Latest news with #NathanDrescher
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Android Authority
I spent a week living like it was 1993 — here's how it went
Nathan Drescher / Android Authority Last week, I embarked upon an experiment. I wanted to know what it would feel like to live as if it were 1993 again. That year was the tail end of the analog era, just before the internet and Windows 95 and the first dot com bubble. I was a kid then, so I had some memory of how things were. But could I still function in that world today? For one week, I lived without modern technology unless it was absolutely necessary for work and emergencies. I carried a Discman, scribbled in a paper planner, and made phone calls instead of texting. It was chaotic at first, but oddly calming by the time it was all over. Here's how my week went. What tech would be the hardest for you to give up? 0 votes Smartphone NaN % Streaming music and video NaN % Smart home devices NaN % Google Maps NaN % Social media NaN % I could give it all up tomorrow NaN % Monday: Finding 90s tech Nathan Drescher / Android Authority Woke up like normal. Wait, no I didn't. My phone alarm didn't go off, because I no longer had a smartphone. Those hadn't been invented yet. I was late. Got up, rushed around, got my kids fed and dressed and off to school. I completely forgot what I was supposed to do next because I had no reminders or even a calendar. By this point, I was thinking maybe I should have prepped a little before starting this experiment. Thankfully, I actually lived through 1993 once already, albeit as a kid, but at least I knew what to look for. Tracking down a functioning Discman was no easy feat, however. The thrift stores had a bunch, almost all of them broken. I finally found one that worked well enough, along with some CDs: Alice in Chains, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Ace of Bass. For those who never used one, a Discman is a portable CD player about the size of a paperback novel. It skips when you walk, eats AA batteries, and looks like a museum artifact. I normally stream music from YouTube Music, but for this week, I had to rely on physical discs. I also grabbed a Blue Jays pennant celebrating their two back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993. Nathan Drescher / Android Authority Media in the 90s hit different The Discman was fragile and drained AA batteries almost as quickly as I could swap them out. I had to recharge them overnight. Yes, I used rechargeables, so I guess I cheated a little. The Discman was also incredibly quick to skip, unless I stood perfectly still. There were no podcasts in the 90s, so I replaced those with AM talk radio for about a minute, and then switched to FM. It felt strange not choosing what to listen to on demand, but it was also freeing. It was one less thing I needed to worry about. Admittedly, I used my Xbox to play DVDs I borrowed from the library. Nobody had VHS, and I couldn't even find a VHS player at the second-hand stores, so we had to settle for DVD. But going to the library with my kids and picking out some movies brought back a deep nostalgia for Blockbuster. My kids even had the same excitement I remember having, so this was a total win. So was watching The Simpsons every day, just like when I was a teenager. Tuesday: Relearning communications Nathan Drescher / Android Authority I had to recreate the feel of having a landline phone. We don't have a landline here in the Drescher home, so I flipped my trusty RedMagic 10 Pro over on a table in the hallway and it became our DeFacto home phone. It was weird. Every time I wanted to get in touch with someone, I had to walk to the hallway and pick it up, just like I used to do with the family phone on the kitchen wall in the 90s. I forced myself to make phone calls instead of sending messages, an event which took one of my friends completely by surprise when his phone rang and I was on the other end. It may have been the first time I've ever called him, despite knowing him for years. The Discman started skipping like mad on one of my daily jogs, which turned into a slow-motion walk. For some reason, it started doing this thing where once it began skipping, it never stopped. I found I had to take the CD out and put it back to reset it. I'd take an iPod over this, but I would have had to wait another ten years. Wednesday: Task management by hand Nathan Drescher / Android Authority Without my Fastmail calendar or ToDoist, I was lost. My first two days were a grind, although by Wednesday, I was already getting used to not having messages or social media. It was surprisingly refreshing, to be honest. I had also solved my task management problem by picking up a day planner from the dollar store. I figured I would only use it for a week, so there was no point in splurging. This required a bit of initial self-discipline. There were no push notifications or buzzing smartwatches, so I had to make myself check the planner multiple times per day. Everything was manual. Adding events took the kind of thoughtful precision I had completely forgot about. It was more work, but I found it helped me focus. Writing tasks by hand made them feel real, and I seemed to remember them better, as well. Thursday: Sending a postcard the old way I was cruising through my week by Thursday. I hadn't grown sick of Alice in Chains or Ace of Bass, surprisingly. It would have been nice to have splurged on some more CDs, but I decided not to spend too much money on this. I also sent a postcard to a friend who lives in Alberta, on the other side of the country from me here in Ottawa. I sent it as a joke. A real-life postcard. I even went and bought a stamp for it and everything. Normally, I would have sent him a meme or GIF over RCS or Messenger, but those things didn't exist in 1993. Too bad Canada Post, our national mail carrier, went on strike right then. In the 90s, I wouldn't have expected an instant reply anyway. Friday: My old favorite games suck now Nathan Drescher / Android Authority I've been spoiled for games in the modern era, because when I downloaded a copy of the original Sid Meier's Civilizations and fired it up, I was horrified. The graphics are practically neolithic. The options are as basic as anything. I realized how far we've come in gaming. I game on a modern PC or an XBox Series X nowadays, or strap my Quest 2 on my head and play golf when I'm feeling motivated. I'm used to detailed graphics, ray effects, sprawling storylines, and high framerates. Games in 1993 had none of that! And yet I remember playing Civilization, Wolfenstein, and Lemmings for hours at a time. What I learned from a low-tech week The day ended and with that, my week of living in 1993. I realized how little some things have changed. For example, the microwave, fridge, food, and other appliances were pretty much all the same. But life was definitely slower and quieter in 1993. This experiment reminded me how often I rely on modern tech to fill every idle moment. Dropping it for a week made me more present in the moment, at least temporarily. I listened to entire albums instead of playlists. I remembered plans. I talked to people on the phone and laughed with my kids. This kind of stuff matters. Would I do it again? Sure. Would I recommend it? Maybe, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed with life. Simply unplug for a bit and groove to some Ace of Bass.
