🤔 Go through your stuff

At least once a year, I like to review what I have set up. The end of the year is a great time for this.

Phone apps
Self-hosted apps
Phone numbers
Email addresses and aliases
Etc.

I evaluate what’s working and what isn’t. The easiest place to start is with your phone apps—delete what you haven’t used and keep what you do.

🤯 It’s OK to change your mind

It seems like this concept is frowned upon online, but it’s completely fine to change your opinion. If there’s an app or service you’ve sworn by, or a privacy-related practice you’ve been told is “super important,” it’s OK to change your mind. If something isn’t working for you, or an app doesn’t meet your needs (even if others say it’s amazing), let it go. Especially in tech, something great today can be terrible tomorrow. Trust your judgment, and don’t be afraid to try something different.

🙃 Have fun with it

There’s something refreshing about switching things up and clearing out the obsolete. It helps you avoid getting stuck in a rut. If you approach it with this mindset, the process can be fun instead of feeling like a chore.

This isn’t what I usually write about, so if you hate it, just delete it, and I’ll see you next month. It’s what I’ve been up to the last few days, and I hope it’s useful to you!

I hope you had a great November, and I’ll see you in December ☃️🎄.

-Josh

🧠 A website worth visiting

I can’t believe this is just paint.

🎤 My latest podcast episodes

🎧 Zeus — Let’s dive deep into the shadowy world of money mules—unwitting intermediaries in online scams and cybercrime.

🎧 Poison Ivy — In college, I once showed my class the reality of Remote Access Trojans (RATs) with a live demo—showing how easily someone could take over a computer with the right tool. Years later, the real-world ramifications of these tools are even more chilling.

🎬 My latest videos

🖥️ I Tried to Brick My GrapheneOS Installation (So You Don’t Have To) — Are you afraid of bricking your device while installing GrapheneOS? In this video, I put the installation process to the test—unplugging cables, refreshing the page, turning off the internet, and more—to see just how resilient the process is.

🖥️ How to use AppVerifier | Verify APKs — In this video, we’re diving into a tool for Android users who download APKs from outside traditional app stores: App Verifier.

🎙️ no BS podcast hosting

🟡 Yellowball is a podcast hosting service I built and run. I didn’t like the options out there when I wanted to start my podcast, so I built the service I wish existed. It’s where I host my show, In the Shell. If you’re interested in starting your own show, checkout https://yellowball.fm for more information, or reply to this email if you have any questions about it.

✍️ Quote of the Month

“Trying to solve a problem before being taught the solution leads to better learning, even when errors are made in the attempt.”

🔬 What did you think?

I intentionally don’t include any tracking or analytics in my emails, which makes it tough to tell if anyone actually reads them. If you enjoyed this email, feel free to reply with a 🦃 and if you didn’t write back one sentence on what you would change.