The Perils of Digital Life...

 

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Laurie Allee (@laurieallee) • Instagram photos and videos

For the record, this is my Instagram account above.  I stepped away years ago and don't update it, but I leave it up as an archive of photos.  Any other account with my name and image is not me!  

Someone has been pretending to be me and spamming followers and readers.  If you're still on Insta, report and block them.  

Have an Old-school New Year!

Get off Zoom and find some outdoor space...

It's been a long, strange pandemic, and it's ramping up for another act.  Join me as I try to stay sane, stay safe, stop doomscrolling and ride out the latest Covid wave.  Stay tuned for more.

Let's Have a Vinyl Listening Party...

If we were at my house, I'd make you a drink.

Check out the entire Unlocked Recordings Archive 

Brought to us by the beloved, madcap archivists at The Internet Archive

by Laurie Allee

So, I did something crazy when I was in my 20s.  When my roommate decided to move to Boston, I agreed to help her drive her truck across country from Los Angeles.  She planned  to sell most of her stuff before making the trek, and since I was also in flux -- and broke -- I added a few things to her yard sale to make some extra money.

Selling my jerky ex-boyfriend's leather jacket he never bothered to pick up was a no-brainer.  Selling jeans I no longer wore and jewelry I never really liked?  Obvious.  But selling my record collection...

Great Use of Screen Time: Jose Briones and Digital Minimalism

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by Laurie Allee

Must Watch for Digital Minimalists

Watch Jose's interview with Joe Hollier,
creator of the Light Phone 2 

The ironic part about living a life less digitally saturated is that by conscientiously spending time offline you can miss out on some great fellow travellers.  Jose Briones is well worth your screen time.

I first discovered Jose when I was researching dumb phones.  I was struggling with the incessant temptation of my iPhone, and I wondered if there was an alternative that would allow me to stay connected without getting sucked into an endless vortex of scrolling, likes and retweets.  Jose's channel is the perfect one-stop clearinghouse of detailed reviews, with plenty of explanations and demonstrations of the user experience.  If you are shopping for a phone that won't own you, Jose's channel will definitely help you make an informed decision.  He will point you toward some devices I guarantee you have not heard of before.  

Analog Things: Art Journals

My art journals...

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by Laurie Allee

Making your own illuminated manuscripts...

Okay, so maybe they don't rival these illuminated manuscripts, but art journals have taken my regular blank books to a whole different level.  They've also given me a meditative practice that I look forward to doing.  Illustrating my journals adds another layer of creativity to my life, and provides a great alternative to scrolling on my phone.

Analog Things: Making Art

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by Laurie Allee

Here Be Dragons:  The Magic and Wonder of Nerdforge

I am a little bit controversial in the digital minimalism space.  While a life with almost no screen time is admirable, I'm not a neo-Luddite.  My life analog means using all the tools at my disposal to spend the majority of my time getting my hands dirty in the real world rather than scrolling mindlessly through hashtags and Instagram stories.  I'm happy to use the internet to make my real life better.  (Hint:  I'm blogging right now, not writing with a quill on parchment.) (Although I like to do that too.) If you do it right, your screen time can lead to remarkable real time.  

Case in point...