Android Authority
22-06-2025
- Business
- Android Authority
Fastmail replaced my Gmail and I'm never going back
Nathan Drescher / Android Authority I had the digital equivalent of an epiphany the other day. I opened my inbox and saw…email. Only email. There were no ads, no AI-generated summaries, and no prompts. It was a strange, yet welcome, feeling after years of using Gmail. Checking my inbox no longer felt like an argument with an algorithm. That's because I switched to Fastmail earlier this year. It all began when I started distancing myself from American big tech platforms, where Google sits high on the list. I wanted something more private and more personal, with less bloat. Fastmail, an Australian company, caught my eye as a well-regarded alternative to Gmail. Six months in, I am confident I made the right choice. Would you leave Gmail for something more private? 0 votes Yes, already have. NaN % I'm thinking about it. NaN % Maybe, if Gmail gets worse. NaN % No, I'm staying with Google. NaN % Why I left Gmail and Google Calendar Nathan Drescher / Android Authority It wasn't only because Gmail is part of a big monopolistic American tech corporation. It wasn't only the insane amounts of data it collected. It was the cluttered UI and the push towards AI-driven features I never asked for. Google Calendar, meanwhile, does its job, but has begun to feel like it's trying to be something more than it is. Gemini is snooping more and more in Calendar, trying to be helpful but getting in the way. All of it felt more corporate than personal. What I wanted was a fast, private email that respected my time and let me work. I wanted a calendar that synced reliably across platforms without becoming another vector for distraction. I seriously considered Proton Mail. I have great respect for what the company is building. However, I have heard from others about occasional delivery hiccups, and I can't afford to miss an interview with a subject or an important follow-up with a client. Reliability was non-negotiable. Proton was out. How Fastmail fits into my daily life Nathan Drescher / Android Authority Fastmail handles all my email needs. The interface is clean and responsive. No tabs, no promotions. Just email. I can choose between a folder or tag structure, and I went with tags. It's one of the things I enjoy about Gmail. The Fastmail app is more than just email. There's a dropdown in the top left that allows me to switch to Calendar, Contacts, Notes, and even a cloud drive. The base plan comes with 50GB of storage, which isn't bad for $60 a year. The built-in calendar has been surprisingly strong. It syncs perfectly with the email side of the app, so appointments and meetings can be quickly added. I can share calendar events with others, even if they don't use Fastmail, and it looks great, as well. The base plan comes with 50GB of storage, which isn't bad for $60 a year. One feature I didn't expect to appreciate so much was the filtering system. I can control exactly how messages are sorted and what gets archived and flagged. It's like Gmail's labels, but with the user in mind. Notes are simple, but they work, and sync instantly between all devices. However, they're not as powerful or quick as Google Keep, so I still use that as my primary notetaking app. That said, I wasn't looking for a notes replacement. What I gained by switching Nathan Drescher / Android Authority The biggest gain in my life has been peace of mind. Fastmail isn't tracking me. My messages aren't being profiled, and Fastmail isn't trying to sell me anything. I pay it once a year, and it delivers my emails. I also gained reliability. Everything feels faster, with messages loading instantly and folders responding immediately. The search works great. There's no AI engine or smart features getting in the way. There's no AI engine or smart features getting in the way. Nathan Drescher Fastmail gives me control. I have control over my email and my calendar, and I can decide how things look and behave. That kind of ownership is preciously rare in modern digital services. Of course, there are still limits Nathan Drescher / Android Authority Nothing is perfect. Notes are barebones, and like I said, I don't use it often. It's certainly not a replacement for Keep. There's no deep integration with voice assistants, which could be a dealbreaker for some. I'm okay with it myself. There's also a learning curve when it comes to setting it up. I use a custom domain and had to mess around with my host's MX records, something I know little about. Once set up, however, it stayed out of the way. And it's not free. In this case, I'm happy to pay for something that works. I don't like being the product, after all. Fastmail gives me what I want Nathan Drescher / Android Authority It's a private and reliable alternative to Google's suite of apps. Sure, it doesn't have all the AI bells and whistles, but I see that as a selling point. I still use Google Keep, and I'm fine with that. I didn't set out to replace it, and the built-in notes feature that comes with Fastmail is more of an added bonus than a core feature for me. This was about finding tools that weren't American and respected my time and privacy. Fastmail has done exactly that. Fastmail is more than capable if you're looking to step away from the big tech oligopolies. You don't need to sacrifice usability, because Fastmail isn't trying to be clever. It just does its job well.
