phone, it's truly yours. You'll have full ownership over this device. Never do you have to deal with bloated nonsense that the other cheap devices push towards you. It's yours.

Another aspect to speak on is hardware and software. Part of me feels as if this device already existed in the market long ago but I cannot find any evidence. Which means that if this was built from the ground up then that is another additional reason why it is an expensive device. Software? Well it is a highly modified Android OS, and it doesn't even look like Android from a distance really. But, the real point I want to make is that it took probably a lot of development time to have a functional OS.

If there is one massive criticism I have against the company, is that they seriously need to update their FAQs about this issue. Because let's be honest, that is the first question on everyone's mind. Yes, they can tell you the cost the devices, but the real question is "why are your products so expensive?"

Couldn't I just buy a cheap dumbphone instead?

Yes.

As a matter of fact, there is nothing wrong with either modifying your existing smartphone or just buying an affordable dumbphone.

Just remember why you are getting it. Nine times out of ten, you are getting it to improve your current health. Both a 20 dollar to a 300 dollar dumbphone can achieve the same results, as long you have built a plan around that device. Don't think it is a magic pill AKA "quick fix" that'll stop you from going to social media everyday and other addicting applications that'll suck your time. You need to strategize.

If you are one of type of people who keep going to places like Reddit and see endless posts of users showcasing their expensive dumbphones, I recommend you to stop going to that website. Same applies to YouTube as well.

You are doing this for yourself, not to please others. Remember that.

The big reason why I bought the LightPhone II is because of the many issues I had to deal with on the Nokia 6300 4G. It's bad. It failed to receive calls, it can't do timer/alarm properly, and it has faulty buttons on the lower row. You can tell I really want something that can function properly with no headache. And mind you, I struggled with the Nokia phone for 6 months.

If you are wondering how much I bought mine since I said I bought it used, it was around 200 dollars, it came with the original cable but no box.

Let's talk about flaws now, lets start with the battery

So let's speak on this right off the bat, I'll start on battery first.

Because the display is powered by e-ink technology, I'm able to have the phone on standby for around 3 to 4 days with no phone calls but a few text messages here or there.

Of course the biggest concern is the battery is non-removable. I won't lie, it's very odd for me to purchase this since most of my previous devices has a removal battery. Since I bought this used, the previous owner and me could degrade the battery to the point where it can't hold much charge. So far, I'm actually not too bothered about it since it's still doing fine.

However, the battery does drain fast if I am in a two to three hour call with one of my family members. Granted that is very rare, most of the time I don't do a lot of phone calls, hence making me the "light" type of crowd.

So if you do a lot of phone calls. I mean a lot, you might not want to bother getting this device unless you like having a cable plugged into the phone awhile you are chatting with someone. It's not really a wireless phone when you think about it.

Oh did I mention? This thing uses micro USB. Those old cables will continue to haunt me until all the old Raspberry Piis are destroyed in my room.

4G problem

So here in the USA, the shutdown of 2G (and 3G?) towers was a wake up call for some of us. It really taught me that almost all of the cheap ol' feature phones that uses 2G are basically e-waste. I used to have a backup phone in my room just in case the current phone is either dead forever or stolen. Now it's useless, among with all the other 2G phones as well. So much e-waste ...

By the way, that's why you no longer see the original LightPhone (one) being sold anymore. Because it uses 2G network bands only.

Either way we have to wait for these companies to make dumbphones with 4G networks but, I really would like to see a 5G dumbphone be released to the public. Somehow, Light finally announced that LightPhone III will have 5G. This was certainly something to celebrate but ... it's 800 to 900 USD. Talk about the pure definition of "lifestyle" price tag. At that point, most will look for a cheaper device elsewhere.

Why am I bringing this up? It's simple, once years and years passes, we'll also see the shutdown of 4G towers. That'll mean our LightPhone IIs will be useless.

What about other features, how does it function?

For my current setup I have:

When accessing the website, you can adjust what kind of apps you want to add or remove. At this point I'm surprised that I have left the alarm and timer on since I just use other devices for time tracking. As for Hotspot, that is for emergency only, I've used it three times so far. My mobile plan only gives me 1 GB of data, which is enough for me.

Here is what the website looks like once logged in:

dash (If you use the F5 key it'll change the background image. I'm providing this advice because I had not-so-good background image that is clashing with the UI.)

Then after selecting "phone" and your line, you'll be taken to this section here:

dash

Calling works as it should. Thank goodness. Call quality and the speaker is functional. Able to pick up calls and not miss them. Ringtone is not crazy loud but it has a unique ringtone that I can never miss.

Texting? This, is super convenient for me. Now I understand that you are the kind of person that does texting every single day, you are going to hate it. You'll dislike how slow it is since it's using e-ink display, and also fighting with the touch controls AKA "hitting the wrong input." For me, it took practice. After getting some muscle memory on the device, I'm able to type away seamlessly and take advantage of the microphone function. Yes, this uses speech-to-text. It's not 100 percent accurate but that is normal anyway. I use both features, speech-to-text and then fix some issues here or there, done. This whole thing is way better compared to the flip-phone/candybar phone T9 inputs

Here is an image of other apps I didn't bother putting in.

apps

How much you pay for phone service?

For the longest time I've used Ting Mobile for a decade. It's always the cheaper plans I've used for a long time. At first I was worried that is it incompatible but no, it's clearly written on the website support that Ting is supported.

Finally, I switched to a more cheaper mobile service to save even more money, Tello. At first I didn't want to bother with Tello when it launched but since they have matured over time, I feel I am able to trust the company now.

So I went from 15 dollars to 9 dollars per month. Mind you this is my primary phone, I don't use it as a secondary phone.

Basically the phone is already paid and I just need to pay for phone service for as little as 9 dollars a month. Nice.

The many questions I see

Does this have WhatsApp?

Nope.

Does Spotify work on this?

What is Spotify? ... I'm joking by the way. Again, no. If I needed music on the go I'd use portable music player like my MP3 player.

Ever listen to music on this device?

No. It has a 3.5 mm jack port at least.

This really has no camera?

It doesn't. This is why their later devices would end up having the camera feature. For me I just use a separate device like the Camp Snap.

However, if you depend on this for emergencies, either you find something else or have a backup device.

How fast does this charge?

It's oddly fast but I think it has to do with the fact the battery capacity is small (950mAh) and the more it is degraded, the faster it'll charge.

Would you recommend this for a child?

It depends how much you are willing to trust your child. I can't imagine having 300 dollars down the drain because they either destroy or lost it.

There are other devices you find that doesn't have a camera on it if that is the concern.

Can you see attached images on text messaging?

No it's just an icon but you can see almost all the attached images on your e-mail that is linked to the account!

What if there is a clickable link in the text message as well?

Same thing, it'll be in the e-mail and you get to access it on your preferred device.

What accessories you use on the phone?

Just the official screen protector and official cases. The cases seem to crack at the corners for two of my cases.

Is the maps good?

Never bothered. I just use my tablet instead.

Can you customize homescreen, lockscreen, ringtone, and other aspects?

Oddly no. I think I know why. The creators of the phone do not want you to waste time tinkering with it. They really prefer if you treat the device as a tool than a toy.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see other minimal cosmetic additions such as an analog clock on the lock screen and similar ring tones. Maybe they are dealing with memory constraints.

Inconveniences depending on where you live

Like I said, this phone is perfect for me ... however I don't think it'll be perfect for everyone else.

The more I read and watch about certain people's complaints about the phone, the more I learn that the phone cannot deal with today's issues depending where you live.

Because I live in suburbs, I don't deal with these issues. But if you live in the city, you might deal with certain problems:

Let's not forget if you happen to be at a different country you are not familiar with:

I already talked about in my previous blog post that I actually have a smartphone that is dedicated to vacations only. I only use it for 2 weeks or less per year.

But back to the subject, I'm lucky that I don't need a smartphone for my everyday life. I'm pretty much set for where I live, however if I ever move towards a city, things might change for me.

My thoughts about LightPhone III and Light Flip

lightphone3specs

As time passes on, I figured we are going to get a successor that'll have three key features: type-c port, 5G, and a user-removable battery. Well we got those three features but in a hefty price tag of 800 to 900 dollars. We are talking about high-end smartphone price tags right here. Like holy cow, who is paying that?!

And I know some will call me out by saying that "you could of bought it when it was pre-sale for around 400 to 700 dollars! You snooze you lose!" Here is my counter argument: That's a trap. They want early adopters to test their phones just to fix glaring issues that they may have missed. Also, like I said before, I love my LightPhone II, I see no point of buying LightPhone III.

It's like pre-ordering a videogame all over again, you don't know if you are going to have a solid product on your hands. Here are the list of concerns:

I can keep going on, I rarely go to Reddit but after the product was out for a few months, I took a peek. There were a lot of disappointing users. Granted some are again, expecting the "quick fix/magic pill" to cure their addiction.

I understand they have a track record. It's good but it's very little, they only had released LightPhone I and II back then.

But yeah when this came out I thought to myself, "this is a massive gap here ..." We have a 300 dollar phone and a 900 dollar phone. I knew that someday they'll make something in the middle later on, turns out my prediction came half true.

lightflipspecs

Rather than the "LightPhone 2.5," we got the Light Flip. And this product looks promising. Physical buttons, looks more durable with the clam-shell design.

It's also 300 dollars. Nice I guess but let's be honest, it's still within the range of "lifestyle" price tag. Most will just look into getting a more affordable device instead.

Privacy?

I understand that every big tech wants to spy on you and collect data etc.

Here is privacy policy if you are curious.

If you want absolute privacy, you shouldn't be using a phone anyway.

If I really cared, I would of bought a Pinephone instead and use their dip switches on the back of the phone to turn off mobile network etc.

Here are my simple rules

I would not bother getting the LightPhone III nor Light Flip until it has matured and all the bugs/glitches plus hardware issues are fixed. If I had to choose between the two I'd go with Flip.

But, I also need to stretch the use of my existing LightPhone II to the point that either the battery is completely dead or the 4G network towers are shutdown.

For now, my LightPhone II still works and that's all I care.

But what about you, the reader? I say what kind of device you need in your life? Do you make a lot of phone calls or do you text a lot? Can you handle those physical buttons for Light Flip? Are you ready to deal with questionable battery life on these devices? What is your end goal once you have the device on your hand?

Extra: The Light company

This the end of the review, you are more than welcomed to keep reading on if you want.

There is something usual that I've mentioned about the Light Phone company on the previous blog post. The minimalist website design, the odd looking merchandise they also sell, their marketing campaign is all over the place offline wise, and the founder? He is a down-to-earth guy who likes skateboarding. He saw the issues surrounding about smartphones early on and he teamed up with his partner to make the Light Phone.

I remember watching this interview and rewatching it again, it's very clear what their message is all about: to keep the conversation going. In the interview he speaks about advertising, and awhile it's great for any company to sell units, the founder doesn't care much about that. If he heard that one of his potential customer deleted his or her social media apps off of their phone rather than buying the Light Phone, that's a win right there. That's not to say he doesn't care about selling, sure he does not want to go out of business, but wants to care about everyone's wellbeing.

