The constant disappointment of devices like smartphones,...

The constant disappointment of devices like smartphones, for me, is that having a permanently-internet-connected computer full of sensors that I keep on me at all times should be a thing that I can treat as an assistive tool that is integrated into my sense of self, constantly taking in information, processing that in workflows I've created, and sharing that with me

in other words, it should be a programmable extension of the perception of the body

and the entire ecosystem around smart phones is very meant for Not That

Like 28 July at 5:58 | Open on tilde.zone

13 comments

Mauve 👁💜

@left_adjoint smartphones are TV for the eyes. I've been building up my personal OS setup from the terminal and it's so nice go be able to know everything going on on it and being able to cut out the BS. Personal computing on the go is possible but such a time sink

28 July at 7:01 | Open on mastodon.mauve.moe

Filene

@mauve @left_adjoint What you're doing might be exactly what I'm looking for as an option. I mean, you think I'd want to give a child one of these things? They might as well be remote authoritarian devices. *thinks of Star Trek tri-corders telling everybody what they need to be doing from their pockets* 😩

28 July at 7:15 | Open on dragon.style

Mauve 👁💜

@Filene @left_adjoint it's a major pain in the ass at first but I'd suggest someone play with a friendly linux that does everything for you for a bit, then dive down to a tty-only install and slowly build up a wayland desktop with like sway or niri. Having a second device for searching up how the fuck to do wifi from a TUI is handy for the first while

28 July at 7:18 | Open on mastodon.mauve.moe

Nova🐧✨

@mauve @left_adjoint that's difficult for me and a lot of people, but i think XR can help by having even more space than a desktop in which to set things up, synoptic diagrams and such could let you see your computers' systems in context and rewire them using your hands easily...

i believe anyone can operate a complex computer setup as long as it's designed well and it shows all the relevant information in 1 place, real world interactions are much more complex than computer interactions yet computer interactions are often harder because the design is separated from many of our senses like proprioception...

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28 July at 8:37 | Open on ordinary.cafe

LisPi

@mauve @left_adjoint How do you handle the firmware/driver issue?

28 July at 9:24 | Open on udongein.xyz

@left_adjoint "very meant for not that" or exploitative to the point of getting uncanny where it gets too close to the self (see the discourse about silicon valley hacking the dopamine receptors)

28 July at 7:05 | Open on post.lurk.org

cat

@left_adjoint

humans are great at subconsciously tuning out prolonged periods of excessive stimuli. the nonstop barrage of signals competing for our attention is exhausting. we know something is deeply wrong, yet we struggle to identify it until we succumb to burn out.

last year I began my journey into phone minimalism. I deleted everything, flashed a user-centric operating system, and installed the bare minimum of apps.

my phone is simple now. it makes calls, sends texts, takes photos, and has a browser for web searching. No music, games, streaming, notes, calendars, email, or social media.

everything else can wait for a computer or go on a paper notepad.

some days I won't touch my phone, and yet, I feel more connected with technology now than ever before. Every interaction is deliberate, every touch, swipe, or click has a purpose. I own my phone, my phone no longer owns me.

digital minimalism is not for everyone. It can be challenging to let go and disconnect, but if you feel that something is broken or a sense of anxious dread, this path may be worth trying.

@left_adjoint

last year I began my journey into phone minimalism. I deleted everything, flashed a user-centric operating system, and installed the bare minimum of apps.

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28 July at 7:28 | Open on tilde.zone

LisPi

@catalyst @left_adjoint I was disappointed when what was even just conservatively conceptualized in Serial Experiments Lain couldn't be trivially replicated on smartphones.

Imagine fucking up that hard. Constantly.

28 July at 9:23 | Open on udongein.xyz

tomáš א mládek

@left_adjoint If I could boost this thrice I would

I thought about a similar thing when I was choosing my current phone and went for a Fairphone, and I realized that not only sustainability is an important aspect for me, it's pretty much the only one anymore - like there's a certain pessimism in it, that there's no reason to go for a better or a different phone anymore because none of them are going to be at all what you describe

"Current smartphones are a dead end"?

28 July at 7:44 | Open on witter.cz

Mikalai

@thm @left_adjoint
Current are dead, and the better future phone experience can use their hardware.

28 July at 16:17 | Open on discuss.systems

bricks

@left_adjoint I highly recommend reading Robert Ludlum’s book “The Utopia Experiment” first, then re-evaluate your wishes. It was published in 2014, but today’s tech news constantly remind me of this extraordinary tech thriller.

28 July at 8:21 | Open on det.social

skry

@left_adjoint @hypebot Half the time I’m not even sure it’s on my side.

28 July at 9:06 | Open on mastodon.social

Grey the earthling

@left_adjoint Yeah. The device is perfectly capable of being that, but then capitalism intervenes.

I think we're *almost* reaching the point where #LinuxMobile is becoming an attractive non-hostile alternative for people who would otherwise choose a non-smart phone.

Give it a few years, and I think a phone pre-installed with #postmarketOS would work well enough for tech-unenthusiasts to actually like it.

(🐧 Posted from my Linux phone)

28 July at 11:28 | Open on queer.party