Grungy cybercore

Off and on I consider being "minimalist" in some way.

I'm not. I'm fundamentally not.

I like trying styles on, experimenting with aesthetics. So it makes sense that minimalism has AN appeal to me but it doesn't have THE appeal. It is not the end.

Peeling things away is good for many designs. Focus is important for many ventures.

I could not be happier that my desk is covered in weird circuit boards, various experimental devices and odd tech, new and old. And I will probably never settle into the perfect vim config. I try things high and low and the detritus of experiments litter my working spaces whether digital or physical.

Every now and then I make a pass with the garbage collector. And vacuum cleaner.

For my latest laptop I decided I would put stickers on it. I have never felt happier pulling out a MacBook. It is every bit, mine and it shows off my community and relationships in a garish, messy and human way.

I can be disciplined about certain things. The secret prototypes are moved into storage before I livestream. Besides, I adapt my desk for aesthetic reasons for livestreams. Gotta be good-looking mess ;)

This is generative mess for me. And I like tinkering with new things.

I buy some very unnecessary things for learning purposes. This is in tension with my ideals for sustainability. So I don't buy things without intent to use them. I know many people restrain themselves from buying at all. For me this would be akin to doing carpentry without acquiring more wood or nails. Things that end up idle and unloved I find new homes for but I think I'm past feeling shame about acquiring hardware. I want my work to be on, in and about hardware.

You can do a lot of software development with very little gear. As you spend time you should absolutely feel justified in getting a good keyboard, ergonomic pointing device and as good a monitor setup as you feel you need. And overprovisioning on what hardware you buy is also fair enough I think. Buy high-grade things fewer times. But for software work you really do not need much.

For hardware this is a bit different. Also for audio and video production. I've liked production tools forever, from my first run-in with Office and spending days in Microsoft Publisher making magazines and stuff to a deep fascination with recording on tape, drawing, eventually programming and so on. I try to restrain myself from the unnecessary and wasteful but I do very much enjoy getting and experimenting with things.

Except the Clockwork Pi uConsole on my desk which just fights me about starting the display panel under Nerves. F that thing. Kidding. I want it working so I can love it.

What do you need in your life? What do you cut out? What do you allow yourself? You can reach me on the Fediverse where I'm @lawik@fosstodon.org or by responding to this email to lars@underjord.io.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate it.