#2: An even more new beginning

It's been about 2 years since I last posted here. So much has happened yet I don't feel that much more along. I finished my internship that I mentioned in my last post, but it was honestly a terrible time.

But I try not to dwell on the bad times too much. Over the past year, I have moved in with my girlfriend and every day has been like living the dream. I have continued studying, despite mental difficulties, and am trying to achieve a Master's degree. I've met many new people since my last post here.

Finally, I want to try living a more guided life. I have a massive interest in memory training, old tech, old internet customs, old gaming systems (PSP, 3DS, Gameboy Advance SP, ...). That is why I want to try living by a few rules;

1. Compartmentalise everything! People use their phones for everything nowadays, myself included. However, I don't want my digital brick to contain everything and have no competition for my attention. That is why I've been using a paper to-do list, planner, and general notebook for a while now.

I also much prefer using single-use devices: my FIIO fx-1221 music player (which is kind of a classic iPod clone), Kobo e-reader that I've installed the FOSS KOReader on, and my PSP 1000. It's easy to become complacent when you can do all of these things on a screen that fits in your pocket, but that's just how I like to do things.

2. Train my memory. I've been on the Art of Memory forum for a few years now, but I've never really pushed myself to improve my memory. That's because of my aphantasia, the inability to picture things with my 'mind's eye'. Most of these techniques require you to imagine mind palaces or people performing actions with objects (PAO). However, lately I've been rereading books by Lynne Kelly, a researcher who has wrote a lot about memory. Learning that she's also an aphantasist made me happy as she explained that she uses the memory techniques explained in her books.

I've had the idea to start memorising the periodic table, along with a few basic properties of each element. Using mnemonics, loci, ... would help me a lot, but I do have to change how I use these methods, compared to people who can imagine anything. I will definitely write another post about this!

3. There is a creator on Instagram called 'studywithara' who makes an amazing series 'anti-rot agenda'. These are small monthly posts that give you certain actions to perform while you go about your week to de-brainrot from all the constant stimulation and most social media brings. I'd like to write these down in each blog post (crediting studywithara of course, she makes amazing content!) and document doing small things to bring me greater joy.

This is also meant to incentivize me to write more on here. I've also been a long time fan of internet spaces that still utilize cool site layouts and ASCII art. That's why I want to learn making ASCII art to end my posts with one. And I'll sign of with one once I find a sick signature!

While these 'rules' don't seem too impressive, they're meant to disconnect me from the addicting, overly stimulating and often harmful internet for a gen-z person who grew up on here while watching everything become more corrupted. I want to enjoy the internet where there are people who don't require my attention to gain a profit, that simply want it to share their articles, art, music, ...

Signing off and hopefully until my next post - tB

tentaclebiologist@tuta.com

Be sure to contact me! :)