It's odd that their philosophy, "going light" is very similar to what I do now-a-days. I don't waste time on the phone whenever I go outside, I rarely make phone calls and I don't waste time chatting in social networks like Discord. I'm doing stuff I actually like, I'm more present for my friends and family, and my head is looking up rather than looking down, and finally, I get to interact with nature.

They even have a zine, which is the most indie thing you could ever witness. Do I feel like I'm part of cult or something now?

Time to wrap it up

I wish the company the best. I wish every person who wants to have a better relationship with technology, the best as well.

Just remember, the dumbphone isn't the end journey. There will be challenges along the way. You'll learn there are other ways to solve a problem. Good luck.

Analog movement, Low-tech goods, and Microtrends

Analog movement

I don't think analog movement needs much introduction but in my own words it's a movement that go against addicting technology by using low-tech and/or analog tech. Also teaching people to "go outside" as well.

Before I continue talking about this, I think it's important for me to make a clear distinction between the two.

Analog tech are goods that is powered without the use of electronics such as a motherboard and batteries. Example can just be as simple as pens/pencils and a notebook. Heck, even footware can be considered technology as well. The most impressive piece of analog tech I've seen so far are mechanical watch movements that is not battery powered. And of course, the old typewriters.

Low-tech are goods that is powered with a motherboard and a battery. They can either be old or new tech as well. Usually they are designed to be single task type of device. Easy examples can be a music player, gaming device, and even a camera.

The reason why I'm clarifying this right now is because the moment you see a content creator post anything about "analog movement" and you see a CD player in the YouTube thumbnail, you'll get a comment or two saying "that's not analog ..." which is indeed a fair point.

I don't think enough people are using the term "low-tech" enough, but hopefully more and more will. Or better yet, find a more appropriate term to describe that group of products.

The "Analog Movement" is something I'm kind of split in between. In a way, it's great that people want to escape the pure evil of big tech wanting everyone's attention but on the other hand ... it can be another consumerist trend. Imagine a user wasting time watching TikTok, learning about the movement, and then buy the product in the TikTok shop. It's not looking good so far.

And like the previous blog post I put out, it's rather funny for these creators to encourage to go "offline" awhile they are posting content "online." The level of contradiction is there. I get it, they are doing something that is for the greater good, but, in the end, it's up to the users who are exposed to the movement to stop using addicting devices and/or apps. It's simple, the more these content creators post videos about the movement, the more easy it is to see how they are not fully committed to the movement. Like that one comment I've read before, nails it: "Proving that you are offline by posting content online."

"But how will users learn more about the movement?" You ask. Oh, easy. Just stop posting every single day about it. Oh? The stats? The metrics? Your view count? Hold on. I thought you care about the movement! Just challenge yourself by telling the audience that you won't post anything for a month for the analog movement and then commit! It'll be great! What you mean that's bad idea?! I thought you cared about this! Why even post about the movement to begin with if you don't commit?!

This is the same issue of "why I quit social media" but ... they post the content on social media ... I think you get the point.

"Analog bag"

This is the first (or second?) microtrend I ever had the chance to speak about.

Alright, are you ready? I'll share what my analog bag looks like. Ready? Okay. I have a super slim backpack, it's not a tote bag. Inside? It's a sketchbook with pencils ... annnnd that's it!

What? You thought there is more? What-you-mean? I mean uhhh ... there are other important stuff I shove in there such as brick and cable to charge my work device. Some meds and band-aids ... sometimes I'll bring my notebook to jot down notes.

Otherwise, that's it. The issue I have with "analog bag" trend is that it is the pure definition of consumerism.

Instead of talking about the pros and cons about it, or even just testing it out for months, it is straight to "here is what I'll be buying and adding it to my analog bag!"

There is content that you can watch of people who just go to the arts and crafts store, recording without permission (most of the time), showcasing what they'll get and buy them, then shove the goods inside the analog bag.

The obvious problem is this, these people are jumping into too many hobbies. How many? Let me list them, because can you find the time to do all of this?:

I could add more but the point is simple, why add in so much when you know you don't have the time to do them all?

As an artist who has been sketching for decades, it's pretty easy for me to just focus on a few things and not add such a huge baggage to my backpack. My sketchbook is already heavy enough as is. Heck, usually I just take the sketchbook alone and the pencils just hangs around the metal spiral, no bag needed, super convenient.

There are even times I walk outside with just a pocket notebook and a pocket pen. Which eliminates the need to lug an analog bag.

Usually I care less what people see me doing anything art related (ex:sketching in public.) I just wonder people who are doing this, are doing it for attention. Sorry, just like how many people don't care what you wear, same thing goes for your accessories such as bags, books, and other devices. Most people don't care. Unless you are a celebrity then I guess that's a different story.

The same issue comes from "BookTok." Isn't very concerning how one user managed to read big books in it's entirety per day? How can one summarize a 1200 page book when they only had 12 hours to read it? Other than cheating with AI, it's clear that the whole point is to convince that these users love reading books but don't have the time to read them all. Seriously it's a red flag if these people post daily content about each new book they've read per day (and purchased too.) I'm willing to give comics and Manga a chance at least... Take a good screenshot of their library of books and ask them if they ever had the chance to read them all.

And yes, it's very, very, funny, when I saw a montage of content creators having the most common product in their collection. Example, almost every analog bag user has to own "Murdle" which is puzzle book. Talk about the lack of creativity. You can imagine the same for "BookTok" as well. It's like joining a cult or something. "This item is required to be part of the movement." Geez ...

Low-tech goods

Low-tech is certainly my kind of thing. I enjoy them.

Let me test my memory without the need to look it up on the internet:

That's all I can think of, sure, I want to add in singe board computers but I think that is pushing it honestly.

There is obviously some bit of criticism to these devices. They can be distracting to a degree. For example I can imagine a user wasting countless hours playing offline videogame when that person should be doing something more productive.

On the other hand I think there is some level of control. Rather than tech dictating on what you should watch with their algorithm, you choose to do something offline, which is great.

However there is a bit of problem with certain low-tech devices that achieve "lifestyle" level of prices. Devices such as Light Phone II (dumbphone) and PlayDate (handheld gaming) are usually 250 dollars and more. Most will ask "who is buying that?" And you are right, it's crazy. Clearly they are designed for a niche audience.

Thankfully there is so much used goods that you can purchase. Whenever it's from eBay or even in yard sales. You have so much to look for.

Oddly I'm optimistic about low-tech devices. As of now, record players are making a come back. But on the other hand, mini game consoles just came by and went (SNES Mini for example.) My only hope is that there'll be more and more low-tech devices that'll not have bloated garbage in the devices. Right now I think the MP3 players needs a serious look. As for cameras, I love my Camp Snap ... that's it really.

Microtrends

There is a YouTube channel formerly called Futureproof. It is now called by the founder's name Levi Hildebrand. The channel focuses on consumerism and internet trends.

My short review on the channel is this: I think the channel does good job targeting many of the issues we are facing, however due to their structure which is weekly uploads, research can be a hit or miss. It's a good channel either way and it's impressive how it's done with a 3-person crew, with no AI. I am taking a break from watching their content. I stopped weeks ago because their choice of topics is repetitive, I mean how many videos you have to make about water bottles?

What fascinates me is how trends come and go so fast that there is a name for that: microtrends. We are not talking about Fast Fashion now, we are now talking about Ultra Fast Fashion. It's one thing to target audience where certain type of fashion will last for months but now it's all about targetting a shorter window, maybe two weeks or less.

Every time I see a new topic from Levi's upload, it shocks me. Because I am no longer in social media any more, this channel is the only way for me to learn about the new trends. It's somewhat helpful since I deal with so many customers asking for certain products. For example, those squishy toys that kids go crazy over.

But no matter what ... these products will go straight to the bin. I don't know if you ever watched a documentary on Fast Fashion, but you should. The landfill of clothes piling up on a third world countries. People getting paid very little to put the clothes together awhile there is no safety standards. Then the bosses who managed these companies are getting paid a lot. Sometimes I feel real bad for buying these kind of clothes.

Toys, food, clothes, internet challenges ... anything can be a microtrend now-a-days. It's a matter of time when people will get tired of these trends. Hopefully there will be a pushback, "this is just XYZ all over again! Boring!"

Extra: Nostalgia

You can thank Levi for bringing this up.

I never gave much thought about it but ... I'd be lying to myself. We all wished to be in the past where things are a lot more simpler. However we'd be dealing with challenges that we wished were fixed but it's now resolved.

I get the current generation wishing to be in a certain decades. For example I wish I was stuck in the 90s to 2000s because I find the tech to be good enough in terms of balance between using it and not using it. Once I'm finished browsing the internet and checking e-mail, I just log-out and turn off the computer.

I think what is going on here is how certain generation such as Gen Zs seeing old pictures of early 90s bedrooms and they want that experience even though they have never lived through that time. They see the aesthetics, the colors, the vibes. Sadly, the only answer is to buy the goods they see online.

Movies and games at least can provide an escapism towards certain eras. But sometimes, that is not enough. They want to be in there, stuck inside, forever.

Additional thoughts on dumbphones

There is a lot more for me to share about dumbphones

On this blog post I want to share more thoughts what I think about dumbphones and how useful is it to me and others who are interested.

For now let me recap from what I've said from the previous blog posts:

Many kinds of people around me

There is a transformation for me. At the start I want to be upset over the fact how almost everyone around me is addicted to their phones. Now, I cannot be upset anymore. Why? It's because I've failed to understand how it feels to be in their shoes. I, myself, being the person who was a former smartphone user, knew how it felt to be addicted to these devices. It's the same thing when I used to be addicted to fast-food. I can't get angry when these companies have found ways to inject powerful ingredients inside their food. It's hard to escape addiction. I'm gonna have to learn to let go.

My problem is this ... can I shove my life style choices into people's mouths? The reason I'm asking this is because at my workplace, only 2 or less knows that I use a dumbphone, awhile the rest has no idea. I don't like to be the person who is "look at me, I have my act together! I'm so happy without a smartphone! I'm can perform better than you because I am not distracted from a smartphone!"

All of my co-workers in the break room are busy looking down at their phones, awhile for me, I'm either doing something offline and/or watching public TV. Yes, almost everyone is having their head down looking at a black mirror screen.

It gets even more creepy when I visit the convenience store. Half of the kids I see on the shopping carts are looking down at the smartphone/tablet. Sure they are quiet but is that really good for their health? It's the same issue I have when I walk around the neighborhood too. Instead of playing sports, they are sitting and watching whatever is on their phone/tablet.

Back to my anger. The reason why I'm upset is because I cannot stand my supervisors and bosses wasting time looking down at their phones. I cannot take them seriously when they give me orders when they can't even look at me eye-to-eye. I even confronted one of them about it, because to me, it's very juvenile for a supervisor to hold a work device on one hand and a personal phone on the other hand. It looks ridiculous. We are in a workplace, to work. And these are kinds of people that need to lead by example and they are not doing a good job at that. If I was ever in a position of leading, I'd might be the biggest jerk in the workplace ever. "Put your phone down!" and etc. I'll be demoted very quickly.

I'll never forget when one of my supervisor is lecturing the entire crew at our morning meeting. And it's about looking down at their personal phones ... yeah. If only the supervisor would look at the mirror some day and realize that leading by example is crucial. The whole thing is a joke to me. The irony.

And that's the thing. I really do miss the days of workplace and schools banning phones. But I guess we are back to slowly allowing these devices to come back.

