Personal
I may share more personal thoughts at times. These are the posts where I will open up a little.
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As a blogger and someone curious about many topics, I often feel I miss opportunities to become an expert in certain fields. Generative AI is one example. It gained public attention in the fall of 2022. At that time, when generative AI started to gather attention in the public, I should have recognized this important moment. I should have taken the chance to gather knowledge and organize it like a true researcher. I’m very analytical in general. I ask good questions. I have the tools and the motivation to do this work. Now, it feels overwhelming to catch up.
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I’m spending a lot of time online and on my computer each week for my blogs, probably around 10 to 25 hours. I wonder how skilled I could become if I dedicated those hours to learning a new field like psychology or music.
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Some are doing vibe coding but me, I’m having a good vibe because of the view. 😬😜
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It’s been a while but recent news and trends about AI-based bots trying to ruin the life of psychologically vulnerable people triggered an update to my /nope page.
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I often repeat this thought in my head when I’m in challenging times: “everything around me has been done by people not smarter than me.”. It’s inspired by Steve Jobs’ words from an interview he did in the early 1990s, where he was reflecting on how empowering it is to realize that the world is built by people just like us — and that we can reshape it too.
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It’s one of those Monday that will take a hard time to get started. 😅 I had such a great weekend. Let’s get this done.
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What, You Have a Blog? Really?
I overheard people at the office talking about their weekend activities. I wasn’t in the conversation, but I’m always prepared for those. I never talk about my writing hobby or the many websites I maintain. Most people would find this strange. They’d say things like, “What, you have a blog? Really?” Yes, that’s right. I prefer to skip all that and talk about a walk in the park, in the forest, and maybe about photography. Blogging is like people collecting stamps back in the day. Sad.
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Close to a personal turning point… I find this to be both exciting and unsettling. I’ll probably share more very soon. 🤞🏻
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Since coming back from vacation, my morning routine is simple and is always the same: wake up, make coffee, open up the Mac, read Micro.blog timeline, update the current issue of The Ephemeral Scrapbook, do some photo-processing work, tweak my secret work-in-progress-soon-to-be-revealed website with Elements, and read some news before having breakfast.
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Five Years Ago - Confinement
Five years ago. COVID was hitting hard after two months of confinement. Distant memories already. Hard to believe. I still wear emotional injuries from that time. It wasn’t easy, and nothing really returned to normal since then. With current geopolitical events, things seems different and somewhat worse to some degree. Difficult times, indeed.
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I’m excited about the next two days as I will be traveling by train from Montreal to Quebec City. I enjoy train travel between those two cities because it’s relaxing, the scenery is usually beautiful, and the weather should be nice. I appreciate the opportunity to embrace modern technology; I’ll be able to work remotely from my laptop, with my iPhone’s 5G connection to stay productive while on the move.
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My Current Incomplete and Troubled Bucket List
While revisiting my writing projects pipeline, I found this unfinished blog post. It’s a bucket list. It was inspired by Manton Reece’s Revisiting 43 Things blog post. Recent comments in italic.
- Rent a country house for the whole summer, outside Canada — I would have been in the US, but this plan is on hold, because of Trump’s America.
- Get my house renovated — Completed!
- Do another trip with my two sons — TBD.
- Return to California to see the new Apple headquarters — This plan is on hold, because of Trump’s America.
- Visit Chicago — This plan is on hold, because of Trump’s America.
- See the launch of a rocket from Space X — Fuck Elon Musk.
- Return to Iceland — Most probable.
Given the current political environment, I must carefully reconsider each item on this list and remove the ones that will not happen.
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Dear ChatGPT, Describe Me Based on All Our Chats
“👋 I’m a tech veteran by trade, creative by heart. With 30+ years in IT — from data centers to cloud, storage, and security — I help businesses build smarter, more resilient infrastructures. But when the day job ends, my creative side kicks in.
I’m a lifelong Apple fan, blogger, photographer, and content creator who loves blending tech with design. Whether I’m exploring the latest in cybersecurity, testing new apps, or writing about digital privacy, I bring a thoughtful eye and a creative edge.
I believe staying curious — and staying creative — is the best way to thrive in a tech-driven world.”
Not bad.
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Shared something really personal today on my Ko-fi page. Available to my dear supporters (yes, I have a few!)
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That Question That Keeps Coming Back
For some time now, I’ve had a question that keeps coming back to my mind because I often use Bluesky to express my distress or frustration against Trump, Musk, and the entire little clique of authoritarians at the head of the United States. If, in the near future, the situation in the U.S. deteriorates to the point where government groups start hunting down activists like me, who openly denounce Trump’s authoritarian policies and his inner circle, should I censor myself to avoid any form of persecution when I decide to return to the United States?
I fear the day when bloggers will be hunted down to silence them—or worse, to have them arrested in the name of disrespecting the American presidency. Is it precisely the presidency’s game to instill fear so they can continue their authoritarian actions by manipulating people like me?
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Paying Attention
I’m likely spending an excessive amount of time reading the news through various channels and sources. However, given the numerous events unfolding right now that will significantly shape our lives over the next few decades, I believe it’s crucial to pay close attention to them. Regardless of the method, one day, these events will undoubtedly have a clear and immediate impact on me and my loved ones.
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Musing About Journaling Goals
I maintain a daily journal at work where I jot down the day’s highlights. I write about what went well, the current challenges I’m facing, and any opportunities to do something different. I also note the clients I spoke to and the reasons behind it. I’ve been doing this for a while now, but I never refer to the journal once it’s written. It’s just a dump of my thoughts.
I wonder why I’m doing this. I think the act of writing it down is the ultimate goal, not the end results. It’s the same with my personal journal. I rarely write in it, but I do occasionally. I rarely, if ever, refer to it. Why is that?
Now, let’s talk about blogging. Why is all that? Is there a pattern here?
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I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about our respective hobbies as content creators. He’s quite into YouTube, while I’m more into writing. At one point, we discussed the importance of being transparent with our employers about our hobbies. Since we share our content publicly, we should consider informing our HR department, at least according to him. I’m not entirely convinced about this, though. Nobody really knows about what I’m doing online with my blogs and YouTube channel. According to my friend, it might be a positive thing that my HR department is aware of what I’m doing because this puts me in a different class of employee, even my boss should know.
I’m still contemplating whether this is a requirement or not. After all, my hobbies don’t negatively affect my job, so why should I discuss my personal pursuits when I’m not working?
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So I launched my personal website in French yesterday by writing a very short post on my Facebook account. Many people visited the blog for sure, and got one message via Messenger from a guy that I barely know. A few of my closest friends wrote to me, those I selected to a get a peek before the “official” launch. It’s fun to connect without all the usual noise.
On a different note, I spend 2 minutes looking at my Facebook timeline and boy this is junk. I don’t understand why people are still paying attention to Facebook. What a cancer.