- A Thought on Sixels
28 Mar '24
In the age of visually stunning graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and
interactive designs, there exists a timeless elegance in the simplicity of
purely text-based interfaces. From command line interfaces (CLIs) to plain
text file formats like Markdown, the beauty of text lies not only in its
minimalistic aesthetic but also in the efficiency and clarity it brings to
digital interactions.
- If You Must Use Signal, Use Molly
29 Feb '24
While I’m critical towards the Signal messenger, I understand that network
effects are strong and even though many people would much rather prefer a
different platform, it’s not easy to get friends and family onto something
better. In this brief write-up, I’ll introduce an alternative Signal client to
make using Signal at least slightly less troublesome.
- A World without Passports
2 Feb '24
According to my
analytics dashboard, there’s a
70% chance you’re reading this on your phone. Maybe at home, or maybe while
commuting to work, using your mobile data connection, for which you’ve
probably signed up on a mobile contract. A contract for which you had to prove
that you are you, likely by showing your national ID or passport. A contract
for which you have to pay regularly, probably using a bank account that you
also had to identify yourself for upon opening.
- A Brief Review of the Star Labs StarBook Mk VI Ryzen Ultrabook
25 Jan '24
As announced back in the
update of Q4/2023, I went ahead
and ordered a Star Labs StarBook Mk VI with an AMD Ryzen processor to finally
replace my
previous laptop and eventually my
workstation. This is a brief review of the device
itself, without going too much into software details.
- An Overview of Privacy-Focused, Decentralized Instant Messengers
16 Nov '23
An overview of privacy-focused, decentralized, open source alternatives to
popular non-free spyware instant messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram,
Signal, Viber, Facebook Messenger, Skype, and Apple iMessage.
- NEVER click on a link that looks like that
8 Nov '23
Every time one of my posts on this journal ends up somewhere on Reddit
Lemmy, Twitter Mastodon Nostr Bluesky or Hacker News, lots of
people seem to be irritated by the site’s URL. Hence, let me do a quick
introduction into what’s called Punycode, and why I’m using this domain
name.
- How Do You Trust That Your Personal Machine Is Not Compromised?
27 Oct '23
A while ago I stumbled upon a simple yet surprisingly interesting question on
Hacker News, which seemed to have some people (re-)evaluate their current
setups and look for ways to improve. Hence I figured that it might be an
interesting subject to cover.
- Fitness Tracking for the Privacy-Conscious
12 Oct '23
An introduction and review of the Garmin Instinct 2X Solar Tactical
smartwatch.
- Anytype: Notion, but Open Source
3 Sep '23
Ten years ago, the internet was flooded with so called note-taking apps,
from Microsoft’s Notes and Google’s Keep, over Evernote, all the way down
to open source software like Standard Notes and even my own project
Paperwork. Within the last few years however it seems like all of these apps
became basically irrelevant thanks to one silent killer.
- Reclaiming (Mobile) Privacy with GrapheneOS
10 Nov '22
… and improving your smartphone’s security along the way!
In the age of visually stunning graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and interactive designs, there exists a timeless elegance in the simplicity of purely text-based interfaces. From command line interfaces (CLIs) to plain text file formats like Markdown, the beauty of text lies not only in its minimalistic aesthetic but also in the efficiency and clarity it brings to digital interactions.
While I’m critical towards the Signal messenger, I understand that network effects are strong and even though many people would much rather prefer a different platform, it’s not easy to get friends and family onto something better. In this brief write-up, I’ll introduce an alternative Signal client to make using Signal at least slightly less troublesome.
According to my analytics dashboard, there’s a 70% chance you’re reading this on your phone. Maybe at home, or maybe while commuting to work, using your mobile data connection, for which you’ve probably signed up on a mobile contract. A contract for which you had to prove that you are you, likely by showing your national ID or passport. A contract for which you have to pay regularly, probably using a bank account that you also had to identify yourself for upon opening.
As announced back in the update of Q4/2023, I went ahead and ordered a Star Labs StarBook Mk VI with an AMD Ryzen processor to finally replace my previous laptop and eventually my workstation. This is a brief review of the device itself, without going too much into software details.
An overview of privacy-focused, decentralized, open source alternatives to popular non-free
Every time one of my posts on this journal ends up somewhere on
A while ago I stumbled upon a simple yet surprisingly interesting question on Hacker News, which seemed to have some people (re-)evaluate their current setups and look for ways to improve. Hence I figured that it might be an interesting subject to cover.
An introduction and review of the Garmin Instinct 2X Solar Tactical smartwatch.
Ten years ago, the internet was flooded with so called note-taking apps, from Microsoft’s Notes and Google’s Keep, over Evernote, all the way down to open source software like Standard Notes and even my own project Paperwork. Within the last few years however it seems like all of these apps became basically irrelevant thanks to one silent killer.
… and improving your smartphone’s security along the way!