How I use my computer

Physical computing
I have a simple laptop called a Thinkpad x230. This laptop is frequently recommended for those interested in private computing. I have used this laptop since early 2022 with no complaints (other than a thermal repasting). I chose this laptop because of the ability to strip out certain privacy-invading features, as many newer laptops do not allow such modifications to take place. Specifically, many CPUs has back-door abilities that are known. I recommend reading the "coreboot" website to learn more about this topic: https://www.coreboot.org/users.html

Many newer laptops are also difficult to repair. Aside from my Thinkpad x230 laptop, I have a Thinkstation PC that never goes online and is used for archiving my VHS tapes and playing games/vintage software and VMs all offline. I hook this computer up to various types of monitors depending on what I'm doing. My favorite monitor to pair with my Thinkstation is a 1993 CRT because it provides much better color than modern monitors, especially for older software that was intended to be viewed on a CRT.

Operating system
I run GNU/Linux, using the distrobution called "Arch" on my Thinkpad x230. I use PopOS for my Thinkstation PC because I found it easier to get games to work using packages that were pre-installed rather than tinkering too much with Arch. I am not a GNU/Linux distrobution "elitist". I simply use what works for me. I dislike programs being pre-installed for me, which is why I like Arch. You choose what you want installed, but, this can offer frustrations if you're not sure what to install to get something to work. I also like PopOS, as there is less tinkering with packages, allowing my more complicated programs to work easier with less tinkering. As you can see, I have different usecases for different machines.

Desktop enviornment
I use XFCE as my desktop interface and enjoy it a lot. I have no intention to switch from XFCE. I do, however, think GNOME is doing a massive disservice to us by heavily complicating GTK3/GTK4. Previous iterations were allegedy much more user friendly, offering an /easier time customizing the theme on your computer. I worry this complication is diliberate and makes end users such as you and I more confused on how to make changes to our graphical interfaces, when previously, it was very easy to understand. People other than me have also recognized this about GNOME.

Browser
I try to use tor as much as possible for basic browsing, but other times I use the Brave browser. I only ever use Brave in private windows. Each time I close my brower, that is the end of the "session" and no history, cookies, or cache is saved. I prefer it this way because I find history to be unnecesarry for me, as I often save links or text into a text file on my computer. I don't use bookmarks or rely on history. I find it too bulky and unnecesarry. I also don't like the idea of a browser profile having a log of what I've done. I never refer to my past history and therefore it is useless and edges on the side of privacy-invading. Because of this, I like using tor. When I use the Brave browser, it is always in a private window where everything is temporary. I'm aware that this is no way protects privacy, as there are many factors and practices one must take into account to protect privacy when online. I follow many other practices for privacy during browsing, as I don't like corporations saving everything I do on the internet and correlating it to me. It is unnecesarry and an invasion of privacy. You do not have to be doing anything wrong to want privacy.

Internet connection
I do not use wifi for a few reasons. One being that wifi is one of the many wireless signals that can impact human health, much like certain cell signals (4g/5g), bluetooth, and microwaves do to humans. Beware that many government agencies and corrupt health officals like the WHO will say wifi (which emits electromagnetic radiation) has no impact on human health. These are the same organizations who promote harmful remedies to disease simply for monetary gain and are by no means trustworthy sources, as it's in their best interest to have an unsuspecting human population addicted to wireless internet, because it means you're "in" the matrix even moreso. Imagine if people knew about the harms of wifi, you would risk having your human-cattle get rid of wireless electronic devices, meaning you are less able to continually spy on them. This is not a stretch, Edward Snowden who worked for the NSA confirmed that the government does spy on citizens through our devices. It's not a stretch to figure out that companies (such as Facebook, Amazon (who sells user info to the CIA), etc. do the same. So while you may think my concern over wifi impacting health is nonsense, this is because "approved" health officials have a heavy incentive to promote the idea that wifi is completely safe. Any information opposing otherwise is harmful to the society they've manufactured. Perhaps it's telling that if you put a plant near a router emitting wireless information, the plant wilts and can die, similar to how 5G is killing the bee and bird population. These things are not healthy for us, and people with heavy incentive in these things will do anything they can to spin it as seemingly non-harmful, even though cancer rates are always increasing the more unnatural properties we expose ourselves to on a constant day-by-day basis.

I also don't like the idea that information is being transferred wirelessly and could theoretically be intercepted. While unlikely, it is not something I like. Wifi is also slower compared to a wired connection. Because of these reasons, I only ever use the internet with a wired connection (ethernet). I do not use any device that connects wirelessly to the internet in any way (cell phone, tablet, "smart watch", cameras, etc.) The only devices I use that connect to the internet are my laptop via ethernet.

