On my tech doomerism
Hey random reader. Yeah, you! You're my therapist now.
Below are a few disconnected rants of a grumpy man, written weeks ago. But don't worry, I've mellowed out a bit since then.
Aimless Rant
I can't say that the primordial internet was an amazing place. It was always a big mess. Part of the appeal was that that it was a space full of amateur ideas and projects that traditional media would not touch. You could animate Mario saying "fuck", or you could do over-the-top violence and give him an AK-47. But it was far from comfy, it was always a bit unnerving. Maybe it was only my child brain that could stand all that stuff. I've acclimated to the chaos of the internet at this point, the novelty is fading.
Rather than shitpost YTPs gaining traction, it's C-tier celebrities now. Sometimes it's explainer Youtubers who can make 2 paragraphs of Wikipedia last 20 minutes.
Want something that isn't time wasting slop? Hm, perhaps try looking at the news? Oops, it's all outrage content. Remember to always feel like everything is getting worse: Wars, climate change, the stock market, the price of food, etc.
I certainly have enough negativity to go around, and I can't even blame it on my phone entirely. Consuming general audience content on the internet makes me want to log off.
Reaction to Jack's Weblog: The Death of the Computer
Below is a reaction to Jack's Weblog on The Death of the Computer .
First things were seemingly good for nerds and everyday people. Local computing, finally! Computers finally escaped the labs and terminals and invaded the home! Cool! Things progressed rapidly. Then came the cloud, and then AI. Suddenly hardware costs formed a big wall to actually doing local compute, and the enthusiasm for hardware had came to a halt. Now we're being conditioned to accept subscriptions in a rent-seeking economy. You own nothing, you have nothing. Maybe you can tinker with parts of computers from the past like some sort of post-apocalyptic computer nerd.
That last part was the "now what?" portion of the article attempting to lighten the giant 10 ton weight of doom he just laid down. Captures what I think when I'm dooming nicely, but the conclusion still doesn't register as positive. Was ingesting the latest computer tech and media really the healthiest thing in the first place? Are we doomed to only look backwards from here onward? Is it really necessary to defend your interest in Linux and FOSS software by building a conspiratorial narrative?
Indie web's obsession with the outer web
There's a bit of a sourness to the indie web that constantly reminds me of where I am. Praise of the indie web is usually contrasted with the big bad corporations that are consolidating the internet. Imagine if you had a partner who would praise you, but it would only be in the form of "at least you're not my ex" or "you're so much better than ___". Not very flattering, right? I recognize the hypocrisy with all my ranting here, lol.
On retro revivals
I don't want to be pandered to by corporations puppeteering the dusty IPs they've just purchased. Nor do I want to get lost in online fandoms of people creating their own indie pixel games -- adorned with non-retro colour palettes and resolutions. It makes me not want to share my interests in retro games and software, it makes me sick somehow. I want to dig into old catalogues of stuff from the past, and appreciate the oddities and stories behind them. It's about exploring the culture of the past to me as much as it is about fun. To me, it's comparable to the joy of looking at actual artifacts vs. having a stroll through a museum's gift shop. I simply give no shits about the ancient Egyptian fridge magnets.
last updated: 9/14/2026 | first posted: 9/14/2026