Back for another web journal entry. ^^
This time, I thought I'd tackle a niche, but still relevant (to me, at least) topic: Digital Minimalism.
For those of you who don't know what it is, "digital minimalism" refers to the act of a person deliberately minimalizing - and optimizing - both their use of various electronic devices, and how many devices they use, in an effort to reduce negative psychological effects (burnout, being overly-distracted, etc.) as well as make the act of engaging with the devices themselves more meaningful and/or fulfilling.
That definition sounds pretty specific - and to a certain extent, it is - but the way in which that strategy is implemented varies from person to person. For some, it could be as simple as turning off certain apps or features on their phones via the Settings app; For others, it may entail getting rid of certain devices altogether, and buying more specialized devices as a replacement.
As for me...I've decided I want to go with the second strategy I mentioned previously. To that end, I have assembled a small roster of devices that I feel best fill the majority of my everyday needs, and I thought I'd share that list with y'all...along with a short explanation as to why I chose that particular device.
So, without further ado, I now present to y'all...
Why I Chose This Device
While I am a predominantly stay-at-home artist, there are occasional moments where I need to step outside my house; be it for an inpromptu road trip, attending some sort of family gathering, or whatever. This often means that I need to bring my work with me. And in those moments, having something like this 2-in-1 Windows Tablet PC would be immensely helpful. Besides being a good all-rounder for my various forms of work though, this tablet PC (or a custom equivalent) would also have enough computational horsepower to play most (if not all) of the various Steam games I have in my Library, along with most of the multiplayer titles that my friends have been subtly pushing me to play. Add all this together, and you get one solid package that suits all of my needs.
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Why I Chose This Device
When I was a kid, I was staunchly anti-cellphone; they were nothing but a massive distraction loaded with a bunch of features that I never found much of a use for. Cut to now, as an adult who has gone through one iPhone SE (and is currently going through another)... I have to admit that I do understand why so many people use these things. However...as of late, I've also noticed that I've been having a hard time staying focused on anything art-related, with most of the distractions coming from my bad habit of binging YouTube videos, and anxiously awaiting message pings on the Discord app. As such, I've decided the best course of action is to give up my iPhone, and replace it with two more specialized devices: A handheld AM/FM radio with MP3 playback and onboard audio recording (more on that in its respective list entry), and this low-tech TCL Flip Phone available with a Verizon StraightTalk data plan. As to why? Well...it helps me maintain all the necessary communciations I need to have with my relatives (who may need me on the line for something important or urgent at any time), without bombarding me with extra unnecessary features that would otherwise be a major distraction. (Seriously...just trying to browse the web or use Google Maps with this thing is a pain. And in this case, I consider that a good thing.)
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Why I Chose This Device
Those of you who browse the Archives on my main site likely know that I used to be a digital artist (albeit not a great one). Eventually, though, I switched over to being a predominantly traditional artist. And while I've wanted to get back into digital art, I've also had a lot of trouble getting used to the...err...nuances of working with a plastic/metal stylus on a glass screen. To the point where I often get frustrated and stop altogether.
Yes, I'm aware that things like screen covers, different styles of styluses, and other devices exist that could probably help me overcome at least some of these problems. But if given the choice, I'd rather just find a way to make these issues nonexistent entirely. And that's where this nifty little drawing tablet comes in. You see, the iskn Repaper XLite has one very unique feature that makes it stand out from the crowd... It allows you to use it as both a regular drawing tablet, and as a digitizer for traditional art. The way it accomplishes this is by allowing users to choose between either using the included stylus, or slipping a small metal ring over a preferred traditional drawing instrument (pens, pencils, etc.), clipping a piece of regular paper onto the tablet with some included clamps, and drawing on the paper as they normally would. And all of the pen/pencil strokes get registered and displayed on-screen.
In other words...it means that I no longer have to choose between doing traditional art, or doing digital art; I can do both simultaneously. And since the drawing tablet is compatible with most of the big-name digital art apps, it means you don't have to use the name-brand app available for the drawing tablet.
...Need I say more?
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Why I Chose This Device
As previously mentioned, I've noticed as of late that I've had a hard time focusing on anything art-related, largely due to my bad habit of binging YouTube videos and anxiously waiting for message pings on Discord. My proposed two-step solution to this problem was to let go of my iPhone SE, and replace it with two more specialized devices. The first one is the TCL Flip 2 Cell Phone (see above). The second...is the BOESPATR Handheld AM/FM Radio.
"Why replace your iPhone with an old-looking radio?", you may be wondering. "Wouldn't the iPhone, with its myriad of freely-available MP3 player and Files apps, serve the same purpose?"
And to that I reply with: "Yes, the iPhone does offer numerous ways of playing MP3 files and listening to AM/FM radio stations. However...many of these apps tend to have a laundry list of issues that make them a no-go for me; from the aggressive implementation of in-app purchases (a monetization method I thoroughly despise), to the near- constant inclusion of intrusive advertisements (which oftentimes also require you to fork over money to stop seeing them), to the app developers' often questionable data privacy policies...I think I'm at least a little justified in wanting a device that allows me to get away from all that nonsense."
