Sean
Braacx

A creative outlet

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Photo of Sean (sorry)
MoustacheA spinning moustache

Welcome to my creative outlet. A place to share ephemera I’ve collected online and offline,
along with some writing.

  • Dumber Phone

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    It’s 2025 and we’ve pretty much all come to realize how addictive these little (or not so little) devices in our pocket really are, but yet struggle to manage them.

    There are a number of dumb phones that have been released recently to address this, trying to provide just enough functionality without the bad stuff, but they aren’t cheap.

    I’ve taken an alternate route, making my current phone as dumb as possible, without purchasing another device. Here are six things that seem to help:

    1. Small phone. My current device is an iPhone 13 mini and I really love the size. Having a smaller screen also makes you want to look at it less. Unfortunately new phones are way larger 🤷
    2. Remove apps. This is an obvious one, but remove apps that you find addictive and allow you to browse or scroll.
    3. Block sites. Even with apps removed, the browser can be distracting too. I’ve set time limits for certain sites, and blocked others completely. Although this can be turned off, it’s often enough of a barrier to break the habit.
    4. Notifications off. Another obvious one, but turning off notifications for almost all apps, besides calls, texts, and calendar / reminders prevents easy distraction. Also, turning off the notification counter can help too (that red dot is way too triggering).
    5. Launcher app. This is a bigger change, but replacing your home screen of apps with a launcher is a great way to keep you focused on those apps you want to use vs all the distracting ones you don’t. Get instructions here
    6. Color off. This is a small step, but a big change. By turning the phone to grayscale, it reduces the visceral reaction you have to seeing specific colors (especially the red notifications). I’ve set this up to be toggled with the side button, so I can turn color on for photos & maps etc.

    My goal isn’t to simply reduce my screen time, but rather to make it harder to waste my time. Overall it’s working fairly well, though I find it necessary to review from time to time, and modify as new distractions sneak in.

    Here is a before and after of my phone.

    Arrow downArrow pointing down

  • Colors of Fall

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    Walking through our neighbourhood in the fall is such a joy; the colors of the leaves are so vibrant, especially in the late afternoon light.

    All the leaves below were collected from one tree (and one below the tree).

    Fall leaves of all colors

  • Why WordPress

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    WordPress is a powerful open source Content Management System (CMS) that makes it easy to run a blog, or any kind of website … including this one. It’s been around since 2003 (which is forever in tech years) and currently powers over 22% of the top 1M websites.

    My Experience with WordPress

    I was first introduced to WordPress around 2009 when building a website for a family member. I’d used some other solutions before including Geocities (old school), Microsoft FrontPage (shudder), and coding straight HTML, however WordPress immediately stood out as a powerful way to publish a website without technical experience.

    Since then I’ve built, or worked on, over 30 websites using WordPress. These ranged from vanilla sites, to page builders like Elementor, to themes I hand-coded using Roots. In 2013, I even built my startup Whys Learning (interactive family games) on WordPress, taking advantage of the powerful CMS. It may not have been the most elegant solution, but it allowed me to launch and iterate quickly without extensive coding knowledge.

    image of whys learning home page
    Whys Learning – Web App with WordPress
    Continue Reading

  • Word of the Day #6

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    I’m an expert yak shaver

    yak shaving

    1. Small, tedious tasks you need to complete in order to make progress on your real project

    The term Yak Shaving originated in the 1990’s, capturing the frustrating work that you need to do before you can actually do your work. This exists in all domains, but is especially relevant in programming; you follow the instructions to install something which requires installing something else, which breaks something else … until hours later you’re frustrated and have completely forgot what you were originally trying to do.

    Here’s a real-life example:

    My wife asks for a coffee. Of course I say yes!

    • Step 1: Go to the kitchen and boil some water.
    • Step 1.1: Realize the kettle’s connection is poor. Get the screwdriver to fix it.
    • Step 1.1.1: The electric screwdriver’s batteries are dead. Take the batteries to the charger.
    • Step 1.1.1.1: Plug the batteries in the charger. Charger cable has been taken by someone.
    • Step 1.1.1.1.1: Look around for another cable for the charger.

    Wife asks what I’m doing. “Making coffee, what does it look like!”

    This might be extreme, but I find it happens frequently, so happy Yak Shaving 🙃

    P.S. Here is a classic video on Yak Shaving from Malcolm in the Middle.

  • Projects & Failure

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    I call it “Fail Ale”

    I found this shot in my photos recently; it’s me (many years ago) mourning a batch of homebrew that went bad during the secondary fermentation.

    As someone who loves to experiment and make my own things, whether it be kombucha, wine, or coffee – I am reminded that a key to success is embracing failure. This doesn’t mean seeking it out, but rather being okay when something doesn’t turn out right, and being willing to reinvest the energy and time to try again.

