Death is inevitable, yet most of us are woefully unprepared. Fear and lack of time often prevent us from putting our affairs in any order, leaving our loved ones to pick up the pieces of a difficult period compounded by uncertainty. While a legal will can address the distribution of assets, it often falls short in capturing the nuanced personal wishes that truly matter.
Its short but fear not we will be back with a longer talk and much more detail at Oggcamp Manchester 2026.
To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
Ian thinks: New scientist’s video conversation is a fantastic summary of some of the worst recent technology ideas. There’s all the usual ones and a few surprising ones but make sense when explained.
Ian thinks: Everyone is talking about vibe coding and there is a lot of discussion for and against. However this well researched piece in hackaday, really breaks down the destruction of the open source ecosystem. From the endless bug reports to the degrading of reusable code. Those vibes are the new kool-aid, rooting ecosystems everywhere.
Ian thinks: The FT have a new series looking at the many issues which come from AI systems and intimacy. Perfectly timed for Valentines day… Through the series covers a lot of my thoughts about intimacy, the artificial intimacy, really touches so much of the future challenges we see with emotional hijacking
Ian thinks: Following on from the last link, Dr.Malik breaks down the different ways artificial intimacy is realistically happening now and finds research which points at its impact. There is blunt and real figures which are suitable for adults, but its worthy of watching as it makes this whole era of intimacy very real.
Ian thinks: This interview sheds a lot of light on the very dark side of gamification. If you were under any illusion how damaging gamification can be when controlled by someone else or entity. This discussion will make you rethink and readdress existing ideas. I personally sent it to someone in the last month.
Ian thinks: Being in the space of digital legacy, I can not understand how Meta was granted the patent as there are so many people who have setup DIY systems to do similar. Its pretty gross I personally think, especially if not done in a honest way.
Ian thinks: Future Media Hubs is a combination of many public service broadcasters mainly across Europe. This year, has some noticeable points for many different sectors including social, AI and young people. If you want to get a grip of what’s on broadcasts minds, this trend report speaks volume.
Ian thinks: I recently finished blood in the machine, about the luddities movement started in the north of England. Since then I have been thinking about how this applies to the technology we use everyday. Of course I’m not the only one as the story of the luddite club first heard on Tech won’t save us, makes super clear. Can’t wait to see the documentary.
Ian thinks: A while Google said they were going to get all developers to register before they can publish apps, then made side-loading even more difficult. The response from Android users & developers was strong, google then backed off. However months later, the pinky promise is no more, as Fdroid makes clear in their blog. If you care for an open ecosystem even if you are a IOS user, sign the petition.
Ian thinks: The trials over social media currently happening in the states is horrifying. There is a lot be said about each and every case. Taking a look just one, Mollys case is a real eye opener and this online piece really demonstrates how the incentives of traditional social media companies are so misaligned with humanity and real life.
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Work smarter with the business
With the new business, I’m getting to grips with the general running of it. However there is a load of things to learn including some of the possibilities had not considered before like the benefits of being a digital nomad.
Finish my dating book
Another throw back to 2025, As described in my review; Hannah is having one last review before it heads out to the list of agents and publishers I have found. I’ll give a bit of time but afterwards I’ll be self publishing it myself by the end of 2025. Alongside this, myself and Jess have started a currently unreleased but very related podcast. I would be foolish to not mention the online datingmanifesto.cc.
Do more with the scooter
I recently MOT’ed my currently scooter but considering I should keep it or sell it? I have been looking around at buying another scooter. I recently spotted a Yamaha TMAX 650 in Barcelona which looks so great and a better choice than the Honda Forza 750, which has poor storage. The dreams of a electric maxi-scooter have all but gone however.
Listen to 28 Audiobooks in a year
Its surprising how many books I’m going through but this year I’m going to push a bit more. Next year is 30 which will be a leap but a good stretch goal, encouraging me to listen when I tend to just play some of my mixes.
Create a DJ hackday It’s time for a DJ hackday, I just got a early alpha of the Drift DJ one and I just can’t help but think its time for change.in the DJ market. Especially reading this post about the Pacemaker device, which spurred me to look back through my old presentations about how ground breaking it is/was.
Spend more time with family My parents are getting older and I am quite far away from them. My dad has a degenerative disease and its weighed heavy on my actions and mind. Spending more time with them and the rest of my extended family is something I can do better in 2026. I still have a lot of time for friends and want to get a bit more serious about them, rather than leaving it to the last minute. Of course Alison is someone I think about a lot; now being engaged, I’m thinking a lot more about our future together and how to make this the best it can be together.