Okay, what about family?

So I do have at least one who did not like that I cannot answer the call but that was because of how awful Nokia phone is. After that, when I switched to Light Phone II, everything is fine. Well except the lack of camera but that is a minor trade off I can take. I did purchase a cheap flip-phone that has a camera from AGM so I'll see how that works out.

But what about their reaction? Some are still in disbelief, one of my closest family members want to gift me one of the fancy iPhones/Samsung phone even though I will never need it ever again. Maybe they think I'm being "cheap" but no, the Light Phone II is an expensive device to own. Another family member still thinks I have to provide inconvenience when that is still not true at all, I am more available than ever.

As for my families overseas, they are super happy to see me even though I cannot speak their language. Sure I'd like to know what it feels to have someone giving 100% attention and being present ... rather than looking down at the phone? But I guess I'll never know until I learn their language. Don't worry, I still take the time to draw on my tablet whenever there is down time for me.

I believe I do have one family member oversea who really wants to chat with me. But because I don't use WhatsApp unless it's vacation time for me, it'll be a challenge. I don't know if it's always a good idea for me to be the person who is "hard to reach."

There is another family member who is close to me who is impressed, and hope someday to achieve the same "level" or-whatever-word-I-can-think-of ... as me. There are times I would taunt this member "oh! You watchin' Ticky-Tokkaty again?!" And he would answer "nah it's YouTube shorts." (Or Facebook reels.)

Identity

I want to talk more about this family member I just mentioned. My identity. He would tell his friends and peers on how I "use a dumbphone, basic watch, and a typewriter."

And that is a problem right there.

I believe a digital minimalists is not identified by devices. They are identified by having complete control over technology.

By the way it's fine if he keep pushing the narrative of me and my choices of tech. I just hope more and more users will understand that there is more beyond the choice of tech.

I believe YouTube and Reddit is to be blamed for this. Consumerism is way too normalized now. You'll just see endless amount of posts showcasing on what they have purchased, their collection, and their reviews of the products in exchange for attention. It's already bad enough when users have to reply and ask to the original post that has nothing but a photo, "how was your experience with this device?" etc.

Instead of teaching methods, tips & tricks, suggesting an online article/blog post to read ... it's just "buy these gadgets to improve your life."

I'll make a whole separate blog post about "analog goods, low-tech devices, and microtrends." Because there is something so funny about users on TikTok preaching about "going offline" but they are posting a lot content "online." If you want to prove that you are "offline" then stop posting ... oh right, that's not possible because people are still obsessed with attention and view count.

When I can't use a dumbphone in vacations

Yeah, you read that right. I struggle to use dumbphones at overseas when it's vacation time for me.

At first it was Nokia 6300 4G, it had dual-sim so I figured it is an international device. But because of the lack of network bands not being completely compatible in Thailand, it hardly works. I had someone in the family claiming that they tried to call me more than 5 times within a hour.

It get worse from here. I do not have a easy access to Maps, Translate, and even Pay apps. Cannot imagine airports demanding certain apps in the future.

After my first vacation over there, I have no choice but to purchase a smartphone. This time, it'll have an e-sim ... uhh yeah it didn't work sadly. The app 3rd party security had a hard time scanning my face and documents, so it was back to classic physical sims.

If you are curious on what the phone is, I believe it was Moto G54 or something like that. It's has really weak specs but I don't care about having that anymore since I am back to using dumbphones 24/7. I think the weaker the specs, the more I am likely to focus on the most important aspects such as family and the environment.

Whenever I'm outside with the family, I either take photos (not video) with Camp Snap or just ... enjoying the world's gift, nature.

Question: Can you come back to using smartphones again?

I could. Oddly if you ever had the chance to watch a video of Andrew Huberman and his guest Cal Newport (who is responsible for writing the book "Digital Minimalism,") you'll learn that Cal Newport is back to using a Smartphone. In that video you'll learn that even owning a smartphone, he'll hardly be active on texting etc. And if he is busy reading and writing, his phone will be nowhere near him.

(By the way, I understand there are controversies around Andrew Huberman. Just understand I only watch videos based on guests I really like to hear, in this case it was Cal Newport.)

Even now, my work device, which happens to be a smartphone, is modified. It has a custom launcher (from F-Droid) that is minimal/boring and blocks out distracting apps. There is never a moment when I want to share something funny by pulling up a YouTube video in a very long time. Because I blocked YouTube in that device.

I still cannot understand the idea of giving out these work/school devices but with little to no restraints. It's so easy for someone to download distracting apps. I don't know how many times I have to deal with co-works who have permanently damaged their batteries because they kept stressing the device by playing too many games/apps.

It's clear I am in the minority. I know what needs to be done. But what about others? And you reading this blog post? I really don't know.

Argument about smartphones being "addicting"

There is something funny about specific content creators on YouTube that creates a lot of technology type of videos. Usually the nickname for these creators are called "TechTubers."

There are two so far who claimed that "if you are addicted to your smartphone, then you lack self-control." Then they would start to suggest low-tech devices such as a watch with alarm and suggest to modify your current smartphone.

You want to know what is funny? The "here are the 20 plus steps to regain control over your iPhone." Seriously? The video is a joke to me. The fact that Apple has made it hard to have a distraction free experience on the iPhone speaks for itself! He really didn't think much about this? I understand I've never used iPhones before which allows me to see how insane the process is ... but come on now. It's a 15 minute video and the 1/3 of it, which is 5 minutes, teaches you how to gain control of your iPhone (if you are an Android user? Too bad, he didn't cover that.) I can't make this up.

(The video in question is called "Dumb Smartphones are Stupid" by Snazzy Labs. I don't see the point of linking it as it is important for you to approach the video with your own thoughts and opinion, rather than going straight to the "dislike" button. Watch the video from start to finish, and then do whatever you think is right.)

There is a huge disconnect between a content creators who is blessed with so much free goods and the audience who have no choice but to buy the goods. These content creators has put themselves in a position where it is hard to waste time with existing devices, they have to move on with the next latest piece of tech. And that's the problem here, if they start preaching about needing just "one device that'll last you for 5 years," then what is the point of making videos/coverage for the next upcoming smartphones per year?

Mind you I don't mind different opinions between owning a smartphone vs dumbphones. I think it's great that we are having a discussion about this. Just like the whole Windows vs Linux OSes as well.

The problem is that I cannot take certain content creators very seriously when their channel is all things consumerism. "Buy this, buy that." I'll repeat again, buying XYZ cannot help all of your issues, you'll need to plan around it.

Okay, pushing aside content creators. The question still remains "do I think smartphones are still designed to be addicting?" If I have to be black-and-white about it, my answer is yes. Remember that these devices are designed to have pre-installed apps, the apps will always have ads, and lots of dark patterns in the social media apps. In Cal Newport words "they are designed to be sticky."

From flip-phone, to smartphone, to finally, a dumbphone

Flip-phones

Born in 90s and got my first flip-phone on the early 2000s.

I went through three of them, all flip-phones and not candy bar style phones. All three was Samsung as well, never had a Nokia even though they were huge in the market. We all know the famous indestructible brick phone from Nokia. I never even had the chance to get the famous Motorola Razr phone but one of my family members did, it's impressive how thin that phone is.

How is my experience with these phones? I mean they work as intended. Thankfully my parents demand I only use these phones for emergency and that's what I did.

I did buy mobile games behind my parents back but thankfully I only went with one-time purchase but I know someone else in the family using pay-per-month instead which can obviously hurt the family bill. I remember seeing the bill before I had to recycle the papers. It was around 220 to 200 dollars. So going with just 200 and divide it by four, that's 50 dollars per line.

Thing is, to me 50 dollars is a lot for certain users like me and others out there. Why? Because I hardly use the phone. I don't make a lot of phone calls, texting, and mobile data.

Fun story, I did accidentally drop my flip-phone into the toilet. It's done, it will not turn on. Thankfully my parents aren't too angry because they knew I was already due for a "free-upgrade." If I understand correctly, after two year contract is passed, I am eligible for a "free upgrade." Still, I think my parents are paying too much.

Smartphones

When I was in high school, I finally had the chance to see a few class mates of mine using an iPhone. I was not impressed. I remember when I was young, I really wanted a PDA instead of a smartphone. Because I thought it would be cool to use a device like that to keep track of my tasks at school.

It was the time I really lost interest in Apple products in general, they are too expensive and the moment I learned about GNU/Linux, I can't be bother to support anything Apple related.

So after my 3rd flip-phone reached two years, the family demanded that the other member and I pick our new phone but this time it's a smartphone. Two choices, iPhone or Android. Obviously I picked Android.

Right when I got my first smartphone, which is a Samsung Galaxy Stellar, it was a wonderful experience. First thing I remembered is having to listen to music and podcasts. The ability to web browse is nice too. Mobile games? I mean I've tired some, but really, emulation was far better experience.

One thing I absolutely dislike was having a popup for me to pay extra for a "caller ID" feature. It would pop up twice and I actually, by accident, hit it when it popped up the second time. I was furious because that is the most predatory thing they have ever done so far.

Exiting family's expensive phone plans

I think I was the first to really jump ship. I just knew how much they were paying was indeed absurd. To some 50 dollars isn't a big deal, but to me it was.

Once the two year contract ended for my Galaxy Stellar, it was time to switch to a different provider. This time it was Ting Mobile.

Switching to Ting Mobile was very easy. I just bought a first month service and they provide me a free sim card. Once I put the card into a new phone, Samsung Galaxy Note 2. First Ting Mobile was using Sprint network but later on they ended up with T-mobile. Sprint network coverage was weak but it was worth the trade-off.

Later on I would buy a BLU phone, returned it because it was awful using it on day 1, music player couldn't function properly. Later on I got ASUS Zenphone 2 Laser, I didn't get the model with a Intel CPU even though that is interesting choice. I feel as if a mobile CPU was a better choice for battery longevity.

Finally I got the LG V20, one of the last high end smartphones during the the late 2010s to have the three important features: User-removable battery, headphone jack, and a SD card slot. These three features would end up being removed as time passes on.

Giving a new life onto the smartphone

Awhile I enjoy using the LG V20 as is, I knew as time passes on the security will be out-dated and I need to do something about it.

I've bought the phone used for around 200 dollars after two years it was released. And that's the thing I find hilarious, pretty much almost every high-end smartphone devalues so quick after two years or later, the definition of e-waste right there.

Anyway, the phone is already two years old, after two more years, the battery would quickly die after 5 hours of usage. It was time I replace the battery, easy-said easy-done.

But the problem is still there, the more I delay using the outdated OS, the more worse it'll get.

Installing LineageOS is a pain. Throughout the many years I've tried to install LineageOS on several different devices and I couldn't get it done.

So on the end of 2021, I did it. I had to use an unofficial method for the bootloader to work. I saw the purple screen, everything worked. This was all done late night and I got to work late, totally worth it.

It's like what almost everyone would speak about having a custom rom on the phone. It's blazing fast, customization, and most importantly secure.

I don't know why I keep thinking to this day that if I keep using an outdated Android with old security patches, bad things will happen later on. I think there are loads of users who would want to turn the internet on for old devices and old operating systems ... just to see what would happen.

The unexpected move

This was massive for me ...

I didn't think what I've done would change the course of my life.

