I am aware of the very real problems with Apple as a company. Nevertheless, I find their products and services extremely helpful when used intentionally and synergistically. This is not a paid advertisement, haha. Just sharing a few thoughts about how these tools are helping me. I am working on many things all at...

In my deep study of both Catholicism and Mormonism over the past year or so, one question that seems to keep coming up is: how can I know when I have been forgiven of sins? Latter-day Saints believe that we can know we have been forgiven of our sins when we have truly repented and we feel peace and joy through the...

If you've followed my blog for a while, you know of my love-hate relationship with technology. Video games, in particular, are a good example of this. I go through stretches where I enjoy video games, and longer stretches where I say I've sworn off them forever. But maybe it doesn't have to be all or nothing for me...

I got the results of the blood labs from my annual physical and I'm doing pretty good in all areas except one: my LDL (bad) cholesterol is too high. This has been something I've struggled with for years and have managed to keep it down with diet and exercise, but it's higher now than it has been in a while. I'm...

I have gone to Mass several times with my mother and step-father. But yesterday I attended my first Catholic Mass by myself. Here are my thoughts and observations. I decided to go to the Saturday 5pm Mass. Although I am not Catholic, I have learned enough to know that Saturday evening Mass satisifes the Catholic...

I think in the next 5 years, most jobs in my field – data analysis and visualization – will be replaced by AI. So I've been thinking about different careers I could jump to that would be better “insulated” from AI replacement. It's possible that my current job will morph from designing and building interactive data...

Apple recently announced an upcoming feature for their new Apple Watches called “Audio Intelligence,” which will always be listening to and transcribing conversations in the background and summarizing them at the end of the day. While Apple have implemented some protections and safeguards to protect the privacy of...

I recently wrote a post about quitting Twitch. I still think my reasons are valid, but after taking more time to think through things, I realize that my reaction was knee-jerk and the situation is more complicated than I want it to be. I think a case can be made for staying on Twitch while being aware of its faults...

Today I learned about The Sunday Letter Project. Started in September 2025 by owners of a stationery shop, it invites us to pledge to write one handwritten letter every Sunday to friends, loved ones, strangers, or ourself. The purposes of this project are: to foster human connection, promote personal balance, and...

Last week Twitch announced that it had automatically opted all of its user accounts into using all content for training Amazon's generative “AI” models. They didn't send their users an email or notify us within Twitch. They posted about it on X, a platform I don't use, acting like they were doing us a favor by...

I received my pre-ordered Clicks Power Keyboard this week. It's a quality iPhone accessory and it made my thumbs very happy. But a Clicks account is required for firmware updates, and that's a deal-breaker for me. I was excited when the Clicks Power Keyboard was first announced. A mag-safe physical keyboard that...

Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14 (NRSVCE) Though I wander in darkness I wait for the Lord Though my heart is broken I wait for the Lord Though I feel betrayed I wait for the Lord Though I drown in confusion I wait for the Lord Though my prayers feel unheard...