Personal knowledge management and task re-managed
I’m a little torn. Vikunja is good, so is Anytype.but the hard part is the initial capture. Something I started doing is using the notes to yourself in Signal to do the start of something I guess I should be using Anytype but I feel like I need to do the categorisation at the same time. I also wonder if I actually trust anytype? With Joplin, its all local and I can understand the model, anytype I find more tricky.
Vikunja’s dependence on the UI does bug me, as one of the big selling points was the CALDav integration. Then I find the login a pain every single time, i reboot I’m going to try self hosting it again and find a way to do a 3 way sync if possible?
Go to a new Rollercoaster park or ride a new ride
A regular resolution but a good one with a twist. I recently went back to Helsinki and seriously enjoyed Taiga at Linnanmäki. Certainly in my top 10. I still haven’t been on Hyperia either, although waiting in the queue for a long time. 2026 has to be the year!
Copyright by Justin Garvanovic – https://rcdb.com/7722.htm
Learn when to self-host and when to not Related to the one above, I am getting the message about self-hosting. I think its great but there are times when I need to be more thoughtful. With this, its likely a good idea to either considering owning a VPS (which I have done in the past) or shell out money for hosted solutions. To be fair my Vikunja is exactly that and so is my Wallabag and even this blog. Both I could self-host but have decided to just pay the money and use the export to satisfy ownership needs.
Get more experimental with my Sourdough bread I have quite enjoyed baking bread thanks to my friend Paul sharing his starter. I’m not planning to get super serious about it but listening to the chapter titled Air in Cooked, I feel I experiment a bit more. Its ben fun and playing with Spelt and other flours is just the start.
Go to a new country
As always this a good one and I’m looking at you Switzerland, Czechia and Austria again. Although I am also thinking South Korea after needing to cancel in the pandemic and part of me wants to head to Taiwan but maybe I’m going to be too late?
Learn to drive a car
I’m keeping this one alive, especially since seeing some of my god/page children driving now. I know its been in my new resolutions for ages but maybe 2026 is the year finally?
Wired magazine has a good summary of the death tech or I prefer digital legacy space. I can believe the sector is worth 125,000,000,000 dollars but people are throwing money around in the wrong places I feel.
The best part of the video comes when talking about what people can actually do to take some control over their digital legacy. First step get a will, talk with your family and finally take some control of your data now.
This is why I have been working on machine readable wishes, which work alongside a will. It could be super useful to help people take control of their legacy in the future. The beauty of it is, that it is legal now (in common law countries), doesn’t require any major changes and is open source.
To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
Ian thinks: Rushkoff’s story about borrowing a drill and community has become similar to the billionares and the event story. Rushkoff calls it a revolutionary act, I call it an act of community interest, something we rarely see in
Ian thinks: This interview with professor Ingrid Robeyns, is a good listen especially after reading Limitarianism and thinking about the problems of inequality. I wonder if anyone in government is taking notes as there are so many voices and credible research pointing to the same conclusion.
Ian thinks: Like it or not, Rossmann speech about the right to repair, how we can’t own anything as the makers find more clever ways to enshittify is on point. I am sure Samsung’s fridge with adverts you can’t turn off, would be in a updated version if redone now..
Ian think: Karen Hao, has been the rounds recently with the Empires of AI book. This is one of the best conversations/interviews I seen with her. The mid point and end points are well argued by Hao, touching deeply on the need to make their own religious pyramids of technology.
Ian thinks: Do you remember when people use to “hard” post? What happened? According to Chayka many things. From algorithms, ephemeral, context collapse, advertising, etc. Let’s not forget the effect of bots too.
Ian thinks: in 1985 most won’t remember the Ozone hole threat as its so baked into the world we live in now. Tristan talks with Susan about the solution and how it can be applied now to the AI challenge.
Ian thinks: Nobel peace-prize winning journalist’s conversation with the Daily shows’s Jon Steward about the state of journalism and authoritarian, is a rare and frank exchange with Maria Ressa making it super clear how the playbook happened almost a decade ago and how they tried to alert the world back then.
Ian thinks: If this is true and the video summary isn’t off the mark. There is a big question about where do people go? We always knew having a duopoly for mobile devices was going to blow up in our faces.
Ian thinks: Meredith Whittaker tells it as it is, is great in this interview about how she got started in the tech industry, signal gate, AI, masculinity and so much more. Her insight on how “useful” AI agents are infiltration services such as Whatsapp and Signal is spot on.
