So make sure you don't kick it in the teeth. That’s how I’d describe the relatively recent blunder in the privacy-focused circles of the techno-sphere, especially in light of our present “napalm strike on humanity”. What am I rambling about you ask? Or maybe who? Well, if you’ve been at least slightly “kissed” (yes, we say that in my native language in this context) by the IT privacy and its movements, you’ve definitely heard about a “little” (those quotes should be huge) company from a small mountainous European country. The country of beautiful views, very high (but quite costly) quality of life and with an extremely long tradition of direct democracy. Yes, yes, I know, also “neutrality” (another set of quotes which should be larger). And the company is nobody else, drumroll please, Proton.
One could say that a piece of art is a window to the creator’s mind. Their thoughts, their soul. Which leads to the idea that through an act of art, the creator decided to share part their soul with everyone.
New year, same “world on fire”, same woof behind the screen, his digital parchment, working his digital quill to share the thoughts coming from the fuzzy brain cells. This time pondering on something that while amplified through social circles, the few insatnces I happen to stumble upon makes my inner alarms sound. What is it, you ask? It’s the dread of how short-sighted, self-centred and revenge-driven people are when it comes to pushing for a change. People are mad at how things are and rightfully so in so many cases. And yes, a cornered rat will bite ferociously in self-defence. But here’s the question I ask; have you spared at least one thought about all the people you’re affecting? Have you considered the idea that your desperate desire for change is not driven by everyone’s well-being but a selfish drive for revenge who hurt you? Confused? Well, dive in.
This one’s going to be a little unusual because I’m not really a big reader (but I’m trying to fix it) and I definitely do not possess the necessary expertise in the field the book is about. However, this is one of those rare times a book left a huge impact on my views; enlightening and absolutely terrifying at the same time. So, let’s get into it and let me share at least the glimpse of my experience.
Wow, what a year. So many turbulences, so many joys, so many disappointments. Yet the world is still turning and we keep going. Now, I’m not here to evaluate the year in general. What am I, God? If I was one I’d know everything anyway. But I don’t which means that there’s still lot to discover. And that is the word that describes my 2024; discovery. This year felt to me like I’ve unearthed an entrance to an ancient library and a workshop and I’m slowly absorbing the knowledge while in the meantime practicing my skills with the various tools, making things that soothe the mind and spark the urge to do more. Moreover, the library has a writing with a quill and a piece of parchment which are always ready for the words that I decide to “immortalise”. And how did I find out? Well, my dear reader, let’s take a small journey together.
No, no, no! Bad, Rawi, bad. No stepping into politics. Well, if you happen to read my self-mentoring series, then you know it’s too late for that. But don’t worry, I’m not about to dive deep into any swamp of permanent misery and relentless shit-flinging that is present day’s politics. It’s just that my mind got prompted by a writer friend of mine here. His words there made me think about how I moved on the political spectrum and how I eventually grown to a point where not only I despise it but also refuse to be driven by it, focusing more on ideas and the integrity of the potential representatives. It also somewhat explains why I throw any extremes into the same bucket regardless of their core idea but more on that later. Now, let’s dive in. *puts the armour on* Oh, don’t worry. It’s just a precaution :3
We all like success and we all want to avoid ridicule. We’re being raised in this climate, putting the pressure on ourselves to strive for more. I’ve already wrote about the “pursuit of growth for the sake of growth” so I’d only repeat myself here. However, the title says something else which is related to our “growth” or a perception of safety, be it personal or communal. It is a personal property that is largely visible or loud. It is easily spotted by an average person but for reasons completely incomprehensible to me it is revered rather than shunned; arrogance. And today we’re going to take a peek into what it is.
This one’s going to be one weird food for your brain. Shame that the audience that really needs it would dismiss it immeidately but I think it’s worth throwing it into the world nevertheless. So, let’s dive in.
Those who know me for a bit are aware that my online social presence is rather scarce. I’m in no large group chat servers and in terms of networks, BlueSky and Mastodon are my only public “poster walls”. And while I do have my gripes with their respective cultures, there’s one thing that they have in common; no engagement-driven algorithm. That’s right, everything posted there is indeed akin to a poster put up in a part of town with large amount of traffic and rest goes on by the “word of mouth”. You know, just like the way public town square works (wink wink). But online space has more tools to gain visibility; powerful and dangerous tools.
Yeah, you’re reading it right. Today I’m in a bit of a down mood and just feeling like letting a life-long grief, at least when I look at my adult life, out of my chest. I know some of you will try and provide some consolation, other may even shun me for my views on this but none of it will change my mind. So yeah, I can’t even begin to think about continuing my kin when I look around myself, seeing the world around me, filled with greed, a desire to torture and destroy instead of to build and care for. Want to know more? Well, stay around and listen to this weary “nomad”, stuck in the world to which he doesn’t belong to.
Let’s start something new today. Among my weirder and artistic hobbies, gaming is the more “tame” one and one that has been with me for basically all my life. Can’t really remember my very first game but I know I’ve been a tiny kiddo on my dad’s lap, watching him play the classics of the 90s. And once old enough that I could operate the “magic machine” myself, I got into playing myself. This resulted in the 90s era FPS and others landing in my “nostalgia” shelves and I happily return to them when I feel like reliving the blissful years and sometimes to challenge myself whether I get better with age or retain my skills.
Among these is a little bit of a niche game, Descent; or Descent: First Strike if you want the full name. Why niche? The game falls into a 6DOF genre, 6DOF standing for “6 degrees of freedom”. This means that unlike in FPS games, you can move in all six directions; up-down, left-right, forward-backward. Of course, since you’re piloting a ship, you can turn, pitch and roll as well. So, what’s the premise of the game? Long story short, mining corp has mines across the solar system and their robots go haywire. You’re hired as a “Material Defender” to get in, save any hostages and destroy the mines by destroying the reactor. The game is special not only to me due to it being part of my childhood but also because it’s rather rare in terms of how the gameplay is executed. The game, or the series of three games to be precise, is one of the cult classics of its time. It was replicated only almost two decades later through the game Overload made by, wait for it, dev team consisting of the developers of the original games.