Communications
I only use open source software. I do not use any proprietary means of communication. I heavily disagree with the practices of social media companies due to their constant survelliance on the human population. You do not have to be uninteresting or doing nothing wrong for you to have a right to privacy. Just as I would not want a stranger to know everything I message to someone (no matter how boring), social media companies have no right knowing these things either. I do not use any Google service (Youtube, Gmail, Google Drive, Google search, etc.), Facebook/Meta/Instagram/WhatsApp, Twitter, Discord, Slack, Reddit, Microsoft, online gaming, etc. The only form of communication I do online is directly through my websites, or email. I do not often respond to emails unless they are of interest to me. I find that I write way too much in response, going into extreme details, addressing every single thing the sender sent me in an email. I think most people do not operate this way, and I notice that it tends to be information overload for the recipient of my email. Because of this, I try to limit my email interactions, as I can spend hours on one email. I may respond to an email, in particular, emails asking questions about technology will probably get a response.

Please note that I am not a very social person. I don't enjoy communicating with people much, I like being by myself most of the time. I do not do any "real time" chat online (such as things like Skype, Discord, chat rooms. I do not do "real time" chat), nor participate in "group chats". As I stated earlier, I only communicate online via my websites directly, or sometimes email. I also have my phone number on here which I sometimes answer, but can go many weeks without picking up the phone due to lack of interest in socializing. If I do not respond to you nor call you back, it is not anything you did incorrectly. I prefer spending my time to myself and my interests. I'm not unhappy due to my disinterest in socializing, I simply have things I enjoy much more than socializing and am much happier when I am doing those things.

VPN
I do use a VPN when I browse the internet at all times. Yes, even when connected to tor because my ISP has no business knowing anything I do at any time. I do not care to normalize the use of tor towards my ISP because it in no way benefits me or others that my ISP does or does not feel comfortable with what way I access the internet, which is mostly why the notion of "don't use a VPN with tor" is a talking point. It isn't so much for security (a VPN improves security because your ISP knows less of what you're doing and I trust a vetted VPN provider much more than my ISP) as much as it is a moral suggestion. Anytime I am connected to the internet, I am using a VPN. A VPN will obscure your IP address, meaning your internet provider cannot see what you're doing, and it also obscures your actual IP address to website owners and any trackers they are loading. This is beneficial for privacy, but do note, a VPN is not a magic wand at making your browsing private. You must practice other things to remain private online. This is partly why I prefer using temporary browsers with a VPN while using parts of the internet that are non-identifiable (no accounts).

Cell phones
As I have breifly mentioned multiple times on my website, I do not use a cell phone of any kind. I have stopped using cell phones as of 2018. Cell phones are voluntary spy devices where governments and corporations have a constant look into everything you're doing, where you're at (via GPS or cell triangulation), what you say (microphone), who you communicate with, what you talk about, everything you search, what you buy, the list is endless. Cell phones are extremely limiting in what you can do, which is why they're perfect for consuming but not creating. The amount you can create on a cell phone in comparison to a computer is extreme. While you technically can photo edit on a cell phone, it's similar to a beta-test version of a computer program where features are neutrered and difficult to use because you have a small screen and fingers as your tools. Typing takes much longer on a phone comparative to a computer, which is why phone users notoriously read and write less when on a phone. Taking into consideration that cell phones are voluntary spy devices and consumption-only devices, I have zero interest and zero use for them. Anything I want to do I can do on my computer a million times better.

"Streaming services"
Given my dislike toward the practices of corporations who spy and sell data of its users, you can rightfully assume that I do not like or engage with streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney, HBO, Spotify etc. I also do not find any modern TV shows or movies to be interesting and are terrible to sit through. I also find it strange to pay for movies/shows when there are ways to acquire these movies/shows/music for free.

One "streaming service" I do use is called Tubi tv. The reason I enjoy Tubi tv is because it is free, doesn't block VPNs (if the VPN is within the right district), and it has movies that I actually enjoy. I am not at all impressed with heavily produced movies, they feel souless, bland, and all the same. I actually really enjoy B movies because they feel more "human" and rely less on CGI/sound effects/music to manipulate how you feel through the whole movie. B movies rely more on charming writing, and budget cuts can be easily turned into something humourous. I mostly watch live action movies intended for a family/child audience because I don't really like spending my leisurely time stressed with a gruesom plotline. Examples of movies I like that I found on Tubi Tv are, "A Unicorn For Christmas", "Vampire Dog", "Up on the Wooftop", "A Meowy Halloween". It's not often I find myself watching a movie, as I prefer to use my free time learning or improving an interest I have. With that said, I watch a movie on Tubi Tv about 3-5 times a year.