Once LineageOS is installed and ready. I've learned that the phone has no apps, just the absolute basics. I didn't think the negative side effects of having pre-installed Google apps was bad along with other social media apps too.

I got unofficial app store and kept installing apps until I stopped at Twitter ... my finger was close to the "install." I pulled back and wanted to test myself to see what would happen if I don't use it for a week. Not only that, I also didn't install Discord on the phone too. Because why do I constantly need to be connected to my gaming buddies?

Well, for the first two days I very happy. The third day, I was confused on what I'm so happy. I looked into the dangers of social media and was shocked.

Either way, the following happened on 2022:

Too much happened on that year, it seemed like it was the "main character energy" meme or something. Or is it "Anime character?" I-uhh-don't-really-know. But the last month, I really wanted to have a haircut to finish off that year but that ended up being delayed to 2026. Hey! It's done at least! Really happy to have short hair now.

Why?

Why did such a move like that ended me up on a road to self-improvement? Honestly I think social media really hurt me in such a fashion that I could not stop comparing myself to others. I feel like there is a ghost right behind me judging me at all times. Taunting me. "You are useless!" "You have no skills!" "All you good at, is viewing these users on the platform!" "Keep going! You know you can't do anything productive!"

The moment that Twitter and Discord is no longer on my phone ... the ghost is gone. I no longer feel being judged anymore. I'm free.

However, now there is a trade-off ... now I am seeing all of my co-workers and the public addicted to their phones. And honestly, I can't do much about it. Sure I can get angry but I have to understand where I used to be in the past. I have to provide some level of compassion even though I feel society is falling behind. All because we are allowing big tech to win.

Back to my modified smartphone

So ... my LG V20 ... it's been a long ride. It still works now but not so much for the network bands on that phone.

For some reason, once the 2G towers shutdown, my phone became more and more useless. For some odd reason, the phone cannot use 4G anymore. So it must of been falling back to 2G for phone calls. At least I can still text for 3G network. It wasn't working out because some of my family members are getting upset with me because I couldn't answer the call. Once my car broke down and the mechanic couldn't call me anymore other than texting, it's over. I'm finally done with the phone.

You see I didn't want to switch to a feature/basic phone unless I have a valid reason. We already have too much e-waste to begin with and I don't want to contribute to that. I should mention the Asus phone is the only device I've bought brand new, the rest was bought used and/or refurbished.

I bought an open box Nokia 6300 4G. Finally get to try the brand and the phone has KaiOS installed. What could go wrong?

So much, that's the answer. This phone has given me so frustration. Here are list of nonsense I had to deal with:

It shocks me how such a company can sell faulty products to their consumers. This is Nokia we are talking about here. Well known for their feature phones and yet, they blew it. They take short-cuts and they keep gaining that money. Very sad.

So ... sigh ... back to research again.

"Dumbphone"

Dumbphone is an odd term that ended up becoming mainstream now. It's a way for a users to express themselves that they dislike the state of smartphones. They know it's bad, and they know it'll only get worse.

As of right now, there seems to be different kinds of dumbphones out there. The kind that is mass produced from a big company such as Nokia. And then we have companies that produce ... "lifestyle" kinds of devices.

These lifestyle dumbphones are usually expensive. They can cost around 200 dollars to even 800 or more. It's bonkers if you think about it.

After doing some research, I ended up getting the Light Phone II for 200 dollars, used condition. To this day, I still want to contact the previous owner and ask him why he stopped using it. Maybe it's for the best I don't.

The reason why I bought it is because I needed something that is lightweight and has an easy way to type. I may not do a lot of texting but wow, it's a whole lot easy to type rather than the other devices I see.

I'll make a separate blog post on my review for the Light Phone II and my impressions for Light Phone III and Light Phone Flip.

I gotta say though, this company is weird. They got that "hipster" vibes and the whole "minimalism" thing going. And if I understood them correctly, they don't care about sales, they want more and more users to stay away from smartphones.

Really ... I'll say it right now. This phone is perfect for me. I know that'll come as a shock to most people, but I mean it.

And I really do fit in to that "light" kind of lifestyle they are promoting. They want to promote the lifestyle where your life does not revolve you being near tech. They want your life to be more connected to other human beings, nature, and offline activities. Sounds cheesy, sure. But you get the idea.

What I mean is that I hardly use the phone now-a-days. I finally get to put in more quality time into the things I truly care about. Finally, I'm free.

Even cheaper plan? Really?

I've used Ting Mobile for more than a decade. That's enough for me to say "yeah, it's alright." I've been sold over the flexible plan long time ago from a podcast I used to listen to.

Ever since they've been bought by a bigger company, they haven't improved a single bit. It used to be a company that would advocate saving money by teaching tips and tricks in their blogs but now, it's just another soulless company.

Now I use Tello and oh boy, do I have something fun to share. I went with the 9 dollar plan only to be presented with the news later on that the plan is now discontinued. Meaning that I'll be "grandfather'd" into the plan unless I switch to a newer plan. But honestly, I hardly use more than a single Gig of data so ... I'm good, thanks.

So I went from a 15 dollars a month to 9 dollars a month. Unlimited talk and text with a Gig of data is perfect for me. And the phone is covered from the start meaning it's already paid. Unlike most people signing a two year contract for the latest phone plus fancy plan ... isn't that like 100 dollars per month? ... Dang.

Last thing to say

You know what? It's pretty messed up how we all grew up thinking that it's okay to have a portable device in our pockets almost 24/7. And the fact that all smartphones have pre-installed apps in the phones designed to keep you addicted. Of course, the insane price tags of the newly released phone and phone plans is peak greed.

If you are thinking about moving away from expensive phones and plans, you should totally do it. Unless your job depends on the device then that's a different story. Maybe have a dumbphone as a secondary device? Maybe?

Looking back at my older blogs and websites

This will be personal

Obviously.

The goal is to learn what I've learned from the past and move on to the present. I am always vulnerable and I am not perfect.

Of course all I am talking about is websites I've abandoned, maybe I should log in one more time to let any viewers know where I am.

Old web host for my webcomic

Everyone has to start.

Youngsters getting into the internet for the first time and also creating their very first website. Humble beginnings.

I've managed to try many "free" hosting services but I would finally attempt to pay for my very first hosting service along with a domain.

Anyway, from what I've viewed on my old blog posts, it seems I like to talk a lot about video games that I've played.

Later on I would discover GNU/Linux and not stop talking about the wonders of open source software. The first OS I've ever used is Ubuntu, it's a classic "first time using Linux" story you'd hear all the time from the past. Now-a-days it seems that other beginner friendly Linux OS would take over that crown.

I talk very little on what happened in real life such as work to weather.

The front page is powered by Wordpress awhile the webcomics are powered by ComicCMS, I would remove that and use ComicPress instead (These two I've mentioned are not recommended due to how seriously outdated they are.) Later on the the webcomics are powered by Poor Man's Comic Publisher (also known as PMCP.)

Eventually I would ditch Wordpress and just present my webcomics at the homepage.

The way I type is cute I guess. Some bit of emotes and internet slang (ex:"ZOMG".)

Blogspot / Blogger

Anyone remember using this?

It's a sketchbook blog. And yeah ... they all have the dreaded "Photobucket" watermark on each image.

Toy (Whoo ... double watermark ... it showcases how truly dated this is.)

I really made sure to post a lot of sketches. Part of me wonder if that is attempting to reach an audience or it's all practice?

DeviantArt

Nothing much actually. I'm only focusing on the journal posts.

It's a combination of games I'm playing and updates on my webcomics.

Though it is slightly entertaining reading about my tech issues dealing with viruses/malware and web hosting.

I think the AI issues is what made others and I just not want to log back in ever again.

Extra: about.me

Most people now-a-days use the following websites to showcase their links of socials and other sites which is carrd.co or linktr.ee which is nice and super easy to use.

But for me back then it was about.me, it is easy to use no doubt. I even have a short URL which is nice. But as time passes on, it'll have the annoying advertisement banner that can show up from top or bottom.

Really need to log in and update it. If you are wondering, I do have carrd.co updated, it just have a single link which is my personal website.

Since I already brought it up. My personal website--awhile bland and boring--does a better job at providing a bunch of link on a single website. It's less than 14kb too, so it should load faster than any of those modern websites.

Another extra: YouTube

For art: Speed paints mostly and at least two videos of me talking about my webcomics in audio awhile having a slideshow playing.

Gaming: I still upload to YouTube if it's anything to do with video games but it's hella rare. One upload per year it feels like. The last video I've released was a 45 minute video about the dark patterns of the game I played a lot of which is PSO2NGS.

Click here if you really want to watch it. Quite happy that it has less than 100 views. Why? I want that video to be a treasure, a nugget. It's very rewarding for someone to find an odd video and suddenly learn a lot from a different perspective.

Either way, I hope to find a PeerTube instance that I join and I'd upload any new videos there rather than YouTube.

Github Pages

This is the one I had to take down. It was mostly a pity type of writing. A lot of complaining.

And awhile it's normal for us to have our ups and downs, I realize this is the first blog website I've created that does not provide any value.

By going by memory I would complain about the following:

I also had a list of indie games and romhacks I wanted to play ... but I never played them.

After having it up for several years, I figured it was time to pull the plug. Besides, I'm not comfortable with GitHub being owned by Microsoft.

The only one positive I can say from all of this, I like the markdown language that is required to type for the blog posts.

Zonelets and what you are reading right now

After GitHub pages, years later, I finally came to a realization that I need a personal website. It's all thanks to 1mb.club. If it wasn't for that website, I'd never have a personal website.

However ... I still want to come back to making a blog again. This time I had a lot of choices to pick. It was either inside my personal website or use other "indie" and minimal style blogs. (Such as smol.pub ,midnight.pub ,and bearblog)

I did use Zonelets for awhile, and made one blog post. The blog post was about that time when TikTok was banned (More like "blocked for 3 hours and then it's unlocked.") I was really hoping that ban would go more than a week but no.

Really I was torn ... I kept searching and searching. I really like Zonelets but the fact that I have to use html tags every single time I needed to write a new blog post is odd and awful.

Thankfully I ended up going with a spiritual successor called Strawberry Starter. What is awesome is how all of the content is on the local hard drive first. Then I can enable a test mode which lets me see what the blog post would like on the web browser. Finally, when it's all done, I can use the upload command on the terminal and it's uploaded to the website. And oh yeah, I don't have to bother with html again, it's all written in Markdown language. Very convenient.

Transformation

So it's interesting how I began.

It was using a mega fancy bloated management system that is called Wordpress. Ditched that because I can't be bothered with plug-ins and security every single day. Also it can be pretty slow, I want my audience to be able to load my website super fast. Had to use ComicsCMS back then because it was the only choice I had.

Then I had switched to minimal barebones type of website that focuses on "content first and everything else second." I think that rule of mine is pretty self explanatory.

Another aspect that I'm loving now is having almost complete control. It used to be that I rely on subdomains, free hosting, content management systems, and other limiting factors. I mean I still use some of them to this day. But somehow, I've reached the point where I can say, "this website is mine, and no one can take it." Also, downloading the whole website is a massive plus, I can switch to any other host if desired.

One of my domains is more than ten years old, I had to finally ditch it because I already own a shorter domain that people can easily remember. I'll make a separate blog post about my domains and hosting.

