--- title: "Resolutions for 2023" categories: - blog abstract: new year, new plans to ignore. year: 2023 date: 2023-01-01T01:01:48+01:00 draft: false tags: - meta - facebook - phone - iPhone - freedom-of-speech - IRC - internet - Spotify - Google - Apple - Memes --- In no particular order ### Remove mobile phones from my life as much as possible Mobile phones are a great toy, but everything has worsened since they became the defacto internet devices. The Internet is worse. Our lives are worse. And the world as well. Yet, I can't leave the house without one (or even a room, for that matter). The device itself is an excellent idea, but the usage patterns and people behind them are not. I'd love to return my mind to a state where going for a walk without a phone in my pocket won't feel anxious. Also, I use an iPhone, which I am growing to hate. ### Use a computer more A real computer has all the benefits of a phone (internet access) but none of the disadvantages (better input, better screen, better posture, personalization, lack of addiction-driven applications). I don't want to leave the Internet, but instead to move my consumption from a phone to a real computer. ### Be less self-censoring We live in lousy times for freedom of speech. No matter what, someone will get offended. I am guilty of not speaking my mind, afraid of this, and this sucks. And people need to be challenged to grow! How will I ever learn if no one points out how wrong I am? ### Be more optimistic and less hot-headed The last few years were far from good for me. It seems like everything is fine, and then boom - everyone around you is ill. This has taken a toll on me. I want to be happier and calmer. I want to give a generally more optimistic view of the future. ### Increase my internet presence When I was growing up, internet communities were a magical place where I could find like-minded people who shared my interests. Not viewpoints, mind you, so current social media are no substitute for it. I want to rejoin the Internet with one crucial caveat - no company can be behind it. Not Meta, but an internet board. Not Discord, but IRC. I also want o invest much more in this site. Previously, I wanted this to be more of a PR stunt than an actual personal website (hello again, terrible modern Internet). But even before that, when I was creating it, I wanted this to be an intimate place where I could vent and do some cool things. Is a link a proper blog post? Not, but it will be! ### Decrease my internet trail I have nearly 300 online accounts gathered over a quarter of a century of online life. I have marked half of them as "to be deleted," but it's complicated. It turns out companies don't want me to leave them! So, this year I want to keep only those accounts I use. I also want to remove my reliance on the cloud. I pay Apple, Google, and Spotify. This year I'm bringing as much as I can into the house! ### Continue to remove reliance on subscriptions to media This is self-explanatory. My only social media accounts are Facebook (for Messenger) and Youtube. The first one is impossible to remove from my life, as some refuse to use anything else. But I will continue to refrain from using the main product. The latter one? On the one hand, I want to start posting there. But, on the other, I don't want to use it to find stuff and feed the algorithm. ### Start a side business Yup, a little software gig has not hurt anyone! ### Improve my meme game This is already in progress - https://memes.sapka.me. ### Continue to ignore the existence of our office Before the pandemic, I could not imagine myself working at home. Now I can't imagine going back to the office. My personal limit is to be there once per quarter max. And, of course, try to be as annoying as possible by questioning the raison d'etre of every meeting.