Hard-Light Reflections

It's been over a year since I last posted here. I don't entirely know why. One component might be the two years of global pandemic and my subsequent injury from the vaccine that was lauded as our only savior. Another is likely that I just didn't feel the urge necessary to pen my ideas or perhaps the fact that I also tried another note taking method (Obsidian) which I think may have sapped some of that energy as well. Regardless, I intend to resurrect this blog and bring it into the light of the open internet. It has always been a private affair, but I want to bring it forward as my own, self contained/controlled domain (as opposed to living under the tyrannies of social media). To help facilitate this transition, I am going to reflect on all previous articles in order to not only insure they are fit for wide publication, but also in order to perform personal reflection on my own prior thoughts and issues.

Getting Started

It's simple and mentions me exploring the security/privacy of the Ghost blog platform; It's been fine, but there is a good chance I will be moving to a static site generator in the future to increase security. Privacy-wise, I am still just going to need to be careful with my writing probably.

The Post-Movie Blues

An accurate assessment of a sentiment that I am all to familiar with. Interestingly, I have since watched about 40-50 more movies and I have encountered it less often than I think I did in the past. As I talk about more in future articles (and have thought about in the time since), I think there is a (personal) desire for meaning and adventure that is highlighted by viewing films.

The Post-Movie Blues Redux

A good expansion on the previous article's thoughts. I accurately diagnose that the meaning found in helping others, adventuring, discovering, and progressing can often cast a stark light on the fact that it appears to be missing in day to day life. I think I could use a Stoic reflection on the thoughts regarding the mundane presented in this particular line of thinking.

Post-Show Suffering

This is likely the first article I've written with the depth and analysis that I'd like. It still hits home with me when I read it now a couple of years later. I think that I was honest and correct in my analysis of both the show and my own condition. Things have changed some in my life that have altered my view a little, but the feeling I describe here still lurks in the backdrop.

Linux XFS File Recovery

Here I take a stab at documenting an issue and solution to a problem that occurred which directly affected the blog at the time. In an ideal world I'd have many such short entries (in a digital garden / wiki perhaps) that cataloged problems and solutions throughout my life. This one is short, sweet, and could help me or someone else someday.

Nothing Is Working

I recall I was really frustrated when I wrote this; I think it shows. I think many of these problems have since been resolved or deemed no longer an issue. I do tend to eventually work things out, but I needed to vent. However, I never did fix the issue of not having anyone to discuss the work with, nor have I fully solved the internal cascade effect when encountering my own shortcomings. The article is a bit more raw than I would like, but it is an accurate reflection of feelings and questions I still do encounter.

COVID-19 or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Quarantine

This funny little thing happened in the spring of 2020 and the world sort of stopped for a little bit. Here I describe my own initial reaction to it; something that might be described as insensitive or the product of privilege. I am cognizant of that in the article and I do think that I still hold many of the views expressed. The piper did finally come calling and I was negatively impacted by the pandemic, but I still enjoyed the start; it was cozy. I address potential issues with this view and the pandemic itself in the next article.

C-19: Trouble in Paradise

Here we see an attempt to analyze the negative effects all of the sudden social distancing and remote working on myself. I think there was an initial shift in my own mind and I still sometimes feel strange around many people; agoraphobia-lite perhaps. In the end, I think the positives in my own life outweighed the negatives incurred during the pandemic (excepting my vaccine injury). I was correct that the pandemic stunted a number of my endeavors, but regardless of that, I still managed to make progress and ushered in a life much more comfortable than before. Some of the problems I identified here still remain though but would require new reflection to explore.

Living in a Twilight World

Finally, I go back to the roots of my writing here with a little film analysis which I mix into a strange political moment and the start of a new thought pattern for me. I didn't manage to avoid knowing the results of the election for too long, just a few weeks, however, I look back often on the experience and think about the value in ignorance of all of it. I current spend so much time in contact with the stream of knowledge we call the internet and I don't know if I am really better for it; something I think about much more now than I did even then.

Conclusion

I don't really know how I feel now about restarting my blog. I've had more privacy concerns as of late which really put a damper around the idea of putting content out there for all to see. The more there is, the more likely a dedicated actor could find out who I am and what I care about. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I've seen people who express the "wrong" opinion online be jumped by the mob a few too many times now. I'm going to keep thinking about it. I have a number of other related projects that might end up making this work a bit better, but we'll see. I think writing is a good exercise and I believe having work to refer back to is good as well. I am now of the opinion that our current technology has altered how we remember things and I don't think it can be fixed. The best thing to do now is to leverage the tech itself to aid us in memory and recall. This requires writing; I just don't know how much of it I should make public.