By God, can we clear the digital smog for one darn minute and talk about technology—real technology? Not the latest pixel-pushing, dopamine-dripping, loot-box-laden video game slop that’s been slathered over every so-called tech news feed like grease on my grill. Yes, yes, I hear the chorus already: “But video games are tech!” Sure. So is a microwave. So is a chainsaw. That doesn’t mean I want to read about the new Call of Duty skin pack when I’m trying to learn about AI ethics, data privacy, o...

I’ve always believed in paying for what matters. Not out of nostalgia for the old days when a handshake sealed a deal, but because I’m tired of the bait-and-switch economy—where the product is “free,” but you’re the one being sold. Take search, for instance. That quiet, constant act of curiosity. We do it dozens of times a day, maybe hundreds. It’s the modern equivalent of scanning the horizon. But somewhere along the way, the horizon got cluttered. Sponsored results. SEO traps. Clickbait dress...

Let’s get one thing straight: I don’t want to be tracked, profiled, nudged, or monetized. I don’t want my phone whispering secrets to advertisers while I sleep. And I sure as hell don’t want to trade my autonomy for a few shiny features and a dopamine drip of notifications. But I also don’t want to spend every weekend debugging bootloaders and explaining to my family why Signal won’t work because I disabled some obscure Google service. So here we are—standing at the digital fork in the road. i...

Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not here to vanish. This isn’t a bunker blog. I’m not living off-grid in a Faraday cage, eating freeze-dried beans and whispering to my VPN. I still use maps. I still text friends. I still let machines help me—when they earn it. But I’m also not here to be strip-mined by convenience. We’ve been sold a lie: that usefulness requires surrender. That if you want directions, you must give your location. If you want connection, you must give your soul. If you want ...

I’m not what some would call a creator. I don’t teach on any real topic, I’m not a person of interest, and I’m almost positive 99.99999999% of the people who see anything I write have a clue who I am. I’m more of a babbler than anything, if that could be a thing. I spew forth words that may only have significance to me, maybe someone else in a rare case. But nonetheless I like to babble. I like to write my words down and put them out there in the internet ether. Today for the first time, I’m d...

Last night, I posted to my friends and family on Facebook for Veterans Day. I always try to put something up. On this night, I wasn't thinking of US soldiers particularly. My thoughts were on Katusas, South Korean soldiers that served with us directly. They worked with us, stayed in the same barracks, actually most of my roommates were Katusas, and did the same job as us. Katusa stands for, Korean augmentee to the US Army. To be a Katusa, as far as I know, you had to be semi proficient in engl...

I’ve never really owned land, in the big sense. Nothing more than a backyard for me. But I do know people who have some, and they have been kind enough to let me pretend it was mine for short periods. Well, maybe they didn’t know I was pretending it was mine. But none the less they let me make use of it freely. I believe there is nothing better than being free to experience a place with no limits. To have free rein to do what you wish. There is one piece, in particular, that is close to my he...

Your story... I joined the Baha’i Faith in 2010. After a childhood growing up Catholic, my stint in high school as a proclaimed atheist, to a seeker after my time in the army, finally finding and falling in love with the Baha’i Faith. As I now read the history of the faith and its writings, I think back to being a soldier. On March 20th, 2003, I crossed over the border from Kuwait to Iraq for the first time. I was a ball of fear, excitement, and wonder all rolled up in one. I spent most of the...