So my actual plan
1: Less internet. Will still try to hop on Twitch now and then to support people I want to see thrive, but overall I don’t need to be constantly plugged into “what’s new” and “what people are talking about”. I have things to build, music to record, and work that I’ve still be struggling to reclaim my old pace with. I boycotted Nintendo for years and switched to Linux as my daily driver after Recall invaded Windows. I can survive a bit less Youtube and Twitch.

2: Make things for myself. Because big tech and AAA games are so busy riding economic bubbles to billions and hoping not to be the one visible on top when it finally breaks. If I make what I want myself, then watching the old creative leads tumble won’t hurt as much.

3: Open Tech. There’s been various mods, tools, and other hackery I’ve thrown together over the years that might be useful for others. On the whole I’ve tried to be good about picking permissive licenses when it made sense and sharing most of the code that I think others might want. But now I’m thinking it would be wise to also share the ones I don’t necessarily think others will want. As long as I verify there’s nothing sensitive in the code and that I can toss it out the wild with an MIT/BSD/CC0 type license, I think putting more out where it’s not hidden by layers of logins and platform-specific ownership is going to be the best I can do to leave a helpful mark on the world. Maybe. I currently do not feel like the copyleft strategy for libre software is the right approach to challenging existing social and cultural assumption of the values of ownership and control. In my eyes, the legal system and the heavy power of big entities to weld it over the little is the enemy. Seeking legal loopholes to enforce a self-propagating entity that only survives so long as legal powers agree with it is going to fail the moment the courts change their opinions on the loophole.

4: Survive. Better diet (mostly trying to cut down gluten and citrus) and more exercise (I need to be able to run again). Not for “health” or for a “resolution” but because of recent events that suggest the next few years may be an existential gamble. And while I don’t like being sad, on the whole, I like living. And if I want to keep living, I’d better be ready to throw a punch or operate the right tool when the time comes. Because I am currently living in a state that has historically not been nice to people like me, so if the current trajectory of things continues, I will be needing these skills sooner than later.

5: Sleep more. I’m tired. In several ways. Sleep won’t solve all of it but it sure can solve some of it.