Thoughts and background on my tech devices

Here are my ‘tools’ for living my life

Optiplex 7060

I bought a Lenovo desktop in 2016 but rarely used it. Once covid/WFH hit though, I started to appreciate having a standalone keyboard and more screen real estate (My desktop has always been connected to my TV).

Fast forward to 2023. I was frustrated that my Lenovo desktop wasn’t eligible for Windows 11 upgrade. I decided to try a completely new Operating System via Linux. Since I had use Chromebooks, and they allow you to install Linux via Debian, I decided to take the plunge into Debian and… it was a terrible experience initially. It legit bricked my old desktop. I spent +20 hours over 3-4 days troubleshooting only to realize that I could not boot it up. I took it to a computer shop and the repair cost more than the device itself lol.

Once I finished licking my wounds, I bought the Optiplex (‘used’ of course) in July 2023. I dual booted Windows 11 + Debian for the first 2-3 weeks, but I wiped out some important Windows files by a mistake and realized that there was nothing else to hold me back from using Debian exclusively.

Pixel 7a

I’ve been on the ‘Pixel’ train for quite a while… Let’s see… I’ve had the Pixel XL, Pixel 2 XL, the Pixel 4a 5G and now the 7a. I came for the camera, but stayed for the guaranteed software/security updates.

Once I got interested in privacy, I started to get a little anxious about how much data Google has on me (Chromebook + Pixel phone means they can track everything I do at home and everything I do when I leave the house basically). Around November/December last year, I took the plunge and installed GrapheneOS.

It was definitely was an adjustment at first. There’s a tradeoff between privacy and convenience, and I chose privacy too aggressively which harmed real-life relationships. For example, since I put my phone on DnD during working hours, it often took hours for me to respond to texts from friends. I also deleted social media apps or relegated them to a secondary profile, so it sometimes took days for me to respond to people there. I eventually realized the impact it was having and made some adjustments to have a better balance of privacy/convinience. I’m overall a happy camper. Since I have mutliple devices w/ larger screens, I typically use my phone for texting and listening to audio (podcasts/DJ sets/online radio stations/etc). Basically any Pixel phone can do that, so I don’t see any need to upgrade the phone for the forseeable future.

Xiaomi Pad 6

I bought this tablet before I got into privacy. Knowing what I know now, I would have never purchased a Xiaomi tablet lol. It is a great combination of value and specs, but Xiaomi are as intrusive as Google, and they do not have to abide by the lax US regulation that exists either. Anyways, i got the tablet shipped from China for a great price in June 2023. It was also unlockable, and I had unlocked 1-2 tablets before, so that was an option I planned to tackle down the road.

Last year, as I got into privacy and became aware of tracking attempts via apps like trackercontrol and AdGuardHome, I realized how intrusive Xiaomi was and began the process of rooting the tablet. It turns out that China passed a law that made it basically illegal for Chinese citizens to use rooted devices. Since my origin for my device was China, I am fucked and stuck on the Xiaomi OS. I have wiped what I can via Universal Debloat Alliance fwiw. I use the tablet during the week for reviewing flashcards, and during the weekend for watching YouTube/English Premier League highlights.

Boox Nova 3

Great for reading but another privacy nightmare I bought before I realized how much spying and tracking was going on with some companies. I typically keep the wifi off, but use it daily for writing out my daily goals or reading books via KO Reader.

Hp x360 Chromebook (turned chrultrabook)

I’m always on the hunt for a good tradeoff between value and price. I dabbled with a Netbook back in 2009. It wasn’t the greatest in retrospect but it did its job. Then I transitioned to a Chromebook in 2013. Since then, I’ve had ~5 Chromebooks. The last three have been HP but I’ve only paid for one technically. Not because I’m a fanboy or anything because I will probably never by from HP again tbh…

I bought the HP X2 Chromebook in 2018… it was an early model of detachable Chromebooks but the keyboard stopped working in 2019 and HP ran out of parts and replaced it with traditional chromebook and an extended warranty. In 2021, the replacement laptop started messing up as well. Thanks to the extended warranty they threw in last time, I was still covered. The whole process went south (at one point they even shipped me a replacement device with a completely different OS and didn’t tell me they did that smh). I was fed up at that point and raised hell and ended up w/ a $500 gift card. I went for a higher-specc’d model this time around and got the x360 that I currently use (I had to chip in $80 since the model costs $580, but it was worth it in retrospect).

One last saga w/ the device… In August 2023, while traveling to visit family, my 40oz water bottle leaked all over the laptop and led to ChromeOS continually bootlooping. After some half-hearted troubleshooting, I ordered a new laptop. I was prepared to throw the chromebook in the trash, but played around with it a bit in my downtime at my childhood home. O n a whim I decided to try installing Debian and it was successful and I haven’t encountered any lingering effects of the water since.

Lenovo Ideapad Slim 7

When I thought my Chromebook was broken, I bought this. It had Windows 11 and better specs than my chromebook, but when the Chromebook started working again, I didn’t like using this device. I’m not used to using Windows keyboard shortcuts on a laptop. I had been using a Chromebook for over a decade and since most of my usage involved a browser, the keyboard shortcuts felt intuitive on the Chromebook and outdated on the Windows keyboard. I didn’t want to let my purchase go to waste though…

I did research and realized that a server is basically a computer that is on 24/7, and that laptop servers are a thing, and it has gotten much more use as a Debian server than it ever could have gotten as a tool for surfing the internet. I use it to block unwanted ads/traffic (AdGuard Home), for accessing my LAN when I’m away from home (Tailscale), for watching movies and trading videos (Jellyfin) and for a bunch of other stuff. It’s such a great repurposing of a device and I’m glad I took the plunge.

State 4130 8-Speed Bicycle

This is my main form of transportation. I have saved hundreds of dollars in late night Ubers, but conversely spent hundreds of dollars via a biking-related hospital bill 😭😭😭

Amazfit Active 2 (watch)

This is the newest edition to my devices. I planned to buy it as a reward for finishing the Data Analysis book, but after the tariffs on China became a thing, I didn’t want to risk the price going up a ton, so I pulled the trigger prematurely. I lost the motivation to finish the book smh but I am enjoying the watch fwiw.

It’s highly-compatible with gadgetbridge, so I have been able to avoid syncing with the official app after setting the device up, and I still get 80-90% of the functionality along w/ some unique bells and whistles that are associated w/ gadgetbridge. I used to have a Garmin Vivoactive 4 previously, and I can still track my bike rides with this, but the smartphone-esque functionality is much more useful to me than Garmin’s specialized fitness tracking for marathon runners et al. I will do a deeper review in the near future. {{ bluesky(post_id=3lneiat665k2c) }}