reader. writer.

I am a sucker for cool apps and fun tech, especially if it’s helpful for writing or time management. I don’t believe they are necessary to live a full and meaningful life, I’m all for regulating big tech, and I know they are never worth more money than someone can afford to spend. When I blog, occasionally, on apps and tech that I enjoy, I usually start with the caveat that if you aren’t sure you can afford it, you don’t need it. You may never need it. But if you’re going to buy something anyway, you can compare notes with me here… wait, no, here’s my new, lengthier take on this, if you’re curious:

May 2025: First things first, if you know me, you already know this, I love dabbling with tech tools. I blame my love of writing because tech tools are helpful in getting my words into a readable, storable, shareable format. Tech tools help me read other people’s ideas (emphasis on reading— videos are too time-consuming). I sometimes play video games (mostly phone apps), though I am very much a casual gamer, seeking only a diversion, not one more reason to feel stress. I am a time management nut, and tech tools help with that, too. 

That’s why I thought I would write about tech tools on my blog because when I am thinking of buying something, an app or a device, I like reading what other people say about it, especially if they are real people, not sales reps. But every time I started to write something, I ran into this problem where I would feel as if I was helping some huge corporation make money. I also worried because what if I convince someone to spend money they can’t afford to spend on something they don’t really need? Most of the time, no one needs another device or app. Most of us use some kind of system that includes a set of built-in apps that are comprehensive and can be creatively adapted to whatever you need. And paper and pencil work, too!

So despite my enthusiasm for the topic and the fact that I wanted to provide information that I have found helpful from others, I never could bring myself to write up more than one or two reviews. I stand by my rave reviews of Scrivener for writing. (And yet, I know people who can’t seem to make it work for them and I think that’s fine—you have to do what works for you. Of course, Scrivener is nice enough to provide free trial periods, or it does as I write this, so that can give you a chance to see if it could work for you.)

Then came 2025. Just following the news of terrible people doing terrible things means I now have increased awareness of the deeply harmful philosophies guiding the men leading the tech industry. I say men deliberately. As a white woman, I acknowledge that there are a lot of terrible white women for whom hypocrisy is their lifeblood, but in the tech industry, we need to be clear it’s all about men who lack the ability to hear anyone except those who agree with them (and that is a recipe for disaster, as we all know firsthand this year). These men funded and empowered the antidemocratic, cruel, atavistic group forcing themselves upon our country. I’ve heard some tech leaders want to transform our democracy into a set of corporate states, the company town writ large. It sounds insane, the kind of thing you come up with when you lack empathy, you never studied history, when everything has come too easily to you, and when you’ve been shielded from the consequences of your mistakes, so you are now confident that you should call the shots for everyone in the entire world and this is just…well, all good reasons to jump up and down on every tech toy I own, disconnect the wifi, etcetera.

I won’t, but I also won’t feel sad if/when things break down so completely that there is no more stable electrical grid, no more cell service, no more internet, all the things that a thriving democratic government can support through its infrastructure and, yes, with the help of employees with living wages, healthcare, human rights, and the ability to retire with dignity.

So I won’t discuss or recommend anything, except to say that when I find out that something I like is made in a company from a country with a healthy democracy, that makes me feel better about buying it and using it.