This is what the BOESPATR Handheld AM/FM Radio accomplishes (over-the-radio advertisements notwithstanding).
Not only does it have an MP3 player and AM/FM radio combined into a retro-styled handheld design (complete with an extendable whip antenna), but it also has an onboard audio recorder. So if a song comes on the radio that I like, or if I need to make a voice recording to reference later, I can just hit the RECORD button (and plug in an external microphone in the case of the former scenario), and I can record the audio directly to whatever storage medium I'm using for all the audio.
And yes, I said "storage medium"; Both Micro SD and USB flash drives are compatible with this device.
(I also wanna experiment with sending messages over the AM/FM bands, but that's a subject for another time.)
Oh, and this handheld radio also has a 3.5mm audio jack anda built-in speaker.
...I think I've made my point now. c:
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Why I Chose This Device
I made an off-hand remark earlier about my friends subtly pushing me towards playing some multiplayer games with them. Normally, I'd be inclined to pass on multiplayer games (I strongly prefer games that are primarily a single-player experience), but I really wanna play some games with these friends (preferably something other than Jackbox party games) and forge more meaningful connections with them.
Unfortunately, trying to play games on a PC with mouse and keyboard (especially the more action-intensive games) isn't something I can do very well. So, I believe a dedicated game controller is...well, maybe not a necessity per se, but certainly a deeply-appreciated convenience.
Of course, me being me, I'm very picky about what game controller I get. And if I'm gonna be taking a dedicated game controller with me to places outside my house, then I want a controller that's got a relatively slim form factor, and still has all the various buttons and joysticks I need to comfortably play games with it.
These are the reasons I chose the 8Bitdo Sn30 Pro USB Game Controller (along with a few others); It meets all of these needs and packages it in an SNES-styled form factor that looks and (theoretically) feels good to use.
Moreover, since I'm an aspiring Indie game developer, having a dedicated controller on hand will be very useful if and/or when I decide to target a game console as a platform to export any of my game projects to.
As for why I went with a wired controller instead of a wireless one? Simply put...I won't need to worry about input lag (something that can occur with a wireless controller), and I won't have to worry about recharging or replacing a built-in battery (I find it often devolves into micromanaging battery levels, especially as the device gets older and suffers from the usual wear-and-tear gaming tends to throw at it).
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...And that concludes my Digital Minimalism Device List. Did any of these devices catch your attention?
If not, I hope I was able to get y'all thinking about digital minimalism as a concept. Or at the very least, gave you some mild entertainment talking about some neat gadgets I found while surfing the Net.
That's all for now. Hope to post another one of these web journal entries soon! ^^
[Created on Nov. 28th, 2024 @ 7:18 PM CST]
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Welp...time for another journal entry. ^^
This time, I figured I'd introduce myself in a more formal manner; Let y'all know who I am, where I'm from, what my goals are in life, etc. So, without further ado, here's some more info about me...
My name is Samuel Pierce, but I prefer to just go by "Sam."
I am a 27-year-old, gender-nonconforming (he/him, she/her, and they/them are all valid) small fry currently residing in Miami, Oklahoma.
Aside from being a freelance artist, I'm also an aspiring indie game developer, an aspiring toy and product designer, and a stay-at-home worker (I.E. I help keep the house clean when I can).
My other hobbies include listening to music (Rock/Metal and various forms of Electronica), tinkering with various electronic devices, cars (of all shapes, sizes, and functions), videogames, and designing websites for my own personal use/entertainment.
In terms of life goals...I'm mostly out to do two things:
1. Make a name for myself as a prominent creator/author/storyteller.
2. Become as independent as possible, and live a relatively stable (if incredibly boring) life.
How I'll achieve these goals is still up in the air, but I'll figure it out as I go along.
Welp, that's about everything. Hope y'all enjoyed this more detailed descriptor of yours truly, and I hope to post another one of these journal entries sometime soon. ^^
[Created on Nov. 23rd, 2024 @ 6:33 PM CST]
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Hi there! My name's Sam, and thanks for dropping by this...let's call it a "web journal". I created this web journal as a way for me to talk about whatever random ideas and thoughts pop into my head on any given day. There really won't be any sort of consistent theme with these posts; Sometimes I might talk about current events (no harrassment/bigoted comments, please!), other times I might talk about niche hobbies or old toys, and sometimes I may talk about something completely out of left field. It all just depends on what my brain has to say.
In any case, I plan on posting more of these web journal entries as time goes on. I hope y'all find them interesting (or at least entertaining), and I look forward to posting another web journal entry in the future. Bye for now! ^^
[Created on Nov. 22nd, 2024 @ 10:41 PM CST]
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