Tools for staying human inside the system.
Ideas matter more when they change what you do. These short protocols improve attention, judgment, verification and direct contact with the world.
Run a Reality Audit
Separate what you directly know from what arrived through a feed, metric, headline, memory or inherited assumption.
The Seven-Day Attention Reset
Reduce algorithmic capture without deleting every useful tool or moving to a cabin.
Synthetic Media Check
A compact routine before you forward, believe or act on suspicious digital media.
Build an Information Diet
Create a small, intentional set of inputs instead of accepting an endless stream chosen by engagement systems.
Audit Your Personal Algorithm
Inspect what a recommendation system appears to believe about you—and change the signals you are feeding it.
Keep a Decision Journal
Record what you expected before the outcome arrives, so memory cannot quietly rewrite the quality of the original decision.
The Direct Experience Week
Seven small experiments that place you back in contact with places, people, objects and unmeasured time.
No field guide matches that search.
HOW TO USE THE GUIDES
Small enough to run. Serious enough to matter.
01Use one protocol at a time.Insight without implementation becomes another form of content.
02Write before you optimize.A visible record prevents memory from rewriting the experiment.
03Keep what changes behavior.Discard rituals that feel impressive but create no useful difference.
LATEST FIELD GUIDE
Build an AI reading stack that argues with itself.
LATEST FIELD GUIDE
Buy the workflow, not the fantasy self.
LATEST FIELD GUIDE
Choose the vault you can actually maintain.
LATEST FIELD GUIDE
Protect the account. Preserve the recovery path.
LATEST FIELD GUIDE
Choose custody before features.
LATEST FIELD GUIDE
Block the bypass you actually use.
LATEST FIELD GUIDES
Choose your inputs. Audit what the assistant keeps.
RSS Readers for a Calmer Internet: Feedly vs Inoreader vs NetNewsWire
A practical RSS-reader comparison covering Feedly, Inoreader, NetNewsWire and the no-buy option by platform, filtering, privacy, export and workflow.
What AI Chatbots Remember: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini Memory Controls
A current guide to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini memory controls—what memory means, how it differs from chat history and training, and how to audit or delete it.
LATEST FIELD GUIDES
Choose the boundary. Keep the tradeoff visible.
Private Web Browsers Without the Hype: Firefox vs Brave vs Safari
A practical privacy-browser comparison covering Firefox, Brave and Safari by tracking protection, compatibility, extensions, sync and threat model.
Local AI Without the Hype: Ollama vs LM Studio—and When Cloud Is Better
A practical local-AI guide comparing Ollama and LM Studio by interface, privacy, hardware, model custody, local APIs and the honest cloud alternative.
LATEST FIELD GUIDES
Protect the file. Shape the sound field.
Encrypted Cloud Storage Without the Hype: Proton Drive vs Tresorit vs Cryptomator
A custody-first comparison of Proton Drive, Tresorit and Cryptomator covering encryption, sharing, recovery, workflow and the no-buy option.
Noise-Canceling Headphones for Focus: ANC vs Isolation vs Earplugs
A task-first guide to active noise cancellation, passive isolation and earplugs for focus, comfort, awareness and hearing safety.
LATEST FIELD GUIDES
Move network trust deliberately. Make the phone earn its place.
Private DNS Without the Hype: Quad9 vs Cloudflare vs NextDNS
A practical comparison of Quad9, Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 and NextDNS covering encryption, logging, blocking, setup and the no-buy option.
Minimalist Phones Without the Hype: Light Phone III vs Punkt MP02—and a Locked-Down Smartphone
A practical minimalist-phone guide comparing Light Phone III, Punkt MP02 and a locked-down smartphone by compatibility, tools, security and friction.
LATEST FIELD GUIDES
Model the risk. Choose a paper system that solves the real failure.
Personal Threat Modeling for Ordinary People
A practical threat-modeling worksheet for protecting accounts, devices and personal data without buying every security product.
Paper Planning Systems for Focus: Time-Blocking vs Bullet Journal vs Index Cards
A practical comparison of time-block planners, the Bullet Journal method and index cards—with a free no-buy trial.
LATEST FIELD GUIDES
Read the evidence. Choose the tool that closes the loop.
How to Read a Scientific Paper Without Borrowing Its Confidence
A practical protocol for reading research papers: identify the question, design, effect, uncertainty, bias, applicability and place in the wider evidence.
Document Scanners Without the Hype: ScanSnap iX2500 vs Brother ADS-1800W—and Your Phone
A practical document-scanner comparison based on paper volume, feeder capacity, destinations, portability, privacy and the no-buy phone option.
FOUNDATIONAL FIELD GUIDES
Earlier protocols, restored to the archive.
The Analog Saturday Protocol
A practical one-day protocol for reducing optional screens while preserving navigation, family contact, photography and emergency access.
The Deep Work Field Manual
Create repeatable high-focus work blocks using a defined output, prepared environment, distraction capture, shutdown notes and realistic recovery.
The Digital Environment Reset
A practical reset for notifications, home screens, feeds, subscriptions, files and devices that reduces noise without requiring total disconnection.
Personal Data Minimization for Ordinary People
Reduce unnecessary personal data exposure by inventorying accounts, tightening permissions, deleting stale records and changing defaults without chasing perfect anonymity.
Build a Personal Information Diet
Design a deliberate information diet with source tiers, scheduled news, primary documents, slow analysis and an intake limit that protects understanding.
Rebuild a Private Inner Life
A field guide to thinking, reading, making and remembering without immediately turning the experience into a post, position or performance.
The 30-Day Attention Experiment
A month-long attention experiment using measurement, notification control, bounded media, deep-work blocks and weekly review without requiring total disconnection.
The Weekly Reality Check
A 30-minute weekly review that compares dashboards, intentions and online narratives with the physical facts of work, money, health, relationships and time.
LATEST FIELD GUIDES
Verify the citation. Prove the recovery.
How to Verify an AI Citation Before You Use It
A practical workflow for checking whether an AI-generated citation exists, matches the claimed source, supports the claim and remains current.
External SSD vs Hard Drive vs NAS: A Backup Guide Without the Hype
Choose an external SSD, desktop hard drive or NAS by backup volume, recovery speed, connection risk, maintenance and the need for an offline copy.