And I understand that self-hosting is the ultimate way of having 100 percent control but I don't know how I can handle the security side of things to keep the website up.

So, from a bloated website, to a quick loading website. Fantastic.

What I've learned so far

Well ... I've learned that if I want to provide value to the world, I at least have to share experiences and knowledge to the audience. If I just keep making only and I mean only, complaining and whining type of blog posts, it's not really helpful to an extent. Kind of similar of a drunken man who cannot stop talking about his divorce more than 100 times. It's not helpful, we at least understand the pain though.

The way I type now is uhhh ... mature at least? I mean I don't use emotes or any other nonsense that younger users would do. It is still cute how I used to type in my younger years.

The biggest question though ... how much can a person share their issues to the audience? Honestly, I don't know. There are content creators who would still to this day cannot get their act together. And it's even more sad when they get blatantly desperate which is just begging.

I remember DSPGaming keep having to complain again and again to the point where we all just want to tell him that "we don't owe you anything." It's not our fault that you are bad at games. Not our fault that you refuse to save money. Not not our fault that you are not getting the views and subscribers.

But yeah ... I question if it's okay for me to talk about my mental illness. Is that too sensitive to share or not? Will some be turned off because they want to read something positive rather than something that is negative?

I think it doesn't matter anymore, since I am getting older. It's now a matter of time of learning to move on. The past has already happened and there is no way I am going to have access to a time machine.

And yeah "life is never fair" etc. You've heard that line a million times.

Bizarre story of me quitting Fast Food and soda

A story about my father

I have a lot of respect for my dad.

Before he became a father, he just a man. And the man really wanted to marry a woman and she made a simple request:

"I'll marry you under the condition that you quit smoking."

He managed to do it! This was during the 80s and 90s by the way, so he had to do it cold turkey. Every time I asked how he quit, he said to me "I just stopped." Which is insane to me and others. The methods of quitting smoking today are accessible, from specialize chewing gum to a non-nicotine stick that just provides fruit flavors. How my father did it in the past is impressive.

Even now, he still doesn't smoke, it's great. But he still drink alcohol. Thankfully I never seen him slurring words, go on a rage, or sleep on the floor.

But because of my father, I have vowed to never smoke and drink (alcohol) for my entire life. It's important that I able to support my family back whenever they need help. What good does it do when I'm drunk or smell like ash tray? It's important for me to lead by example as well.

The soda problem

Gosh ... I think as a kid, I used to drink more than 3 cans of soda per day. I don't know why I'd think that is a good idea. And I would drink almost any kind of soda too.

However, around in my early 20s, I drank my last Fanta, and put myself in a test to stop drinking soda. Thankfully I didn't suffer strong withdrawal symptoms so I was able to move on without any severe headache.

Bad alternatives

Here is the thing. Awhile I think I'm doing good avoiding soda, I didn't bother researching on what is a better alternatives to drink, other than water of course.

This means I was drinking high calorie Arizona mango juice and a lot of Vitamin Water. Both still containing high fructose corn syrup, or something similar. Even if I were to drink the zero calorie versions, it still will have artificial ingredients that'll hurt me long term.

So really, I'm back to square one. I am not making good progress.

Fast Food and addiction

So awhile I never know how it feels to be addicted to smoking and alcohol, I can at least share my experiences with fast food.

There are times I'm picky and choosey about which fast food I like to eat and not eat. Oddly I avoid McDonald's for a long time because of my childhood memory of my kids' meal having pink colored burger patty ... it was gross.

But something evil has happened. Around early 2010s, I was invited to a wedding. My family and I needed to eat something at the halfway point awhile traveling. They really wanted to eat McDonald's. I told them that I'll have nothing but a drink. They fought over the fact how awkward it is for me to not want to eat just because it's McDonald's. I gave up and went with what ever is on the menu.

Once I ate ... I was hooked.

It's absolutely creepy. The fact the corporation is able to manufacture food that can keep consumers addicted to their products is insane. Just that first bite, and I'm in, that's all it took.

After the wedding, during my workdays ... I could not stop going to McDonald's. I go there almost daily. It doesn't help how they've improved the way they serve customers with kiosks. The dopamine whenever I eat any of the food ...

Also once I got depressed, I got back into drinking soda again.

The bizarre moment

It was the middle of September 2019. My shift ends and I exit my workplace. I go walking towards my car and conveniently see McDonald's in my view. As I get close to my car, I did something odd.

I look at McDonald's. Then I look at my car. My head turns down as I look at my hand holding car keys. After my eye balls looking at the ground. Finally, I turn my head up and looked at the sky. I said:

"Let's just go home."

And that I did. For the first week I would say "huh, I'm really not wanting to eat anything from these places ... alright." Then two weeks, "guess I really don't want to eat anymore ..." Finally "wow I can't believe it's been a whole month of not eating fast food."

Oddly, without thinking about it, I also quit drinking soda at the same I quit fast food.

It took about six months for the cravings to finally kick back in. And that, is where the battle truly began.

I had to do whatever I can to stop looking at these business establishments. I had to imagine them as boring banks. Thankfully I never got any fast food ads in my mobile devices (it was anime mobile games instead.)

There are times my mouth would get watery whenever I think about my favorite sandwich I get from McDonald's or other places. But I kept pushing back. It was a mental war within my brain.

Unfortunate part about all of this

This story I've shared so far is hard to believe but I don't know how I can even explain "how" and "why."

Much like my father quitting smoking without needing any assistance or using methods, the way I quit Fast Food and soda is just ... odd.

It wasn't a video, a self-help book, or even a person telling me. I just stopped. I had to figure out why though ... why did I quit?

The reason why I want to find out is to reach out to others who want to ask me: "Wait, you quit eating Fast Food?! How did you do it?! What is your secret?!"

The only thing I can find reason why

So far, the only thing I can find why I quit, is exhaustion. I guess I dislike the idea of taking additional time of ordering food, waiting for the food, eating it, and get home late. Never mind the potential issues of things being delayed such as food taking awhile to be cooked.

Let's come from a different angle, because I don't want to quit on this

Alright, what if I told you I take service very seriously?

Okay, well, for starters, I hate the idea of food delivery services (mobile apps and phone calls). Why? Because I have functional legs. I can walk, ride a bike, or even drive over there. I've never used a service like this in my entire life and it'll stay like that. Because if I ever do, it means I've given up what makes me human to the world.

I also hate drive-thrus. It's another part that screams "lazy" to me. I actually like to play "the red car game." The game is simple, track where the red car is. So I see the red car at the end of the line, I go inside and order a take-out, get the food and walk out, and see where the red car is. And what you know, the person in the red car is finally able to give orders awhile I'm already walking towards my car, ready to leave. Drive-thrus are an absolute joke to me. (It works when it comes to coffee places at least. Most customers just order drinks 90% of the time.)

I'll never forget how much of a fool I am when I have no choice but to use a drive-thru. Dine-in is closed at the McDonald's so I have no choice but to go drive-thru ... and this is where I would decent to madness. After 30 to 60 minutes, I would keep asking myself "what am I doing?!" "Why the fuck am I wasting time eating unhealthy food when I could of taken the time to cook at home?!" "Am I really fucking stupid to do all of this?!" ... Yes it really took a hour, it's embarrassing.

And there are other issues as well such as people not understanding what I've ordered, food is dried, soda is diluted, places being under staffed etc.

The only advice I can at least provide

So over time, I've collected a series of questions that I think would be good enough for any person to at least understand that eating at these places is no longer good.

Forget about just focusing on the health, service is major factor too.

It's already obvious that Fast Food is not good for our health, but if we can focus on other areas too, it'll give enough reason to no longer bother giving these places our money.

Here are the questions you have to ask yourself:

Who knows I'll add more to this later. The whole point is to keep these series of questions in your mind. And hopefully as time passes on, you'll know what to do.

Other subjects like coupons and mobile apps

Well, coupons are certainly a classic trap to get customers to keep coming back. I'm very guilty of using them in the past.

Mobile apps? Never used them. Sure I remember using Chipotle website multiple times but I never downloaded their app. God, I haven't eat in that place in a long time, their food is bland.

But that will not stop me from being fascinated on how much money is being shoved into these apps. Not surprised that McDonald's putting millions to even billions to keep customers addicted to the apps with coupons and rewards system.

Heck people joke about personalized menus at the drive-thru by allowing these businesses to read the licence plate from the back of the cars and then it'll load up the menu to cater the customer specific needs. Same thing on the mobile app, your "favorites" tab or something.

It's insane how much money these customers waste using these food delivery apps. Because I never used any of these, I must be saving a lot of money. Awhile these customers are too dependent on it, they'll keep using it to the point they'll even use "buy-now-pay-later" method ...

My final thoughts

I'll never forget when I had to wait for 30 minutes to get my Chipotle order even though I've ordered in advance and I was first in line in the pick-up drive-thru.

I'll also never forget when the lady thought it would be okay to serve me burnt meatballs in Subway (seriously they were pitch black). She even said "I don't see anything wrong with this," two times in a row.

Finally, it was the KFC/TacoBell combo location, they got my order and it was never finished. Someone must of cleared it on the monitor by accident. So ... I've been standing there waiting for 5 minutes until the gentleman asked me "what order are you waiting for?" He had to read my receipt in order to complete the order.

There is one thing I didn't want to touch on, and that is "English as second language." If you are having a hard time from both ends, just be patient. Keep learning and teaching. Don't be upset. Keep going.

Well, I guess it's time for me to gulp up some good old water from my Nalgene water bottle.

Clean up, attention spans, quick fixes, and people selling their lifestyle

Some serious clean up I need to do before I keep typing on this blog

Awhile I understand there is a power for me and others to create our own websites and even our own blogs. I feel there is a need to create a perspective.

The most important thing I want to provide is a very clear. I'm just an artist on the internet. I am not a teacher/professor, doctor, or a successful business person.

This means you can mark me as "yet another random person on the internet."

The reason for establishing this is because I think there is a danger for users to come across me and anyone in the internet as experts. I'm not an expert in tech, health, and heck even in arts too (even though I love making art).

The goal for me is to provide what I've learned so far on the real-world and on the internet.

Attention spans

2000s to 2010s, I remember dealing with many kinds of teachers who specialized in "special education." What that means is for teachers who are willing to help students who are struggling to learn. Whenever it's physical disability or mental disability ... or maybe something else.

All the teachers are very, very, patient. And that's great. It really allowed me to be patient with my family members who are struggling with computers and even customers as well. I remember having a customer telling me that I am "nice and very patient," and I would explain to them that I've learned that from my teachers. They would tell me that is a "very rare trait to have now-a-days."

It sucks when I'm the only student struggling with a question that a teacher asks me on the spot. The teacher looks at me with concern, all of my classmates look at me, waiting for me to answer the question. Later on the teachers explain to me that if I don't know, just say it. Otherwise I am prolonging the silent awkwardness.

Another issue I remember is needing additional time to process the question asked from the teachers. Basically, it's "raise your hand if you know the answer to these questions I ask." At first, this seem simple for my classmates but not for me. When a teacher asked the question, my classmates are already rising their hands awhile I'm still trying to reach down my part of the brain to find the answer. It's too late. If I was given enough time, I would answer correctly, but I guess it's doesn't matter. I'm too slow.

