I realise it has been a little while since my last post. After 2024 ended, my Stoic 366 project along with it, I didn’t really feel like saying very much. Partly I’ve been adjusting to the ‘new’ world order and the chaos that seems to be ensuing.
What has been consuming my time is getting my head around how exposed I am to USA-based technology. For a long time they felt like a neutral partner in ‘the West ™’. Sure, their companies and culture were spreading around the globe, but they were usually pretty safe. I don’t think that is true anymore.
One major sticking point has been the smartphone. There are currently only two major players in the smartphone OS market these days and they’re both American. I have stumbled upon /e/OS, a form of Android that has been #degoogled and the various forms of tracking swapped for something less intrusive. You can buy /e/OS pre-installed on a Fairphone –a repairable smartphone that has a removable battery and many replaceable parts (seriously, why is this a novelty in 2025?!). Both appear to be European, with Fairphone being Dutch and Murena being French.
I think my next step is to pick one up to see if I can daily drive it. You can learn more about them here: murena.com/products/…
The other thought going around in my head is what to do about my growing book collection. I don’t want it to get too much bigger so an e-ink reader seems like a wise investment. It can’t be a Kindle, so I’ve been looking at Kobo. They’re a Canadian company but are now under the Rakuten umbrella, a Japanese company.
If you are on the fediverse, there’s a rather wholesome hashtag to follow #unplugtrump which is gradually filling up with interesting ideas.
I think that’s it for today. Until next time…