Who doesn’t want to meet the space wranglers this year?
Its September and the Mozilla Festival is right around the corner. Now is a very good time to book a hotel and get your ticket for the first global festival since London in 2019.
If you haven’t heard the tickets or badges have gone through a bit of a change too, thanks in part from the space wranglers speaking up and the Mozilla Foundation hearing our heartfelt concerns. The wranglers have always been thinking about the communities we represent and the result of this is the community badges/tickets.
But don’t worry, if you want to support the Mozilla Foundation which are (I imagine) thinking a lot about the recent DOJ judgement, but earn a bit of a bonus too. Use the promocode – IF-WRANGLER to get 25% off and individual tickets and 50% off group tickets (when buying in batches of 5 or more).
The notion of a letter of wishes: How Letter of Wishes works currently legally in the UK, what can be described and why they exist.
Fungible vs non-fungible: We will discuss the challenges which come with fungible of the Letter of Wishes. Exploring the unique potential to bridge the gap between human intention and automated execution.
Automated Support: Discuss how Letter of Wishes could empower and leverage technology to be automated and provide assistance to families and executors.
Empowering Your Legacy: Explore how this can be beneficial to society and the data ecosystem ensuring peoples final wishes are honoured with precision and care.
I hopefully won’t be alone… as I work best with others and the person who I’ve been talking to has such a great reputation and standing.
Earlier in the conference, I will also be presenting an early alpha of the online dating manifesto (name may change). As you can imagine, mydata is a perfect place to talk through this, find interesting ways forward and people also interested.
I was made aware of Google’s OPAL project and reminded of how strong pipelines can be for managing complexity.
The pipes are described by prompts but interestingly you can reuse and share pipes and the whole flow. Which leads me to wonder if there might be a little market place for the pipes?
Might need to keep an eye on Opal, but wondering if there are better solutions. For example Xproc which can interface with APIs of large language model without getting into the weeds?
These user interface changes I have lots of thoughts about them from a design and UI point of view (most which has been said elsewhere). However my biggest thought is the underlying problems of our smartphones and our tired notions. (especially since finishing the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt and the The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher.
After all the hype and attention, I did fiid the book reasonable. There are parts I did question and frown at but generally it’s not as ground breaking as the press made out.
It strikes me, these are the horrible phase of a pig with a touch of lipstick.
The whole way we use smartphones is broken, I’m not that excited about glassy or blobby elements but it feels like were not getting to the root of the issue. Abuse of user/owner data, lack of user/owner agency and the mass surveillance of millions of people through their smartphones can’t got on as its has…
I’d love to see a new paradigm in the same way both companies have tried to tackle the huge rise in smartphone thief’s. Its not like we don’t have the technology to provide advanced protections for user data but rather each one (Apple & Google) benefit from access to the data. I know people will say yes Google but Apple protects user data access? Likely they do but then become the gatekeeper to your data means they can also offer it to trusted parties?
However this isn’t about that question, I’m questioning why so much work has gone into the UI and not into how to make reconsidering the problems of how we use them?
Although old, this still feels clunky and could be done much better with better integration with the operating system
Using the scoped storage as a example. This limits an application to a certain space on the file system. iOS and now Android support this, but its a little clunky and almost encourages the owner of the phone to just accept all (This old tread highlights the problem).
Android recently put more emphasis on modes (basically profiles, which have been tried over and over again). It wouldn’t be difficult to tie modes to permissions too? The difference could be the user interface? I don’t have solid answers but I think about when (rarely) my Pixel goes into power saving mode when the battery is less than 20%. There is a visual UI clue but also it restricts the background data use too. I have heard about people turning on extreme power saving mode always for many reasons.
Some of you might say so what? This isn’t permissions and data but ultimately its the combination which is important. Its almost like their aim is just shift more new phones, regardless of the result… Of course! Some of you may say hey Ian, what would you change and how? My answer is simply I could rethink a bunch of things and I’m sure some of their teams already have but as usual its so low on the list as it doesn’t sell phones. Or even maybe they are waiting for regulation to force them to make the change?
I reflect on the AI/Gemini changes in Android and Google services, maybe I would like to use it for a limited scope of things and accept the results won’t be as great. But my only option is accept or decline. In 2025 this is bad and needs changing, heck I love for designers to take up the challenge of making this all seamlessly work with the ability to negotiate and change the scope at any time.
Really need to see Human Data Interaction replace Human Computer Interaction now because its become unacceptable in my eyes. Worst still it limits whats possible and leads to a outcome which doesn’t empower the owner/users.
