Tech Stuff That (Doesn't) Interest(s) Me
I'm always looking for new blogs to follow via RSS and a good way to do that is to search through the various blog directories out there. Most directories are sorted by topic and I've come to realize that I'm a lot more picky than I thought!
I've realized that I don't really enjoy reading a lot of tech-centered blogs and will gloss over most the technology-related categories in directories. This isn't to say that these blogs are bad or shouldn't exist, not everything someone makes has to cater to me specifically. This post is more so just an exploration of how/why I feel this way.
The whole situation makes me feel like a hypocrite, because I've talked about technology on my blog before and I generally enjoy learning about it.
I've sat down and really thought about it. I made a list of tech-related topics that I like reading about and ones that I don't. There is nuance and overlap of course, and now I feel like even more of a hypocrite because I've written about AI before.
Stuff That Interests Me
- webweaving/hobbyist web development
- webdevlogs, video game devlogs, or similar
- homelabbing/homebrewing/hardware modding/refurbishing
- learning how stuff works
- computer history/retrospectives
- web accessibility
Stuff That Doesn't Interest Me
- AI
- tech companies
- going to school to study tech
- shallow "advice" (For example: saying that everyone should switch to Linux without recommending a good beginner distro or alternatives to proprietary software.)
- telling me stuff I already know
- retreading the same few buzzwordy topics over and over again
A Tangent
I think something that a lot of people forget about the "old internet" was that you didn't have to be a tech genius to use it. You'd find websites made by people who weren't very tech-savvy or only dabbled in it as a hobby. There were website's run by teens and old people alike who only knew the bare minimum of HTML and CSS.
Even as social media took over I still think there was some truth to this. I remember as a kid seeing people my age code custom DeviantArt journal skins, and later on, in the "golden age" of Tumblr, most community-made blog themes where made by hobbyists/novices who just wanted their blog to fit their [✨ aesthetic ✨]{ .fancy }.
Sometimes I feel like I'm in an awkward middle stage because I'm a lot more tech-literate than most non-techie people, but I'm not tech-literate enough to really talk to most people who work or study tech. I'm simultaneously the person my older relatives immediately go to when they need help with their smartphones, and someone who's made fun of by my younger relatives with tech credentials for not knowing "basic" things about computers.
Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough, but I feel like most online spaces are aimed at either complete beginners or experienced professionals. I wish there were more spaces for intermediate hobbyists. I feel weirdly left out a lot of the time, but maybe that's just me.