Tagged tech

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.

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?

Why I quit using HostGator and GoDaddy

Problem: HostGator

I'll be honest, I don't remember my very first hosting service other than it had to do with something "orange." Or maybe that was my second hosting site? I know it was "shared hosting" kind of service.

Either way, I would eventually stumble towards HostGator and I hate to say it, I have fell for the corporate trap.

If it wasn't for a YouTube channel called Emit.Reviews, I would of kept paying for this expensive and not-so-useful hosting services.

For starters I was paying monthly instead of annual which is a massive mistake on my part. Then second, I would finally start to see how much the price increase over time. I think I've used this service for more than 8 plus years!

Over the last 18 months I've used HostGator, I would see the cost be around 12 dollars, to 15, and finally 18 dollars. And again, that's monthly. You can do the math and realize that it's really not worth it for me who just wants to keep a webcomic website live for awhile.

And that's something I want to stress, it's a very small website. It make no sense why I am paying for something that is usually for professionals awhile a hobby person like me is on the hosting service.

Every time I rewatch that video, I am shocked on how much a hosting service managed to dominate the reviews sites and the content creators on YouTube. The more money they put towards these sites/users, the more customers they'll get.

Solution: Neocities

I gotta say, I'm impressed with Neocities. It's rather odd for me to "join" the indie web when my webcomic website is more than a decade old but I don't know if it matters any more.

What matters is that I could of kept using Neocities free of charge but I didn't. I felt that they deserve my money since they (I think it's managed by one guy actually) really give a darn about what internet should be. A place to express ourselves and not be controlled by corporate.

I did use Neocities for free for around three months and after that, I started paying for the "supporter." I went from 18 dollars to 5 dollars, big savings for sure.

Anyway ... the real challenge is getting my webcomics on Neocities. Obviously the web host doesn't use PHP, so I'll have to find other ways to display my webcomics.

Thankfully, the solution was Rarebit. It is powered by JavaScript rather than PHP which does lead to a problem I'll talk about later. Setting it up was a real pain since I actually still don't know how to code. Very embarrassing, and it's still true now. There was a point where I could not understand why the archive section kept glitching, thankfully all I did was revert the damage and it's all working fine now.

It took a lot of trial and error but in the end, I love the way it looks. Pretty much 99 percent of audience will say that my webcomic website is "basic and barebones" but that's the way I like it. Believe it or not, during the early 2000s, webcomic websites used to be really bland and boring because the center, which is the content, is the most important.

Right before I started uploading new webcomics, I realize I still need a RSS feed for the website. Thankfully, I found a person who had already made one, so I'm pretty much complete. It was just the matter of me making new webcomics. It feels great to have that level of ownership, unlike having to upload my comics to a webcomic platform such as Webtoons and Tapas. It's my own website and my own content, they cannot change that.

After that, the problem is still there. It's powered by JavaScript. Awhile most users do not care about that, there are users who will disable it or use a very secure web browsers/plug-ins. It was a matter of time that I finally done something about it.

If you do visit my webcomic website with scripts disabled, you'll have a helpful red text telling you that you can visit another website that'll have my webcomics presented with PHP instead. Overkill? I think not.

Speaking of overkill, my website has an Easter egg at the very bottom. Once you click on it, you'll be taken to a special page that'll allow you to read my comics in either .webp or PHP + crusty .jpeg. If I really want to achieve "overkill," text only is the next step. I'll be the only person on the internet that will support users with slow internet connection, just like the good old dial-up days. But seriously there are users who would use up all of their "high-speed" mobile data and have to deal with slow 2G speeds.

Anyway, back to the user interface and other wonders of Neocities. The website is super fun to browse. You'll find too many users showcasing their love for whatever they are interested in. From cute websites that'll have Hello Kitty plastered all over the site to ... a website that has all kinds of spooky stuff such as skeletons dancing and a witch cooking some gross icky soup.

File layout is easy to navigate and also the editor to edit the code is nice.

I already talked about it on my previous blog post but I really love the fact that I can download the entire websites and back them up or transfer to another web host service. You can't do that on WordPress.

Now I do want to say that Nekoweb and Lepard.space are also seriously worth checking out as well.

Big thanks to this 32-bit cafe resources as well. It's super useful.

Problem: GoDaddy

Oh god. You want to talk about corporate trap? This is the definition of it.

