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Category Archives: Project
I Had Forgotten…
…That I was sharing my essays for the newspaper with you all. Here is the one I wrote in December. As the daylight fades, the winds pick up, and we prepare to settle in for another long Northwest winter, readers … Continue reading
New Kid in Town
On the way back home after a long weekend trip to a winter wonderland, we stopped and picked up the Samsung Chromebook that I finally purchased after my long and often tedious struggle with second-hand technology. I almost waited for Christmas to … Continue reading
Posted in Project, technology
Tagged chrome, chromebook, computer, google, music, technology, ultralight laptop
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Special Commentary
Author’s note: I started this essay after the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting earlier this year; then let it slide for other things. I picked it back up over the weekend. I’m having a bit of a philosophical and ethical … Continue reading
I Surrender…Sort Of…
I tried…Lord knows I tried. No one can say otherwise. I did not want to buy a new computer. I was perfectly happy with my second-hand, six-year-old MacBook, until its logic board bit the dust. Before that, I had been … Continue reading
Posted in Project, technology, thrift
Tagged chrome, chromebook, computer, linux, technology, windows
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The Verdict Is In
I’m such a tease! My official excuse, and of course I have one, is that I would rather actually publish a series of short posts than not publish a nice, long one. That, and I have forgotten how to do … Continue reading
Posted in Project, shopping, technology, thrift, work
Tagged chromebook, netbook, tablet, travel
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Test Case, Part 2
We happened to have a spare tablet around the house, a Lenovo K1 left over from a hasty spring shopping trip. (Let us pause for a moment to reflect on a world where a low-income family can have a “spare” … Continue reading
Posted in Project, shopping, technology, thrift
Tagged Android, budget, chromebook, computer, k1, lenovo, macbook, netbook, tablet
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It Takes Two to Tango…Or Form a Line
While I am not about to let our nation’s retailers entirely off the hook for the commercialized shambles that has replaced the Christmas season, I am not about to pile all the blame at their doorsteps either. There is another … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Project, shopping, technology
Tagged black friday, budget, consumption, greed, shopping, thanksgiving
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Thrift-tech: The DIY Version
Meanwhile, as I fume and rant about our shallow, materialistic society, I have to both address my family’s need for suitable technology and confront my own desire for shiny things. The latter is arguably more mutable, whereas there is only so … Continue reading
Posted in Budget, Project, technology, thrift
Tagged Android, budget, computers, diy, linux, mac, technology
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You Win, You Bastards…
…for now. I feel like the “C” in my middle name should stand for Cassandra. My dismay at being ignored may at some point be outweighed by the grim pleasure of being able to say, “I told you so!” Yet … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Project, shopping
Tagged black friday, camping, football, overlords, retail
6 Comments
More on…Less is More
Yes, I’m still basking in the reflected glow of moonlight on northern lake waters; still inhaling the subversive aromas of hot bacon and fresh coffee among whispering evergreens; still tossing and turning all night on a thin, inflatable mattress, yet … Continue reading
Posted in camping, clothing, Project, transportation, travel
Tagged backpacking, camping, car, efficiency, Montana
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