October 13, 2023: News stresses me out, brushing teeth without toothpaste, HD instead of 4K

October 13, 2023 Woke up around 8:30 a.m. today, got toilet paper from the bathroom, masturbated, then got up, went back to the bathroom, washed my face with cold water. I have red spots around my nose on my cheeks. I think my body is trying to tell me that I ate too much sugar yesterday. My eyes are red (since yesterday).

Then I grabbed my laptop and googled eye health. I love to do stretching, push-ups, headstands etc. after a day at the laptop to keep my body fit, but I don't do any muscle exercises for my eyes, which are also controlled by muscles and practically only look straight ahead all day. That's why I've been thinking about circling and stretching my eye muscles a little before going to bed.

I then watched the news out of curiosity after my conversation with mom over breakfast about Israel and Hamas' attack on Israel and realized once again how it triggers stress in me. Before, when I used to watch the news every day, I wasn't aware of this. But after a longer break, I realized what a negative impact negative, sad news has on me.

I think it's a shame that Israel is responding to hate with hate by bombing the Gaza Strip. This only stirs up more hatred against Israel. Fathers who have lost their families as a result of these attacks will certainly join Hamas and respond to Israel's hatred with hatred again. It would be much more effective in the long term to respond to hatred with love. If you don't accept a gift, it stays with the giver. It is the same with hate. If you don't accept hate, it stays with the hater. I closed the news page and calmed down.

After brushing my teeth with a conventional toothpaste, I noticed that my teeth were rough afterwards. Before, they were very smooth and shiny. My mouth also felt drier than before. Observations that I had never noticed because my mind was always elsewhere when I was brushing my teeth and I wasn't interested in such observations.

I stood in front of the mirror and thought: Maybe brushing teeth with toothpaste isn't necessary and does more harm than good? What happens if I skip the toothpaste? If I just scrub my teeth with the toothbrush, cleaning mechanically? I tried it out immediately.

I moistened the brush head lightly and began to brush. Saliva formed in my mouth, more and more, the longer I scrubbed. And the saliva foamed like toothpaste. I was surprised that it worked so well. I decided to start an experiment from today onwards: Brushing teeth without toothpaste.

After brushing my teeth, I watched what I hoped would be the last YouTube video: It was a documentary about cuddle parties recommended to me on the YouTube homepage. Then I blocked YouTube in ScreenTime. But since I am also a YouTube content creator and earn money from it, I allowed the URL "studio.youtube.com". This way, I can upload videos and manage my channel, but I can't watch other videos.

By default, I have blocked the entire web in Screen Time and allowed only the sites I use like PayPal, YouTube Creator, Amazon, Wikipedia, etc., except for YouTube, Google, and Ecosia, as I use them as a search engine. ChatGPT is installed on my Mac, and I would use it to acquire knowledge instead of using a search engine for that purpose.

In the future, with ScreenTime, I can block allowed sites if they make my life difficult or bother me.

When I blocked YouTube, the idea came to me to edit the videos not in 4k, but in HD. That's completely sufficient because the difference in my videos is hardly noticeable on normal screens, but editing in 4k consumes much more computer resources.

Since I no longer felt like watching videos and also didn't feel like reading, I practiced skateboarding with Laura's skateboard. It was windy but very sunny.

When I went back to my laptop, I found that the entire URL block wasn't working properly or I couldn't turn it on due to a bug, and all installed apps suddenly requested access to websites that I have to allow in Screentime every time I start the app. So, I immediately turned it off and looked for a better solution. What prevents me from being productive is being online, having access to the internet. So, I just need to turn off the Wi-Fi in the top right corner. But unfortunately, it's too easy to turn the Wi-Fi back on, so: First, I removed the visible Wi-Fi symbol and turned on automatic connection to networks in the Wi-Fi networks, so I have to manually click into the internet.

Meanwhile, I changed my username on the Mac to my email address, which is then displayed on the lock screen. If I ever lose my Mac, hopefully, the good finder can contact me via email.

I was just at NP in Borsum to buy toast, bread, and a cucumber. Of course, barefoot. And surprisingly, again, no hello from the passersby I met.

In conversation with my mom, I noticed that I sometimes interrupt her too quickly. I need to stop doing that. From today on, I will make sure to start talking only when my conversation partner has finished speaking. Why is it important not to interrupt others? I noticed that when I interrupted her, I saw that she still wanted to say something, and when I spoke then, I wasn't sure if she was even listening to me, instead of thinking about the unfinished thought. I shouldn't criticize my mother either but rather make suggestions on how she could do something better.

In the evening, I realized that I am not yet ready to live a life without Google. I reactivated the search engine Ecosia. But with YouTube, it went very well today - not a single video since this morning.

