test post from Ulysses token

After recent price increases, subscription fatigue, privacy concerns and probably long overdue contentment, it’s time for a change. I’ll be withdrawing more from technology, technology blogs and restructuring everything to maximize privacy, reduce monthly subscription spending and pursuing avenues of personal interest.

I am heavily embedded into the Apple eco-system after decades of using Windows/Android. I have stuff scattered all over the internet, cloud storage and external hard drives with almost zero organization. That’s changing as of today.

First up, a new identity. I will no longer be using my personal name online. I don’t need to “brand myself” anymore since I am done playing the game. I created a new Apple ID that is generic and not personal. Then I created an iCloud account to go with it. Next, I purchased a new web domain (silverfox.website) and email address to match it and then made THAT one the new/updated Apple ID. The hard part is switching everything from contact information to businesses and services I use over to the new account. Sure, I’ll lose a lot of subscriptions, but I am pairing them down and prioritizing anyway.

With iCloud+ services such as Private Relay and “Hide My Email” I can create generic, disposable email addresses. Apple then allows me to use random, generic passwords and will even store them for me using their KeyChain.

When all of this is sorted I need to discipline myself to keep it organized, unlike my previous attempts. Maybe then I can get back to enjoying what I love in peace such as photography, reading and geocaching.

With the announcement of Apple raising their digital subscription package , Apple One, 9to5mac.com/2023/10/2… I’ve decided to go backwards instead.

After a brief hiatus I am back on Micro.blog. The capability to have a painless long-form blogging experience coupled with short form micro-posts is appealing. Even better- no algorithms or adverts.

Wordpress and Ghost are no longer viable options for me in that I no longer want to keep up with backend maintenance. Just set it and forget it so I can just write and publish. The ability to connect and share ideas with others in this community takes me back to the good old days of web 1.0.