Again, massive thanks to Emit.Reviews on exposing the awful traps. The big thing I fell for is ... it's embarrassing--the security add-ons. Yeah, I'm paying extra for something I actually don't need. I believe I even paid extra for WHOIS Privacy add-on ... ouch.

The problem doesn't even stop there. If you ever experience the awfulness that is the dashboard then you are in for a surprise. For starters it's slow, it's hard to believe how old this company is and they think this is acceptable. Also, it's difficult to navigate. I remember watching a video of a webdev wanting to revisit the dashboard and oh boy, he had a hard time finding the DNS section for the domain.

Solution: Porkbun

Once I've received an e-mail from GoDaddy that one of my domains is about to expire, I figured it was time to jump ship--uhh-I-mean transfer. Yeah, transfer.

Usually you cannot transfer domains that are near expiration, which is evil by the way. But thankfully, it's an old domain that I don't care about. The reason is because it's longer (number of letters) and not useful anymore.

When I was seeking for another domain registrar website it was either Namecheap or Porkbun.

I had to go with Porkbun because of two reasons. Reason one is how fast the website loads. It's almost late web 1.0 to early web 2.0 vibes I'm getting from the website. I did not expect a big company to still retain the importance of instant and fast loading site. Reason two, it's very clear on what they will provide you in terms of payments plus benefits and would even add in disclaimers that most companies don't even care about addressing.

Once all of my domains I cared about transferred, I let the old domains I didn't care about expire in GoDaddy. Now I have zero domains at GoDaddy, thank goodness. I don't want to ever go back to that awful site ever again.

By the way, as time passes on I would buy a few more domains from Porkbun. And what is very useful is that I would get e-mails from Porkbun whenever there will be a price increase for certain TLDs. So they are suggesting to save money by paying additional years now or just suffer later on. It's a useful warning honestly.

Extra: Marketing wins sadly

Rewatching Emit.Reviews really showcase on how the fact that these web host services can dominate the search results by paying these writers on many websites and also content creators on YouTube.

Emit.Reviews view count on his videos speak for itself. Usually you have a tendency to see high view count on YouTube as "trustable" but that isn't the case. It's just a matter of going through the nonsense of identifying if the content creators are being sponsored or not plus any awful nonsense such as use of AI.

Now-a-days I'm seeking content that has less than 10k views and the content is being made with zero use of AI. My favorite type of videos are the kind that has awful production values that you'd experience on early YouTube years. Here is an example, I wanted to add a guestbook in one of my websites so I watch this video of a lady showcasing how's it done.

I don't want to go way off-topic but it sadden me when the search results are dominated by content creators that are all about money, AI, and number of visitors. Seriously? Most "indie" folks like us don't care about that. Which is why it's hard to find tutorials that isn't trying to sell you something.

Extra: Slight caution on HelioHost

Because I need a host that can at least use PHP, I had to seek for another web host. HelioHost was the answer for me.

Awhile everything is very affordable over there, I still happened to stumble across a simple problem ... I couldn't see my website. The reason why? My own ISP. Odd, okay, uhhh ... it's fixed at least. I don't know why my ISP thinks a brand new subdomain is malicious, but I just disable the security feature on my router.

Another serious concern for me, is uptime. There are times I want to see if my website is still up. And it's random too. One day I would attempt to load up the website and ... 504 error. Yeah, thankfully it's not an urgent type of website, it's more of a backup kind of website. Still, if you are all about wanting to make serious and professional websites then I would skip HelioHost.

Big question for anyone reading this

Honestly, it's clear that I am in the small/hobby realm where I have no interest getting massive amount of users to reading my website. I'm not trying to sell anything either. I do have a donate section in my webcomic website if that counts.

Big question: What is your target audience? If you want to setup an online shop or you want huge amount of users visiting your website, then the solutions I've provide in this blog will not cut it. Maybe watch Emit.Reviews and see what he recommended. Mind you he hasn't uploaded anything new on 2026 and onwards so prepare for out dated information.

And if I ever wanted to make a serious website, I still would avoid WordPress, SquareSpace, Wix, and other website builders. They are designed to keep you in their ecosystem. If you used them and you don't like them, then you can't transfer, you'll have to start from scratch again. It's better to go with static website.

An old video from Chris Titus Tech still hits it hard on why.

But if you want to go small and indie, you finally have a lot of choices now. It's about time we finally have a more accessible and easy to make websites.

Making websites should be fun and it should stay that way.

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.