Android Authority
06-06-2025
- Android Authority
ChatGPT wasn't built for this, but it's now the center of my daily routine
Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority It hit me while I was standing in the grocery store with my phone out. I don't use note-taking apps anymore. My shopping list was sitting in a persistent chat with ChatGPT, right where it had created it for me after helping me plan my family's meals for the week. It even specified my daughter's favorite yogurt. This wasn't a one-off. I had slowly started using ChatGPT as a productivity tool for every part of my personal life. It started when I grew tired of juggling multiple apps for notes, lists, and reminders. I didn't want to bounce between half a dozen apps just to get stuff done. ChatGPT, as it turns out, is slowly turning into my super app, and I'm not sure that's what it was designed for. Would you use ChatGPT to manage your daily life? 0 votes Already do NaN % I might try it NaN % Not for me NaN % I didn't even know you could NaN % My use of AI is a little unconventional Nathan Drescher / Android Authority My day starts with a check-in. I open a persistent chat I call 'Today.' It's kind of my central hub. I get it to remember my day's tasks, set priorities, and work through what needs doing. If I tell it what times I have things to do, it's great at arranging my schedule for me. I'll ask it to help organize things by urgency, and it handles it all for me. When something new comes up, I just type it in. No form fields, no UI clutter. I keep a rolling list of time-sensitive items I review throughout the day. I need to remember to check it because ChatGPT doesn't have push notifications, but the low-friction input means I don't forget to capture things, so it evens out. Shopping and meal planning live in another chat. The grocery list gets updated throughout the week. It's easy to meal plan and then have ChatGPT create a shopping list, organized by section of the grocery store. I can input what foods I have on hand and it will spit out some suggestions for quick meals. When I purchase something, I simply tell it, and the AI automatically crosses that item off the list. All parts of my personal life are managed this way. Errands, kids, health. They're searchable, and ChatGPT is great at resurfacing information with a single command. That's more than I can say for a lot of productivity tools I've tried. It works better than it should Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority I don't believe this is what Sam Altman and the OpenAI team had in mind for ChatGPT. And I didn't set out to use it this way. In fact, I didn't find many uses for it at first. I never liked AI-generated slop, whether written or visual. As a journalist and writer, I've been kind of hostile to AI. But then I began using it for web searches, and that evolved into recipes, and budgeting, and then I learned it could take notes, and, well, it just sort of happened. ChatGPT is everywhere. It's always synced. I don't have to worry if something was saved. I don't have to remember which app I saved it in. It's all in one place. There's no UI to learn or settings to tweak. I just type what I need and it does the rest. There's no UI to learn or settings to tweak. I just type what I need and it does the rest. Nathan Drescher The persistent chat format is powerful because it remembers what I told it earlier, and it keeps context better than any standalone tool. Notes and lists can be updated easily. I can even change priorities mid-thread, and ChatGPT picks it up without skipping a beat. Most importantly, it reduces mental overhead. Everything is centralized and handled by something objectively smarter than many people. It's not all roses and sunshine Nathan Drescher / Android Authority All that said, ChatGPT is not perfect. The lack of push notifications is a real pain point I've had to learn to work around. Unlike a dedicated reminders app, which can notify me on my phone, laptop, and watch, I need to manually open ChatGPT and ask it to show me my next reminder. It can send me an email for each reminder, which can then push to my device, but it's a bulky workaround. There's also no integrations with calendars or emails. It cannot handle recurring tasks or automate workflows. If I forget what I put in a note or a task I created, there's no way to get it back. There's no visual structure, either. No kanban boards, no drag-and-drop timelines. This means I need much stricter self-discipline to use it as my second brain. I need much stricter self-discipline to use it as my second brain. Nathan Drescher Finally, it's not built for collaboration. That's why I don't use it for work. It's useless when working with a team or editors, but for personal life management, it's surprisingly effective. The unintended productivity app for me ChatGPT is not a productivity app. Maybe that's why it works so well for me. It's conversational, always available, and adapts to my sometimes crazy day without forcing me to follow a strict system thought out by someone else. It's replaced a lot of my apps, including task managers, note-taking apps, and spreadsheets (although Google Keep will always be on phone). It's good enough that I'm not looking for replacements. This won't suit every kind of user. But if you're like me and prefer to brain dump rather than meticulously organize, then ChatGPT might just be the second brain you didn't know you had.
