Blog/Digital Garden

This past weekend, I decided to make a card game. I’ve always been fascinated by the minimalism of a deck of cards, yet the infinite possibilities it holds for experiences. What I mean is a standard deck of cards is a very small object. It can fit in your pocket. There are only 52 cards with two jokers sometimes included. The art and symbols are mysterious and tell their own story. With this simple and small object though, you could be entertained for countless hours by yourself, with a couple friends, or even in a much larger group. There are an unimaginable number of possibilities when it comes to the order cards will be in after shuffling.

Since I’ve made my computer into a dumb computer, I no longer watch YouTube constantly. Instead, I enjoy an occassional movie or TV show in the background. I like light hearted, oddball comedies. I enjoy watching completely random movies I’ve never heard of. I discover odd and fun movies like Drugstore June.

Saying no has always been important to me. I’ve always not wanted to do things, not wanted to be around people, not wanted to leave the house, not wanted to spend money. I want to do less and less. There are definitely still many things I want to do, the desire to create, learn, and grow are always there. Everything most people do causes destruction though. I wish I could just freeze things where they are. I wish I could freeze time.

What?

A dumb computer is a term I made up for a computer without a browser nor a way to download and install a browser. It has no app store. No social media etc. Basically it is the dumb phone of computers. This isn’t to say there’s nothing to do on my dumb computer. I actually have a lot of software installed on it. I have things like games, email, my RSS reader, online banking, online shopping, and travel booking. This brings me to the why behind my dumb computer.

It’s only been two weeks since I sold my smartphone. It feels much longer than that. Slowing down the terrifying passage of time was one of the big reasons I wanted to get rid of my smartphone. I want to actually be here for my life. I notice my thoughts much more and actually have more thoughts which can be good and bad. Thoughts can be troubling, but I’d still rather be present with troubling thoughts than have none at all. I also still have entertainment outside of my own head. I now have my tote bag always ready to go filled with a few handy things like a notebook and pen, and my old, jailbroken kindle. It moves extremely slowly, but I like the slower pace. I also put downloaded music and podcasts on my dumbphone, so it works like an mp3 player or ipod as well.

This is another tiny update after selling my smart phone. If you missed it, I sold my smartphone almost two weeks ago. I’ve been loving using the Dumbphone 2 by dumb.co. It was extremely cheap to buy, it works really well, and it makes me feel alive. I feel like I am already doing so many more little things in my free time here and there. I feel so much more present and creative. It feels like I’m finally living my own life. I’ve also been very happy with the quality of the phone.

This is a small update after selling my smart phone. The finality of selling my smartphone a few days ago is still setting in. I’ve had a smartphone for ten years.

If you missed it, I sold my smartphone a few days ago. The only phone I have now is the dumbphone 2 by dumb.co. It’s still setting in that I won’t have a smartphone again. I’m just not the type of person to make a big purchase on a whim, and I don’t like buying things. Switching back to a smartphone just isn’t something I’d ever have a reason to do, and it’s just so weird having to adjust my mindset to the idea that I don’t have a computer in my pocket always. In the past, I would allow myself to keep my smartphone, but that never really made the switch feel real or final. I always knew there was a backdoor, and I feared I’d go back to it. I also always did.

I sold my smart phone today. I got $45 for it.

It’s surreal. I’ve had a smartphone for years. I’ve had various dumbphone phases. I’ve dumbed down smart phones, and owned at least three dumb phones as an adult. I’ve tried lots of different setups. I never took the full plunge though, and ONLY had a dumbphone. There was always a fear. I got the dumbphone 2 from dumb.co yesterday and spent the day getting my contacts imported, switching my whatsapp account over, and letting friends know, I won’t be texting as much anymore. The phone comes with maps, uber, 2FA, whatsapp, and signal. There really was no reason anymore not to switch.

Things I’ll cover in this post:

• My story of learning hindi
• Where I started
• When I started seriously learning hindi
• What I did to learn
• What I plan on doing going forward