Online shopping
I occasionally order things online if I cannot find it in person. Depending on the item I'm looking for, I wil make the effort to find the item in a thrift store first before resorting to online shopping. This is because the price will be cheaper at a thrift store, and the transaction can be more private.

With places like RadioShack no longer in business, there is no longer a place for me to purchase basic electronics equiptment in person. I sometimes purchase these items online using a pre-paid Visa gift card I bought in cash. I have had success on electronics websites using pre-paid Visa gift cards and supplying a name and address that is not my own, which can get forwarded to me. It's also ideal to do this process with eBay gift cards if I need an item on eBay. I do not use Amazon due to their unethical practices towards their employees, and I also heavily disagree with their collecting and selling of user information to the CIA. I refuse to do any business with Amazon. That's why if I need an item I cannot find in person, I will buy a Visa gift card and use that instead of a credit card. I have also asked people to purchase something on my behalf using their credit card in exchange for something else of monetary value (I usually offer food gift cards in exchange for them purchasing something on my behalf).

Internet usage

Referral to previous discussion points
Much of what I have written previously on this page applies to how I use the internet. You should read the entirety of the first section, "How I use my computer", to gain an understanding as to how I use certain technologies and which technologies I refuse to use.

How I do not use the internet
Part of understanding me is understanding how I use the internet. In the modern age, almost every person uses the interent as a cure for boredom, seeking out something to consume without having to think during the consumption process. It's completely lazy. What's worse is that these people often times don't intentionally seek something particular out to consume. Instead, the for-profit internet has been specifically tuned to hi-jack the human brain in order to make humans crave spending time on social platforms (such as Youtube, TikTok, Twitter, etc.). Due to this diliberate "hijacking" of the human brain, people are now engaging with the internet without thought purely to fuel what "feels good" to their brain. The result is attractive Youtube thumbnails that make them click on it, even if the video was not at all related to something the person originally wanted to seek out, thus, wasting their time for mindless consumption to cure boredom because they have nothing more stimulating to do. This is why people mindlessly scroll Twitter, Facebook, Tiktok. Every time you see a new photo, a new tweet, a new video, it sends off a dopamine hit to your brain that "feels good", even on a very minimal scale, that keeps you doing it. You keep scrolling until you find another thing that makes your brain feel slightly good, be it an attractive woman, a joke, a weird picture, anything that makes you stop and look for a second. This is mindless consumption of the internet and why the internet has massively deteriorated in quality in only a very short amoung of time (less than ~10 years time the internet was destroyed).

To illustrate a point - I was on Invidio.us (I do not visit Youtube.com), and I purposefully looked up and watched a video about technology repair. In the recommended section (which is no longer a "related" section, it's a pre-approved purposeful list of attractive looking videos to waste people's time), was a video that really shows what I'm talking about. I'm watching a vintage technology repair video, and the recommended video title is, "What's Wrong With International Dubs of Despicable Me?". This is obviously not at all related to vintage technology repair and this is purposeful. They know you are bored, have nothing really in particular you want to watch, so they throw a bunch of absoloutely random videos at you and you're sure to click one of them. Who in reality is actually thinking about Dispicable Me international dubs? Nobody. It makes no difference in our lives and is not something we'd ever have an interest in. But, when you're a mindless consumer using the internet to cure boredom, absoloutely stupid ideas suddenly seem interesting to you, because you have no real other interests.

The above is just one small example of this cycle, but as I said, this occurs on every social website such as Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, etc. They're all purposeful timewasters, and things such as character limits and algorithms that promote very short videos means that you'll never get any valuable information from these platforms, they're all hijacking the human brain with dopamine cycles and amp that mind drug up by 500% by promoting very short videos to make sure you don't get bored and continue the endless consumption cycle.

I have never really understood the mindless consumption. If I was bored, why not try to fill that boredom with something that benefits me? I notice most "normal" people don't really have interests or hobbies, so the best they can do to fulfill their boredom is to consume whatever they're told to by "apps". Whereas someone with hobbies, interests, the yearn to learn, will use spare time to improve upon their hobbies and interests.

This leads into how I use the internet. I cannot subject myself to the torture that is mindless consumption. I already heavily disagree with the practices done by Google, Facebook/Meta/Instagram, Twitter, Discord, TikTok, Netflix, (add any proprietary social website here that spies, collects data on citizens, sells it, etc.), therefore, I do not use them (and I have no interest in socializing, which is another reason I don't use them). To make matters worse, these places greatly restrict how long something can be (video, written text), which means actually informative material is not on these websites. And of course, these websites censor anything they disagree with, acting like a thought tunnel on behalf of the people. This, of course, is done because any truthful information is dangerous to be exposed (such as reptilians, dangerous additives to the human body such as our food supply, vaccines, etc.) To be clear, for these (and many more) reasons, I will never use anything like Facebook/Meta/Instagram, Twitter, Discord, TikTok, Netflix, Google services, etc.