In the evening, where I usually let myself be entertained by YouTube videos, I got the idea on the sofa to research prepaid SIM cards and look at flip phones on Amazon. Such a flip phone, of course, has the advantage that it's not so tragic if it gets lost like an expensive iPhone. And you also don't have to charge it as often. According to the Amazon description, such a phone can stay in standby for a month without being charged. And if I were to turn it off, like I turn off my iPhone, then it would surely last forever. And as for prepaid cards: I wouldn't pay monthly but rather top up the card and only pay as much as I consume.

But for now, it was just a thought to buy a flip phone because my bank needs internet access, my mobile contract is still running, and what about the great 4K camera of my iPhone? Do I want to miss out on that? Then I couldn't take any more photos... I don't know if that's such a good idea.

Then at least one thing occurred to me that I want to get used to: only using Wi-Fi for internet access and no mobile data. This way, I wouldn't max out my data plan, but I also wouldn't be tempted to do anything on the internet while out and about. Just like people survived without mobile data in the past, I'm sure I could too.

But what if I need to find a way? Google Maps? I thought. I could ask people, or preview and memorize the route beforehand, or find a free Wi-Fi access point and then use the Maps app. Or simply take screenshots of the route in the app before setting off. The good thing about this is that I'm training my orientation and memory. But then I turned on the maps with mobile data and Wi-Fi turned off. It's an offline map that shows my GPS position. Okay, no big deal using maps without mobile data.

I had similar doubts when I disabled the browser on my smartphone. Then I wondered: What if I need to google something important or log into a website while on the go? That has never happened before. I've always found a solution and am very glad that I no longer use the browser on my phone. I NEVER want to re-enable it (but I will).

The beauty of life without mobile data is that I'm learning to manage without my phone and thus connect with other people, which is good for my social skills. I immediately put this into practice: Under "Mobile Data," I disabled access to mobile data, especially for my banking app, which consumes the most data. Then I turned off the mobile data. And to prevent myself from turning it back on spontaneously, I disabled the ability to turn on mobile data under "Content and Privacy" restrictions. Now I can't accidentally turn on mobile data anymore. This reduces my mobile data usage by 100% starting today.

But to prepare for a life with a flip phone, I would also need to learn not only to live without mobile data but especially without a camera and Apple Pay on the phone. Hmm, what if I need to take an important photo? What if I need to film a crime? Hmm, I don't film, I act, I thought. But then I was stopped again by a valid doubt: How will I digitize my documents? The last document I need to digitize is my master's thesis. After that, I'll tear it up and throw it in the paper trash. And my MacBook has a good camera. That's enough. Otherwise, everyone in my family has a smartphone. More sharing instead of owning - that's how I imagine the society of the future.

In my world, not everyone has a good camera. Not because people can't afford such a camera, but because they don't want it. They don't take photos and videos, but experience the moment with their own eyes and store the memories in their brains, even if the memories fade. But for those who absolutely want to capture something in a photo or video, there are professional photographers. After a brief consideration, I also dared to block the camera app and my Apple Wallet in Screen Time. Let's see if I can handle that.

When I turned on my phone, Mom called me. She's staying with Julien today. I checked WhatsApp. Anna didn't reply to me. I feel like she doesn't really want to get to know me. And I also think that we wouldn't be a good fit in the long run. That's why I deleted the chat with her and her number. As Maxim Mankevich said: To achieve something, you have to let it go first. She can take as much time as she wants. From today on, I won't waste a single thought on her anymore. She can reach out whenever she wants, and I'll decide if we'll still meet for a date. A message from Galja: Gogi's apartment is sold.

I went into the bathroom. Took the toothbrush in my right hand, averted my gaze from the mirror, was about to reach for the toothpaste briefly until I remembered that I no longer use toothpaste from today on. So, I simply wet the toothbrush with water and brushed my teeth with it. It even foamed a bit, as if I had used a toothpaste tablet. Surprisingly, my front teeth still felt smooth. My saliva is doing a good job. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea after all to disrupt the oral microbiome with toothpaste and previously with antibacterial mouthwash?

Those were significant changes today, on Friday the 13th.

1. Just as one trains other muscles in the body, one should also train the eye muscles.
2. I should learn not to interrupt others, because when I interrupt someone, they aren't listening to me anyway, as they still have their interrupted thought in mind.
3. Offer suggestions instead of criticizing.

Micro Changes:

1. Experiment started: Brushing teeth without toothpaste.
2. Cutting YouTube videos in HD instead of 4k. The difference is hardly noticeable, but it saves a lot of resources (power, storage space). That's significantly more environmentally friendly.
3. I've deactivated ApplePay.