I remember also struggling to write down notes. It feels like there are two stages to this ...

You can tell I'm stuck at stage one. Thankfully I've developed an odd stage. Maybe you can call it stage three. It's "writing it awhile your head is still looking at the object." Basically, it's like typing in a proficient matter without ever needing to look down at your keyboard. Yeah my notes will look a little slanted or lopped sided but at least I'm no longer slowing down my class. There are teachers who are really good at writing on the chalk board awhile their head is facing the class, impressive.

Since I'm bringing up typing. I did choose to be in typing class in high school. Everyone got an A in that class ... except me, I got a C. But there is a twist to this. The reason why I got a C is because I managed to type without ever having to look down. That's right, my classmates were cheating. Straight up to the point awhile I'm having a hard time playing the typing flash game, one of my class mates was having it worse and needed a card board to cover the keyboard. An odd accessory indeed but hey I'm not complaining.

I'll never forget when I got my very first and only detention. Usually students get detention because of bad behavior, refusing to listen/obey, or not bringing their school supplies. And it had to be a repeat offense to get a detention.

My reason? I just struggle to do homework. I'll never forget when I cried at the end of school and the teacher asked what is going on. I just simply told her that I have too much homework. Yeah one of my parents got super pissed at me, they thought I did something really heinous like being mean to a teacher but no, it was just homework. Anyway, like most students in detention, they either just stare at the wall or given a few paper assignments. But for me, the teacher was nice enough to help me understand what I am struggling with on homework. So the detention for me wasn't even bad at all!

I think some of the teachers understand that I need more help. But they can only do so much, they have to put in time for other students as well. The more they put minutes and hours onto me, the more they'll realize there are other students who need extra help as well.

Maybe my parents should of got me a tutor at home or something.

Attention Spans for today

So I've already explained how I am part of the very few students having a hard time learning. Well what if I told you it's the opposite now.

Pretty much the entire classes out there are having a hard time learning. Well I wonder why ...

The uprise of kids using smartphones and tablets is very concerning. How they learn awful internet slangs, terrible short-form videos that has too many jump-cuts, gambling, videogames, social media providing awful influences and consumerism ("I need XYZ.")

The kids and teens go to school, half-asleep, drained of energy, don't want to learn anything they see. But if they have any energy, it'll just be throwing anger towards the teachers. They'll yell at the teacher "what's the point of doing this?" Holy cow there'll be violence too. The teachers are not safe no matter what state or county.

I feel real bad for the teachers ... it's either they go against the students, the principle, and/or parents. The whole thing is an up-hill battle. I'm not surprised that some of them quit by now and seek for a different career.

At least I'm able to express that I am willing to learn to my teachers. Sure there is at least a few days that I really didn't want to be there. But now, it's every single school day that the teachers have to deal with so many stubborn students.

I can't imagine students now-a-days cheating with AI now ...

Quick fixes

This, is a creepy and unfortunate phase we are all going through today.

Imagine a person who is very fit, looks wealthy, or even won a huge award, this person would eventually get a question from his or her peers:

"How can I be like you?"

Other questions can be "how can lose weight in two weeks?" "How can I get rich very quick?" "How can I graduate from the most esteem university?"

Yeah ... the obvious answer will be "hard work and put in a lot of time."

But people want quick fixes.

And this is something that I want to highlight on my blog posts and onwards. Awhile I provide a way to show my experiences on why I quit or do XYZ, I'm just one person in the end. And I don't think my methods are ever categorized as "quick fixes." It's really important to broaden out and learn from other people as well.

The sad part about the internet is how almost every content is bite-sized and short. A tutorial on "how to sew your clothes under a minute," is nice but it'll not do a good job covering ground for other issues to come. How about history lesson about World War II under two minutes?

And don't worry, even 10 to 30 minutes may look good on paper, it's still not good because you can tell their upload rate is ridiculous. There will be errors left and right. Even list type videos (Ex: "top 10") are just disguised short form content complied into a long video.

Another problem is what I see from the so-call "gurus." They'll create content that'll bait audience to watch their video but also have a link to their paid subscription service to learn how to make a lot of money.

Depending on where you live, the financial crisis will happen no matter what. And it's no wonder people want to take short-cuts in order to cover the cost of housing, car(s), business, medical, tax, and so forth.

It's obvious that everything will always be hard in life. But I understand it's even more hard to recover from addiction.

Awhile there are people who are happy to share their experiences how how they quit smoking and/or alcohol. I can't help due to the fact that I have never done those two things. Sure I quit fast-food and soda, but I don't know if there are folks out there who would claim that's not an addiction. (I'm still gonna make a blog about it anyway.)

Selling a lifestyle

I get it.

It's easy to watch a video of a person who is clean, having everything organized, eats healthy, and also goes outside. Well ... never mind the fact that someone has to be behind the camera recording.

Almost everyone, wants to sell a lifestyle.

What do I mean by this? I'll use myself as an example.

Digital Minimalism (written by Cal Newport) is a great book. I recommend it. But that will not stop the people and businesses from trying to capitalize off of that lifestyle.

Dumb phones, modified smartphones, trip get-a-ways and gyms that ban phones/tablets, offline hobbies ("analog bag"), and ... typewriters? How about a pocket notebook and a small pen?

Let's not forget "low-tech" devices such as retro gaming, MP3 players, record players, CD and cassette players, digi-cams, Polaroid cameras, offline laptops, and so, so much more.

It's insane because it reaches the point where people hope that buying XYZ will solve the problem. Sorry, it's more like a ban-aid fix if anything.

Who are you more likely to trust: A video of a person who used a dumb-phone for a month? Or a video of a person who used a dumb-phone for a year? The answer is clear.

And using a dumb phone requires a serious planning in advance. Even for me, awhile I'm still comfortable using it, I still need to access my tablet for two-factor-authentication and maps. Who knows if I end up living in the city where I'll need it for parking and scanning QR codes for food menus.

Not only that, I have to trade in the amount of time wasted on smartphone with something else. In this case, it's easy for me: making art, reading books, writing, and good old chores.

For people who use a dumbphone unplanned for the first day or two will eventually reach for bad alternatives such as computers and laptops. At least it's adding some resistance. A level of inconvenience let's say. It's a decent start.

But in the end, the goal is to have control over tech rather than the other way around.

Still, there are people on the internet selling other kinds of lifestyle. Those who are obsessed with fashion and looks. Getting massive muscles on their bodies or modifying their faces. Wealth along with their prized possessions such as fancy house and cars.

But even opposite too. You'll have those who still want to sell their "minimalism" lifestyle (which is different than "digital minimalism" believe it or not.)

I understand there are people who just want you to buy a certain book because they really liked it. But it's a whole different story when they show you their massive collection of books. And it makes you wonder if they ever had the time to read them all ...

Finally I want to point out there are methods out there that requires no money. For me, I modified my existing smartphone rather than buying one. And back to books, there are libraries out there.

Instead of "buying" to solve your issues, seek for other kinds that cost zero dollars.

Connecting the two

Both "quick fixes" and "lifestyle" have a serious connection when you think about it.

Due to the rise of short-form content from places like TikTok, it's now a race to get users attention and also their wallets too.

The feedback loop or rather "doom-scrolling," is designed to keep the users constantly connected to the device. The users will just keep seeking for answers again and again.

When in reality, it's better to put the phone down and just be happy of what you already owned.

Why I quit using Twitter, or anything social media related

Let's clear something up before I continue.

Let's establish something here. I used to be in an odd position where my usage of social media is only just one platform ... yeah it's Twitter, now known as X. I'll continue to call it Twitter on this blog post because I've left that platform before it was renamed.

So yes, I never had interest in using other major platforms that is owned by Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and mobile platforms such as Snapchat and Tiktok.

My usage of Facebook and Instagram was very, very little. I think it was 10 minutes or less. Just made an account, tried to connect with a family member, failed, logged out. Only years later to get an e-mail for my two-factor-authentication to kick in. Sounds like someone wants to get into my account that has almost no history. Instead of changing password, I just deleted the account. By the way, Facebook web design is very dated at this point, it's painful navigating the website.

I've used WhatsApp, but only during my vacation weeks. So that's like what?--Two weeks with-in the year? Yeah that checks out. After the final day, I pop out the sim card out of the "vacation phone" (smartphone) and put it back into my dumbphone.

Tiktok is interesting. Before the app existed, I was already familiar with the app called Musically. The moment I saw the premise of what the app is, I already knew it's not for me. It's all about recording yourself either dancing to your favorite music or singing. I don't like using that c-word but yeah ... it's cringe. The moment I saw the logo of Tiktok, I just knew it's yet another successor to Musically and I avoid it.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that TikTok has grown to become more than just music. But that won't stop me from seeing strangers doing dances in pubic on front of their smartphones propped up and even worse, youngsters doing it as well. It's real creepy, I dislike it.

If there is anything I feel the need to include, it's YouTube and Reddit. Awhile many can argue these two are not really "social media platforms," they certainly have enough dark patterns in these websites to the point that you'll have no choice but to admit--it's kind of the same category. The moment you find anything that is distracting to the point that a plug-in needs to be installed or editing the settings on your web browser to fix the issue ... then we really are back to annoyances that most social media platforms have. Example: both sites have "related/recommended" posts on the side of the website. They are designed to waste your time.

Thankfully I rarely access Reddit and my way of accessing YouTube is invidious. Invidious is a private way of watching YouTube videos and allows me to disable annoying and distracting features from YouTube's website.

Okay let's just talk about Twitter alone and nothing else.

Like I said, I left the website before it renamed. This means I didn't get to experience the many changes from a man who quickly took over Twitter and then left.

Since I already mentioned dark patterns, lets get straight into it. The trending box on the right side of the page is not only annoying, but it's not customizable either. The only thing you can do, is change the language. Let's say you are into sports, you'll definitely see a few popping up in that box, but sometimes you'll just see politics, music, or even videogames.

Then here comes the bigger issue with Twitter. I've changed the language in order for the box to be least distracting. But here is the thing: Twitter does not respect your choices. So I set the language to Thai. Most of the time it stays in that language but eventually, I'll see a few that is in English and it's an event that is happening in USA (rather than Thailand.)

Imagine playing a videogame where the settings doesn't work but worse, the developers would grief the players by switching the settings all the time.

The dreaded bell notification

This was the moment where I knew the website was turning into a massive turd.

Other than the website having the endless scroll, the bell icon with the red circle on top of it, is absolutely evil. The pure definition of dark patterns.

The moment you see something red, you know you want to click on it.

Okay what I just listed up there are actually useful content to check up on. But Twitter doesn't care about that, they rather put garbage to keep you busy. The more seconds, minutes, and even hours you are on the platform, the more they win you over for time for attention.

It's way more noticeable if you only follow 20 or less users and you just lurk--meaning I shouldn't have my notification bell going off all the time. It should be empty 90 percent of the time but not any more.

Let's go over the rubbish I see, shall we?

"We noticed that you haven't logged in for a long time, here is what you missed."

First of all, I don't care. Second of all, I log into the platform when ever I want to.

"This user posted something, so we figured you should check it out."

What a useless alert. I can already access the main page and see what everyone posts. Are you suggesting that I'm clueless or something? That I don't know how to use this platform?

"This user like this post so we figured you'd like it too."