I must also make it clear that I have no desire to socialize and therefore I do not use any social chatting platforms. I do not like talking to most people and I have better things to do than to sit and chat with people I dislike. I would rather be learning or working on a hobby, so I do not use any social platforms. I sometimes get emails from people that think they are talking to me on a online video game, on a website, or think they see me posting on a website that isn't in my "confirmed list". It is not me. Read more.

How I use the internet
You have a solid understanding as to how I do not use the internet. However, I do love using the internet for one thing: Learning.

Almost anytime I use the internet, is it to learn something or improve my knowledge on a topic. This mostly revolves around technology. Specifically, vintage technology repair, or learning about vintage electronic products. The world of vintage technology repair is vast, and I always have the opportunity to learn something new. This process involves my brain to experience the dopamine cycle as discussed previously, except, in a positive manner. Before my brain feels any reward, I must subject myself to frustrations, research, and practice. Only then, with earned success, can my brain feel the reward. This is a much healthier and more productive way to use the internet, and is a positive way someone can experience reward while improving themselves.

Most of the times when I'm using the internet, it is to research or learn something. I don't mindlessly browse websites hoping for entertainment. I purposefully seek out information that I will attempt to learn from.

It's not to say every single time I use the internet that I do so for learning. In some cases (such as when I eat or before bed), I will watch videos related to my intersts. This only happens once or twice a day and is brief in terms of my full waking day. I usually take 15 minutes to eat, so in that time I will watch a more leisurely video since it's harder to focus while eating. Leisurely videos I watch may include someone demonstrating how they use their vintage technology, or videos of Chuck E. Cheese. Aside from that, I don't mindlessly consume material on the internet.

Many things I do on my computer do not require the internet. Any computer program I am interested in functions offline. I save many written materials on my computer and often times view them locally on my machine. I save many pictures for later viewing and have them organized by category on my computer (the for-profit internet equivilent is "Pinterest", rather than owning the image on your machine). Anytime I listen to music, it is locally on my machine. I simply download the music I like. I would never use any service to listen to music, why is it anyone's business what music I'm listening to, when, for how long, etc.? I also frequently work on updating my website, and this is all done offline as well, as I can view the .html page without the internet on my machine. I write in various different text documents for my website and typically months later do I actually update my website with these changes.

As you can tell, how I use the internet compared to most people differs drastically, which is strange to me. How I use the computer/internet used to be the norm up until social media and smart phones hijacked the human brain for profit and for nefarious reasons (big brother spying).

The less you're sucked into the for-profit internet, the easier it is to pull yourself away from the internet. I can go weeks where I barely look at my computer because I have "in real life" things to fulfill my time. It's a misconception that socializing is the only "in real life" activity away from computers, as has been demonstrated for centuries up until modern times. In real life tasks include necessities such as cooking, cleaning, taking my dogs outside/for walks. Other in real life activities include reading (I only read non-fiction, usually educational material), repairing electronics, bird watching, feeding animals outside (rabbits, birds, etc.), experimenting with cooking/baking, visiting a thrift store for items of interest, handywork, etc.

Beware of impersonators (AKA "catfishes")
Even though my website is relatively small compared to other people's websites, occasionally someone will email saying they saw me post on X website, they met me in X online video game, they talked to me on Twitter, Discord, etc.

If it wasn't clear by now, let me reiterate that I do not use any form of social media and I do not post "as me" outside of my website or my list of confirmed websites.

Anyone who is using my picture as a profile picture is not me.
Anyone who is pretending to be me on an online video game is not me.
Anyone who is posting voice clips of me on 4chan or other online forums is not me (they were likely taken from my website or are AI generated).
Anyone who is trying to hint that they are me without outright saying it, playing "coy" with leading you on to think they are me without actually saying it, is NOT me. Yes, this has happened.

Outside of my list of confirmed websites I use, anything else is NOT me. I do not use my image or name anywhere else other than my list of approved websites. I do not use forums, chat online, or play online video games. I do not have a "secret" Discord account, Telegram account, Twitter account, or Steam account. These are people pretending to be me, and subtlety and mystic tends to be more believable.

If you think you are talking to me, you are not. Please view my list of approved websites where I operate under my name "Ashley Jones" with my image. Outside of that, I don't have any accounts nor communicate, because I use the internet for information rather than entertainment.

List of approved websites
This is a list of confirmed websites I use under my name "Ashley Jones" with my image. Any other account online using my name, image, voice, or impying they are me through hints, is NOT me.