Welcome to Smalltech, a site aimed at those trying to escape the big tech world and find alternatives to the corporatisation of the Internet and technology in general.
The inspiration for this site dates back to 1995 when, after starting a 3 year mechanical engineering course at university, the author arrived home rambling on about this amazing thing called the Internet that he’d been introduced to in the Uni IT suite. His rather puzzled family listened as the sheer potential of this new discovery was blurted out with great enthusiasm. The opportunity for everyone to speak their piece, for discussion, debate and even the potential of direct democracy seemed to be within grasp while the potential for a dystopian hell hole was suppressed by a wall of optimism, a wall that in retrospect wasn’t as strong as it may have seemed.
So, where to go in an age of constant monitoring, misinformation, disinformation and snooping? I believe there is no definitive answer but through this site I hope to offer alternatives to the large scale, corporate domination of tech and the use of technology to create a world rife with data harvesting, non-stop targeted advertising, marketing and the control of information to manipulate opinion.
Whether you are bothered by these things is down to you. There’s no judgement here on personal opinions or choices, just a desire to provide options, discuss ideas and help anyone wishing to break away from the centralisation of technology and your data. We’ll also be going off road into some other technologies that may seem to have had their day, but still have their use as a way out of the digital world and back into the real one.
So, read on, or if you’re not interested, move on. Feel free to comment, but keep it civil and constructive lest we descend into the very pit of rage baiting and pointless argument that we’re trying to escape. Such things will be frowned upon.