You don't get to tell me which content I should or should "like." Buzz off.

"This user followed this user, so we figured you'd follow that user as well."

No. There is good chance the user might post content that I won't like, therefore, I will not "follow" that user.

"Here are your stats on your recent post!"

Don't care. Never asked nor give a darn. I'll look up the stats whenever I want to, not the other way around.

But I am not done talking about this.

Going too far with the bell notification

What if I told you that I get a notification that is related to the real world? I don't have the screenshot anymore but during COVID-19 pandemic, I get this:

"An infant had died from COVID-19."

Look, I understand that is really awful news to learn about a child. I get it.

But really ... why am I getting news from Twitter of all places?

When I entered into Twitter, I made it my journey to find entertaining content. No politics, no war. Basically I don't want to be reminded of the real world. Why? Because I have already suffered through that on my workdays. So much stress I had to deal with in real life during the pandemic. I need some form of escapism, and Twitter, failed on that front.

I don't remember seeing other political/real-world news popping up in my notifications but there is something so embarrassing for a social media platform to "babysit" the users.

This was really the moment where I have no control over this. I would search the deep ends of the settings to learn that I can't do anything about this.

Funny confession and the dangers of the "like" function

This is getting sad, so let me cheer you up with a confession. It'll be educational too. So allow me to confess something.

I had no idea that "liking" a post is pubic.

Yeah uhhh ... all those naughty artworks that I'm liking? Yeah ...

Sure I can make the argument that I'm an artist and I don't feel the need to hide my honry side of things but uhhh ... yeah I can see why a few had to unfollow me.

But it's the other way around for me as well.

When I see a post from a user who I am not following, I ask: "why am I seeing this post?" Well, the text above it says "the user (that you followed) has liked this post."

It's one thing for a user to "retweet" because they know it's designed to share to their own users, but it's really messed up if Twitter decides to inform you what a certain user "liked" a post.

So let's say I follow a wholesome artist who doesn't talk about politics or any other real world problems. All of their posts are good, it checks out. But, it all comes crumbling down when I see that artist "liking" a post from a user complaining about an event that had happen in the real world. Then I would see that post that Twitter randomly shove towards my face, and finally, read the ol' "this user has liked this post." All because Twitter really wants to add more to the endless scroll functionally.

So yeah ... I really thought my "like(s)" were private for awhile.

After I learn the hard way, I just only "like" content that are safe for work.

Sorry to the few that had their feed popping up with a naughty artwork awhile they are at work or something. I had no idea ...

How the platform dislike users having little interaction and usage

There was a point where I stopped using Twitter overall because of my usage of phones. I'll eventually make a separate blog post on that. Long story short, I had finally installed LineageOS which means the phone is wiped. When I looked at Twitter on the app store, I said "nah, let's try this out for a week. A week of no Twitter." After just a single day, I'm very, very, happy.

Once I learned that having Twitter on my smartphone is not worth it anymore, it's just desktop-browser-nonsense left.

Already I feel no need to constantly log into Twitter. By then I already have logged out and focus on the things I really care about.

But the moment I came back to log in, Twitter is not pleased. How so? They really dislike the "bot-like" behaviour I am committing. They hate that I only do this: log in, post content, log out. I don't even touch the notification icon, I don't check other people's posts, I don't even like nor retweet. I just post content.

What is rather interesting is the fact of what happened when I posted any content, a unique message pops up. The message is just begging me to engage more with the platform (AKA "please make more tweets, do likes and retweets etc.")

It's weird looking back at that. Feels like I've achieved a little victory. A bit of middle finger to the platform. The fact that I am going against what the platform preferred is amazing.

Wrapping up on Twitter awfulness

After a long time of rarely logging into Twitter, it was clear, I'm done.

Here is my last post:

twitter_1

Yeah. Give another year or two. I finally deleted my account. The reason why I allowed the account to sit and collect dust is because I was hoping the account would automatically be deleted but I guess I'm wrong. So I had to do it myself.

It's over ... even though I haven't logged into the platform in a long time but you know what I mean.

Besides, the fact that Twitter had made it hard to view content without logging in is a blessing for me. So uhh, yay?

Is there other things I've missed about Twitter?

Let's see, I can't say much about ads. Their position on what they can do in politics side of things AKA silencing and/or pushing an agenda. The almost mandatory monthly subscription service and killing the importance of the funny blue check mark ... seriously I miss the days when seeing users with that icon is a joke. But to add more to that, it's oddly pay2win in terms of having their tweets be more visible because they are a paid customer, awhile users who don't pay will have their tweets be buried.

Uhh recently there is an AI being shoved into the platform ... don't know what it does and don't care. All I know is people are mocking it.

A simple question

"Should I quit Twitter?" or rather "Should I quit social media altogether?"

My answer is obvious, yes.

But believe it or not, I am a supporter of decentralized social media platforms such as diaspora and Mastodon. Those clearly don't have dark patterns and they are powered by the community, not by a greedy company.

You'll learn real quick that it's difficult to reach out to many users in those network and that's good. It's better to keep things small. What would you prefer: huge following but only a few cares what you do? Or a small following but they all are passionate of what you do?

Instead of the central network feeding you what you like, you'll have to do the hard work by seeking users who have similar interests. Don't think following spree will help you. There are users who have strict rules on who they prefer to follow/follow-back.

When you look at my Mastodon account, it's clear what I do. I just post content. I don't go off-topic, talk about the real world and politics, complain about a certain industry (like videogames), or even just whine about what happened with-in a few days. I am even trying to make sure I don't use offensive words anymore ... even though I haven't done that in many years? Ehh I don't know.

Why I quit streaming on Twitch.TV

Back to Twitch.TV

Ads. My god this websites has too many ads. I mean I understand why it exist but why does it have to be so intrusive? Any time I click on any streamer, boom, unskipable ad. It's the biggest killer for me. I could not stand it. I don't know how they managed to bypass the ad blockers but they did.

I don't remember the last I've stream content myself but I knew it was years ago and I would multi-stream to both Twitch and YouTube (in which Twitch doesn't like users multi-streaming but I don't care anymore.)

And it would be monthly too, I don't stream weekly nor daily. You might be wondering why? I just stream for fun.

And that's the most important factor I want to express whenever I stream on those two platforms, I do it for fun. I have no interest of making money when I stream.

But knowing both YouTube and Twitch, they dislike that. They want the piece of the pie. For Twitch they want streamers to either be affiliate or partnered. Otherwise, they'll find ways to reduce features for streamers who are not in those two categories. Easy example would be archived streams can only stay for two weeks or less.

The most annoying aspect about Twitch is how they handle the viewing experience for users who do not have good internet services. So imagine me streaming to a few audience members and one of them asked me why they have a hard time watching my content. On YouTube it's pretty easy to adjust the quality scale, but on Twitch? It depends ... which is bizarre. Why not have the feature there by default? From what I remembered, a streamer needs to exceed a number of viewers in order for the feature to be available, which is again, bizarre.

Sure, I don't mind troubleshooting for my users watching me. But, when it come to those moments, I can't do anything about it. I could cut down the bitrate but that punishes all the viewers watching my streams. And of course, they'll leave to watch someone else instead. The viewers even leave a bitter message "guess I'll watch someone else because I'm having a hard time watching your stream."

Another annoying aspect I've experienced is that the main website hasn't changed in a long time. Sure I'm familiar with Justin.TV long ago. But the front page, the categories, and the really annoying side bar on the left, it's all dated.

Every time I look at that side bar, it screams favoritism. Twitch just loves promoting their successful streamers instead of giving the lesser known streamers a chance. This will continue to be a problem for other video platforms, streaming platforms, and heck, even webcomic platforms too! There is no balance here.

If there is anything I see as an improvement, is anything to do with moderation tools. Which is very important. We don't want anything extreme happening on the chat box n' all. Or just straight up spam. We don't like that.

But otherwise ... it seems nothing big has improved over the many years. All they keep doing is constantly changing the Terms of Service and rules.

Whenever there is something remotely naughty, such as nudity, yeah Twitch will do something about it. But what about something close to nudity? There was a time where most streamers would stream on their swimming pools or bath tubs, and they would wear swimsuits. Give it enough time for the advertisers to catch wind of this and suddenly Twitch has to step in. And you can see the pattern already, Twitch is more likely to please the advertisers than the streamers.

Let's even talk about something I don't care about but I have to because it matters to everyone. You and I may not care how much the streamers get paid, but it would really suck if your favorite streamer has no choice but to quit due to low pay from Twitch right?

I remember watching a talented musician from Australia expressing over the fact that he hasn't been paid at all ... and he's partnered too which makes it even more confusing.

And I remember hearing from a streamer who has been streaming for more than a decade on the platform but he gets a standard cut. Awhile a new streamer, sure, is pulling a lot of viewers, but only been on the platform for around two years, gets a bigger cut.

There was a petition/feedback section on Twitch's website to stop this nonsense and make sure everyone is treated fairly. But hey! They listened! They did it ... but everyone gets the standard cut instead of the bigger cut ... at least it's fair right? Right? ... I mean I can't expect much from a company that is owned by Amazon at this point.

Right, I forgot to say that Twitch.TV is owned by Amazon, I'm assuming you already knew that? If not, it's fine, most people are bound to find out anyway.

The reason why I brought that up is because I remember watching one of the biggest critic of Twitch.TV explaining why it's not worth streaming on that platform anymore. Because Amazon owns Twitch, they'll demand quite a lot of changes in order to gain a lot of money. Otherwise, they are fired. I don't know if Twitch keeps rotating with new hires left and right, hoping they can find the best team to keep the company together but, this is ridiculous. Building a new feature on the site takes time but changing the ToS can be done in an instant. Gotta make sure the advertisers are pleased in order to get that money.

I haven't touched on controversial streamers. Yeah, politics is tricky. The "Fair use" on reacting to content. Streamers showcasing gambling. And uhh ... committing crimes publicly? Granted it depends if it's intentional or not? I don't know, it's dumb.

Okay let's switch gears here for why I even used Twitch.TV

My exposure to livestream happened to be odd experience. Long story short, I stumble across a website that is all about videogame journalism done right (AKA they do it non-profit.) They have a sister website that all about streaming any videogames they put up. Each person takes their time streaming making sure there is little to no downtime like a TV, which is a fun concept. I had fun being part of it.

This concept would carry on to groups like Vinesauce. However, it turns out that it's a whole lot better if each streamer has their own channels instead due to scheduling conflict etc. (They are still a group and the website keeps everyone together.)

If there is anything I enjoyed watching, it's a man called Vargskelethor (or Joel.) Don't get me wrong, Vinesauce (also known as Vinny,) is a nice guy, but he falls into an issue I see with almost a lot of streamers do. They stream almost every single day. It's really unhealthy if you think about it. Awhile there are a good chunk of people work for a eight hour shift ... there are streamers who would stream for 12 hours straight ... Yeah it makes you think if they ever had the chance to eat or even take a good stretch because I can't imagine the human body being stationary for that long. I mean sure if there is a new game that came out, okay, but doing that daily?! That's not good.

And that's why I like Joel, he is funny as hell. Unlike Vinny who is always exhausted and can't speak much, Joel would just come in with full of energy for the commentary side of things and playing whatever game he likes.

