Tech Stuff I Use and Like

Last updated Apr 29, 2023 Edit Source

• Software
• Linux

In my twenties and thirties I was an “early adopter” when it came to technology. New was fun and new was exciting, and I’d often jump to the latest and greatest tools in search of novelty and better stuff.

These days, I use technology differently. I’m more interested in things like:

• Is this technology going to be around for a while, so I won’t have to redesign the wheel next year?
• Does this technology respect my privacy and autonomy?
• Is this technology harming society? What kind of behavior does it reward? Is it ecologically sustainable? Does it respect the workers who create it?
• Will this technology help me do what I want to do?

Because we live in a very imperfect world, the answers to these questions are not always positive, and sometimes I need to make do with the least-worst option. With those things in mind, here are some of the things I use and enjoy:

• Email and VPN from Protonmail
• File Storage with self-hosted NextCloud
• Calendar and Tasks with self-hosted NextCloud
• Repairable Laptop from Frame.Work
• My operating system is Linux (Manjaro)
• My secondary operating system is Windows (I use it a few times per week for Windows-specific tasks)
• My watch is a Casio

When it comes to self-hosting, I’m fortunate that my spouse is willing to be our system admin. Tresorit and Proton Drive are good alternatives for cloud storage.

You might have noticed what I don’t rely upon: services like Gmail, iCloud, and OneDrive. I have accounts at some of these places, as sometimes I need an account to do specific things (like sell books on Google Play), but I’d rather not trust them with my data on an ongoing basis.

I currently use an iPhone SE, although I have ongoing concerns about Apple’s business practices. For now, it’s a “least worst” compromise.

• LibreOffice
  • Writer (for fiction writing)
  • Calc (for spreadsheets)
• ProWritingAid

• Affinity Photo (graphics)
• Photopea (graphics)
• Mailerlite (newsletters)
• Draft2Digital (distribution)
• PublisherRocket (keyword research)
• Booker (generating EPUBs & Paperback PDF Interiors)

Note: Booker is a document-generation tool my husband created. He hasn’t published it publicly yet.

To be continued…