Latest Posts
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Tired of Big Tech? Here’s Why I’m Using EU Alternatives for My Digital Life
Discover why EU-based tech services like Filen.io and Surfshark offer smart alternatives to U.S. Big Tech — with privacy, control, and peace of mind.
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Why I’m Finding Bluesky Feels Better Than Twitter (X)
I left Twitter when Musk took over. Not in a dramatic “I’m outta here” post, just quietly, after the staff firings started. I couldn’t stay there and feel good about it. It felt wrong—watching people who built the place be tossed aside overnight, and the whole platform start tilting into something colder. In hindsight, stepping…
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Still Searching for My Herd: A Few Years on Mastodon
I’ve been using Mastodon for a few years now, and while I appreciate what it is, I’m still not entirely sure if I’ve found the right home for it. That in itself says a lot about the platform—both what makes it great and what makes it tricky. First, a bit of context for anyone unfamiliar. Mastodon…
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Lubuntu, Xubuntu – It’s 2025. Seriously, WTH?
I was going to write a quick post about installing Xubuntu 25.04 on my old Dell laptop. It turned into something else entirely. Originally, I planned to install Lubuntu 25.04. But every time I reached the end of the setup, it failed with a partition creation error. Tried three times. That was enough. First impressions matter, and…
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The StoryGraph: A Genuine, Independent Alternative to Goodreads
In today’s digital age, many readers find themselves tethered to massive corporate platforms for tracking their reading journeys. The StoryGraph offers a refreshing alternative that’s independent of Amazon’s ecosystem—something I, personally, value after transitioning from 16 years of Kindle use. I recently swapped my Kindle Oasis for a Kobo Clara Colour which you can read…
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The Kindle Is Dead. Long Live The Kobo.
I’ve been an Amazon Kindle user since the 2009 Kindle 2. Over the years, I’ve upgraded three times—first to a Kindle, then the Kindle Paperwhite, then finally to the Kindle Oasis. My e-book library now holds over 400 books. I even bought Kindles for my partner and daughter, so they have their own collections. My…
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My Personal Backup Plan
We need to talk about backups. I started a previous post about recovering my system, from trying out a Beta Operating System, with the following paraphrased lyric (from Baz Luhrmann’s Sunscreen)… Do backups. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, backup would be it. The long-term benefits of backups have been…
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My Fight for Justice: Opposing a Reduction in Sentencing
On August 16th, I received a call from a Garda regarding a distressing situation: the driver responsible for my life-changing injuries is seeking a reduction in their four-year driving ban.
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Maximising Productivity: Apple Macs Workspaces and Stage Manager
Coming from Linux, I have had decades of experience with the productivity boosting tool that are ‘workplaces’. They are spectacular, and I have loved using them since I first discovered them. What are Workspaces? I think of them, and utilise them, as virtual monitors. In each workspace, I will have specific applications living. This allows…
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Crash Course In Rolling Back From Apple macOS and iOS Beta’s
Do backups. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, backup would be it. The long term benefits of backups have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
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Partner, father, pet parent (1 dog, 6 cats), & proud EU citizen. Sci-fi enthusiast and renaissance soul, often in Ireland’s midlands.
Past lives: soldier, sailor, lecturer (US politics), researcher (political violence), briefly deceased (2019).
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