I am moving on from NordVPN—well, I'm on the fence about leaving its VPN—that service is SUPERB! But, its NordLocker product is...eh...needs to be towed back into the dev garage! It just ain't ready to go live, at least not for MacOS. I've seen WAY too much of that spinning rainbow wheel lately and I've never before now had to shortcut the Activity Monitor to the Dock.!

I even flirted with the idea of returning to Google Drive. I know...but I DID! And when I did, it began syncing my Family Media directory with its empty space, as in, deleting EVERYTHING! "Whoa now, Google! You've got a vindictive bits side!" Fortunately, I've got a USB backup from September 2023, so I'm no worse for the wear.

This incident highlights why an automatic/centrally-managed out of the box 3rd-party cloud solution for backups is just dumb. The server admin could just be on a tear and delete all of files we value to backup. I'm sure I could throw in some wizardry for media files, make 'em read-only.

I've had an idea rolling around my head for a bit to use a handful of USB sticks, date 'em, and just take a monthly snapshot. In essence, rotate the tapes out. I used to keep a backup with my keys that was fully encrypted, but I never set aside a day of the month for updates.

I told ya I was weak about how backups vex me and that's what gets the Google ball rolling! But, when it outright deletes my files in front of me...well, naw, man, just naw.

But who knows...Google always freaks out when I come back from a deletion as Contacts, Tasks, and Notes are inaccessible. There was a time when Tasks was unavailable for months thereafter. Strangely, the default tab doesn't allow for indented tasks but created tabs did. A body just gets a sense that after awhile, Google is a farsighted, bloated behemoth.

It's like those ol' print/fax/scanner printers, a venerable headache mishmashed together into mediocrity.

I'm content to not be on the platform. I've got an unlimited number of email addresses at my disposal. I'm even considering on making a custom email for each site, so as to mitigate pwned activity. At least, it would address those vendors who refuse to quit sizzling that canned meat! But the key really is to justify my Internet footprint. How many logins do I need? Long gone is 2011-2012 when I'd had 150+ logins on ol' LastPass.

Never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end

Bon Jovi

This interview clip reminded me of 2012 earlier today. It feels like how I see myself today in whatever this place is.

We get watered down. We lose our identity. We adopt some other mindset because of the digital deluge.

Why can't we just be us?

"You can keep your doodles, Google."

It is official: coinciding with the renewal of my domain, I am off Google. Just this morning, I did one last walkthrough for data bits, panning a last survey of the room before turning off the lights, similar to my Czech and UofM classrooms.

There were other logins before this one, of course. There was once the invite-only Gmail account given to me by a fellow geek, back when its "Don't be evil" wasn't a knee-slapper.

Thus, I've left before Google before, but this time around has a level of finality to it. In the past, without Google Drive, backups have always vexed me. I've resolved that now with Nord Locker, though I'll have to view it strictly a backup like I once did with tape backups, not an active document with a revisioning system. Unfortunately, NordLocker ultimately was too unwieldy to replace the fluidity of Google Drive.

(And technically, I haven't fully departed yet because Google Charts render my weightloss linegraphs, though live data is hardly needed!)

I'm closer to viewing my phone as a dumb phone. I don't live by my phone, but it's helpful to haul around as a stereo. Crazy, I know, but I think it's a...phone? Like, dial up a friend sort of thing? Is this a STRANGER THINGS throwback? Well, a phone is definitely NOT a 386 tower!

Yes, I miss the before times, back when a friend was a friend—neither a notification nor synonymous with a follower.

YouTube Music is out and Spotify is in. As such, I belatedly present to you the OST for The 36th Expedition: Mortal Kombat.

Of course, this is the 37th. Where do I go from here?

Fitness

Physically, there have been no changes. I don't track my HR with my Garmin anymore, so I'm "absolutely sure" that resolved itself!

My body remains numb as it has and fatigue continues to perplex me. This morning, I carried a 50lb dumbbell in each hand across the house; afterward, it was coming in from a long run from a 1995 autumn. On the other hand while wearing all black with long sleeves, I threw an Aerobie around the park with the kiddos yesterday and outlasted most of them.

But, I don't envision matching my last walk anytime soon, that 8.3 miler—honestly, I've been itching to get back into my morning lifting!

Online Kung Fu

Referenced in my last post, I did go with NordVPN. Specifically, I went with its complete package via a coupon associated with Pierogi. It includes a high-speed VPN and 1 TB end-to-end encryption. A password manager is available, though I'm satisfied with Bitwarden for now. I like its VPN service for Xfinity remains my bottleneck for connectivity.

I'm on the verge of leaving Google. My new email is already live. The encrypting/uploading migration sequence to NordVPN is nearly over. I've already converted my Google Sheet and Doc files. I do need to add my calendar content into Tuta, though I am considering on just running a spreadsheet; calendar loops tend to obfuscate outliers. I may install a new open source OS on my phone since Samsung ended its support for its S10+ a year ago.

Other Things

I've re-added the ἁγιασμός section as a quick reference for my own interests. I also added my own soundtrack section with the Expedition playlists linking to Spotify since without YouTube Music, Spotify is heavily-favored as its replacement.

Strung end-to-end, I've now enjoyed a total of 1,012 days of carnivore eating:

• 637 days: My first stint in carnivore before THAT knee injury made me seek Little Debbie for comfort me in August 2022

• 237 days: My second carnivore streak that was struck down by existential malaise in 2023

• 138 days...and Counting: OK, I started this post on day 137, but...chess called!