Joel is pretty old school when it comes to presenting content. There is no annoying stream overlay which begs the users to follow him and buy merch, there is no face/body cam, and the pre-stream and mid-stream (for restroom breaks) is very minimal. He is obviously cautious about certain things like for example he would turn off his mic if he sneezed or eating something. (I remember he even went so far as to delete a portion of an archive stream when he ate something.)

But that's one person, there are decent amount of streamers that I like if they fall into two simple categories:

If I see a face/body cam, I'm not interested. Nothing against the idea but I can just tell something is off if the streamer is trying to get attention by their looks rather than good commentary/gameplay. The newer stuff like "Vtuber/PNGtuber," I'm neutral, I'm not too bothered about that.

Yeah I am avoiding the word that describes users who are attracted to streamers. I must be old but I cannot understand the goal for certain users throwing money towards a specific streamer. (I feel as if 9 times out of 10, these streamers are already married, so why even try?)

Parasocial relationship is really creepy when you look into it. This is why my favorite streamers has a good policy in place to keep a distance between creator and audience.

When I provide support to a small streamer by subscribing (tier 1 or whatever,) all I want is something very simple:

A thank you.

That's it. I don't want to extend a way to gain a friendship, become a mod (I'm terrible at that,) or even anything dumb like a VIP service or some shite like that. Just a "thank you," is good enough for me. I'll repeat, all about keeping a good distance between creator and audience.

Let's wrap this up.

So let's see. They haven't improved their website in a long time nor put new features. They rather please advertisers than the streamers, ToS changing all the time. They'll find a way to hurt the smaller creators rather than help them. And because Amazon owns Twitch.TV, it's all about the money. Always the money.

Why I stopped buying from Amazon

Canceling Amazon Prime

Mid-2021. It all began with a bad delivery, or rather the Amazon employee just delivered the goods to the wrong house. The neighbor of ours is infamous for not giving the package back to the rightful owner. One of my own family members talked with an officer and learned that they cannot do anything about it. (I thought what the neighbor had done for a long time is illegal! Guess not.)

Mind you that the goods I've ordered was just a cheap ol' gaming accessory for my VR headset. Amazon was able to replace the item at zero cost. If you are wondering, when I saw the photo, it was indeed the wrong house and I'm able to report by selecting the option "incorrect house." But I'll give a pass to an extent, it was dark, and we didn't have a clear and easy to read address number on our house. So I don't won't to paint as if this is 100 percent fault on the delivery driver. We are all not perfect.

After this event, I canceled my Amazon Prime. But that didn't mean I quit buying from Amazon completely.

I did not miss the 2-day, 1-day, same-day shipping. It's odd, I don't know why but I managed to learn how to be patient. (I guess I already have the goods I needed in the end? Which is why I don't need things in a urgent matter? Nah I don't think so.)

That will not stop Amazon from trying to desperately get me back onto Amazon Prime. They'll try to bait me with 3-days to a week ... and finally a whole free month of Prime subscription. That might be the cap, I don't know if they ever dare to give 2 to 3 months of free Prime sub, who knows.

I was still able to buy goods and took advantage of free shipping as long as if I meet the requirement of 35 dollars or more. On one side, it's very annoying but on the other it might be clever if done right.

The best way for me to explain is that because the "free shipping" can be achieved by the goods needing to be 35 dollars or more, it'll require strategy. So if one does a bit of writing or putting it on the wish list, the customer can be intentional with their purchases. Instead of being impatient by buying too many single order cheap goods like what most customers do on Wish/Temu/Shien/Aliexpress etc ... the patient types can be selective on what is really needed or not. Maybe it turns out you don't need that product after all after thinking about it for a day or two?

I'll expose myself as an example. My tablet monitor could not work properly, the screen works but not the tablet part AKA my stylus would not work on the monitor. Out of pure rage, I ordered a type A to type A cable swiftly when I could look around to see if I already had one. Or find a different solution, which I believe I did, meaning that I wasted money on buying another cable.

But after my Prime is canceled, there where multiple times where I would write down what I needed, bundle it, and then buy. Maybe at least once or twice I ended up not getting the goods because it turns out I don't need it since I'm willing to think more rather than buy in-an-instant.

However, the whole "free shipping if you meet a certain requirement" is still a classic predatory practice in the end. It's still designed to make you buy more. Sure you can see the negative and positives from this like what I've explained early but it's still evil. Almost every online business does this trick.

What did the Prime Subscription offered anyway?

Perhaps the most interesting question is that other than fast shipping, what else did the subscription offer? All I remember is a video streaming service (which now has ads on it, talk about greed right there) and uhhh ... Twitch Prime.

Twitch Prime is weak honestly. All it does is provide free digital goods. Ranging from boosters on online/mobile games to maybe a free indie game? Really nothing interest me, just way too many games I refuse to play, most of them are mobile which I dislike.

Another thing that Twitch Prime provides is allowing a user to support one streamer. It's even categorised separately, meaning that both audience and streamers can see it visibly. What that means is "Twitch Prime sub" is a temporary way to support a creator awhile "Twitch sub" is permanent until the user cancel the subscription.

Other than streamers getting money from users subbing. The users in turn gets emotes that they can use in any Twitch chat ... if you care anyway. This is like Discord all over again is it?

Quitting Amazon

Around the end of 2023. What made me quit buying anything from Amazon happened to be rather interesting. It all happened from my family member getting absolutely angry. I've never seen this family member of mine getting so pissed in a very, very, long time.

What happened? It's yet another delivery gone wrong, it was delivered to our evil neighbor again.

I decided to on the behalf of my family report this issue straight to customer service on the live chat. I explained to them that this has happened way too many times. They asked for tracking ID number and apologized.

We even had the opportunity to confront with one of the delivery drivers to explain their side of the story. The GPS and the map part of the app is not 100 percent accurate sometimes ... I mean I understand odd locations such as a little house behind a big house but ... our house is in plain sight. So I don't know at this point. Our house has an upgraded address number that is easy to read by the way.

Either way, I couldn't stop watching my family member raging and I explained that I'm done. I am no longer buying anything from Amazon ever again.

Another massive reason why I quit Amazon

There has been months where I have not bought a single product from Amazon which always made me question "why should I bother paying for this subscription?"

Here is a chart to showcase how many orders I've done for the site:

Number of orders

(I could show more from the past but I think this is good enough.)

Amazon shopping experience got worse the more I think about it

Before Amazon started taking notes from Temu and Shien by making a sad clone with the whole "everything for a dollar or less" store ... the website is already in a bad state.

We know that almost a lot of goods are made in China, but the fact we keep seeing more cheap goods with a nonsensical brand name dominating the platform is just soulless if you think about it.

Okay I'll start backpack brand names I know I can at least trust: The North Face, JanSport, Fjällräven and maybe more. (Patagonia is well known for never being in Amazon, so I can't count that.) Now if I were to ever type in backpack in the search bar and hit enter, I'll be provided with so many cheap not-so-well-known brands that looks like they have been bought in masses from Aliexpress or Alibaba. Be prepared to see the same products but in different names. And yes, we will always see the Amazon Basics products again and again.

You know consumers will choose cheaper questionable brands than the expensive well-known brands.

Of course let's not forget the blatant stolen designs and remixed a little or even worse, a one-to-one copy but just the logo swapped.

Botted reviews are one thing, but it's downright sinister when they can outright delete reviews or rather ... not allow reviews to show up? Okay fine, I'll explain my side of the story. I've made a critical review of a certain keycaps set. It's not good and they lied about the profile style by having conflicting description on their listing. For a long time I don't see my review on there. I even provided photos to alert the consumers out there what kind of keycaps they would get.

There was also a time where Nintendo kept getting 1 star reviews because they could not find an effective way to fight the scalpers. So afterwards ... all the reviews are gone or they relisted the product again. It's bad. You can make the argument that it's all "off-topic" reviews but it's consumers voicing their feedback.

And yeah the "Amazon's Choice" is confusing. The two-day shipping will always be highlighted praying on your impatience.

So where have I been buying my stuff now-a-days?

Other than the brick and mortar stores, eBay, and Wally-mart, there are countless of online websites that are powered by Shopify (with Shop Pay.)

What is nice about these Shopify websites is the "express checkout." Once you've ordered once, they'll remember your information, and if ordered again on a different site, you'll never need to type in all that information ever again. It's convenient, but deadly.

It allows me to support brands/companies a lot more compared to buying it from Amazon. Even ten times better if it's local business. Sure, Shopify takes the cut too but it's nothing compared to Amazon. (Who knows though I could be wrong.)

The sheer force of Amazon, and how I cannot avoid it

So even after several years of not buying anything from Amazon I'm baffled on how Amazon managed to extend beyond their own website. And it's not web hosting services, no-no not that. And it's not the "Amazon Prime Day(s)" event that other competitors love to copy.

Around Black Friday I went to buy something on Tomtoc website. Tomtoc is usually known for their sling bags and that's what I've purchased. After going through the usual, I was surprised that there is no shipping option to choose from other than "place order." And that I did ... I checked the e-mail and I was shocked to learn that it'll be shipped by Amazon.

I did not expect a company being so dependent on Amazon to do so much for the delivery side of things. I rather wait an extra few days to even a week with USPS, UPS, FedEx, and even DHL-or-whatever! Sure I get the usual two-day shipping but I don't want to risk having my goods being delivered to the wrong house again. (We moved away from that house so we shouldn't be getting those issues again but I'm still not trusting them.)

Same thing happened again when I was shopping for some work boots, RockRooster. I should of caught the "2-day shipping" but I let my guard down. Again, there is no other shipping to choose.

And they keep coming back!

When I bought a stationary product on eBay and receive the product in an Amazon packaging. I was so confused that I presented this to one of my family members if they have any idea what's going on. "Sounds like you've bought it from a drop shipper." And I was like "what?"

Okay, from my understanding, I happen to buy a product that is at least one to two dollars more than if I would of bought it on Amazon. So this drop shipper bought the product on Amazon and then "gift" it to me even though it really isn't a gift. (Gift receipt is in the package if you are wondering.)

So the big question is "are they making a profit from this?" Because both Amazon and eBay has to take a cut, and not only that, there are taxes too. The whole thing confuses me honestly.

The more I look into "drop-shipping" on YouTube, the more depressing it gets. It's a job where you've become a middle-man with no inventory, with little to no support in case you have an issue with a customer. The moment you have a few one star reviews, it's over.

Anyway if you think eBay is doing anything about this, I don't think they care. Sure it's against the rules but in the end they are getting money.

Few last things to say about this.

If there is a recurring story that I keep hearing about, it's Amazon delivery drivers having to pee inside their bottles just to keep up with the tasks as-soon-as-possible. It's a story that writes itself honestly.

I'm trying to remember what one of my family members has done as a 3rd party delivery driver. All I remember is, everyone is trying to grab the good orders on the app. It's as if you'd need the same bots that online scalpers use. But I think it's a lot worse, it's just nothing to pick up. Might as well do a different service instead.

So should you quit buying from Amazon?

For me, it's easy. Sure there are only a few items I've found that it's cheaper on that website but I can easily say that I have saved a good chunk of money from not buying from Amazon (and the silly subscription.)

Honestly, write down the most important things you've kept buying from that site. Then in turn, see if you can buy it elsewhere.

And yes, "buying local" is always good but a challenge in it's own right.