Blog/Digital Garden

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

Setting your phone to black and white and committing to it is a game changer. Deleting distracting apps is a great place to start, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to use your phone for things like YouTube which can be both distracting and helpful. This lets you use your phone for information and as a tool, but be able to ignore the bright colorful distractions. Setting your phone’s screen settings to black and white really destroys the attention grabbing nature of it. It becomes almost painful to use, a true joyless endeavor. This makes using your phone for simple things like texting, calling, and reading interesting and enjoyable. I’ve also noticed that I lean towards YouTube videos with a stronger focus on information instead of just attention grabbing visuals. You’re able to actually focus on what you intended to instead of the blinking neon signs of the modern capitalist hellscape of phones and the internet.

A common problem folks have when first getting into listening to Comprehensible Input to naturally acquire a language is they get bored. Fido game from Don’t Buy This.png.

Jekyll is a GitHub repository/Jekyll theme by Barry Clark that can be cloned to instantly have a blog up and running with GitHub Pages free site hosting. Busy Street in a German Town by Jacques Carabain

Go to your browser settings and make Ecosia your default search engine. Seriously, that’s all it takes. There’s really no reason not to do that.