    I no longer brew beer, but have started making wine from the grapes in our yard. Every year it gets a bit better, but there are always hard lessons too. It is disappointing when you try something after 10 months and realize it’s no good, but that is what the next year is for!

    pouring out failed homebrew (not for my homies)

  • Identivacation

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    Jordan Klassen is one of my favorite (and I would say underrated) local artists, consistently releasing solid tunes that are laced with emotion. I’ve been listening to his new EP on Spotify and in my hunt for related music videos, found this gem from 2020. Enjoy 🍿

  • The problem with AI

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    It’s a long one. Sorry!

    Introduction

    As a technologist, working in the software industry, and as a Christian, thinking deeply about technology, faith, and work – I’ve been closely watching the rise of AI, looking at both the opportunities and the challenges. My goal here is to summarize the biggest issues we as Christians (and everyone concerned with human flourishing) should be aware of.

    AI is a very broad category that covers many technologies, however the majority of AI getting news and usage is generative AI, specifically the models and services created by the largest tech firms in the USA (and China to a lesser extent). This will be the focus of the essay.

    Framework

    To help bring clarity, I’ve created a simple framework, corresponding to the process of producing and using generative AI. At each step I’ll highlight the biggest issues I see. Here is the four step framework:

    Continue Reading

  • Turtle Crossing

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    Frogger would be a lot harder as a turtle.

    Every time I visit Kelowna I see this sign and want to get a photo. This time I did. Unfortunately I think a lot of turtles don’t make it.

  • Word of the Day #5

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    Sometimes I hope that current politics are all kayfabe

    kayfabe

    1. Portraying staged events as real, especially in professional wrestling

    Although this is primarily a wrestling term, I think it is a great word to bring into general use. You can read more about it on Wikipedia

    It brings to mind the story of Builder.ai – a lauded AI startup that sold an AI solution for creating apps and was valued at $1.5 Billion dollars, but actually just had 700 developers in India working behind the scenes. I guess in this case another term would just be fraud.

  • Craft vs Slop

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    I’m currently working on a summary of my thoughts on AI and it’s challenges, but it is shaping up to be longer and more work than expected.

    In the meantime, here is an excerpt from a great essay by Will Manidis that explores our original call by God to do meaningful work, and the temptation to shortcut that work.

    Humanity’s first sin was, in part, choosing the easy shortcut over the meaningful process – preferring effortless gain to the demanding but fulfilling work of tending the garden.

    Will Manidis, Craft is the Antidote to Slop

    Craft is the Antidote to Slop

  • Men’s Lingerie

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    I noticed this sign walking to work years ago. I think it never opened.

  • The Golden Age Undelivered

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    But at least we have iPhones, right?

    I’m currently reading through a collection of poems from Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who was a prolific writer and social activist.

    This excerpt from Figures for an apocalypse (Part V) really resonated, contrasting the promised future of unbridled capitalism with the stark reality of it’s environmental cost and human toll.

  • Just Cruisin’

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    WHERE’S YOUR HELMET?

    I stumbled upon this photo of me from years ago and it made me laugh.

    I miss that amazing vintage Raleigh, however the wine box wasn’t the best way to transport fragile items!

    Funny story about that wine box though … I was biking to work one morning and a guy in a Bentley (I believe) pulls up, opens his window – cigar smoke pours out, and asks if I have any Sassicaia left.

    Given that the price of a bottle was much more than my bike, it clearly was in his league. I’ve never tried anything nearly that expensive, but if you want to share a bottle, I’d be happy to try 🙂

  • Bad Design

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    One of my pet peeves is when a designer has clearly not thought through how the product will actually be used.

    This lotion bottle has a two (almost) identical sides, but the lotion only comes out one of them. In low light or without your glasses on, it’s always a gamble!

    This also brings to mind the (in)famous Walkie-Talkie tower in London that concentrates the energy of the sun so much you can cook an egg in the heat

  • Halloween Security

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    Officer, I’d like to report a stolen broomstick…

    I spotted this Quidditch broomstick on Halloween in Vancouver years ago and appreciate how someone actually locked it up 🤣

  • Thanksgiving & Giving Thanks

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    Thanksgiving is such a good reminder to stop and reflect on the many blessings in our lives. In difficult seasons (and sadly in good ones too) I can so easily focus on what I don’t have, or what I’d like, rather than seeing the display of God’s abundance all around me.

    So today, I’ve been trying to see everything that I can be thankful for; while making breakfast it looked something like this:

    Gathering ingredients from the fridge...
        Lord thank you for refrigeration!
    Picking a pear from the fruit bowl...
        Lord thank you for fresh fruit!
    Washing the pear...
        Lord thank you for indoor plumbing & clean water!
    Eating breakfast...
        Lord thank you for the ability to taste and enjoy food!
    Child persistently requesting more cheerios...
        Lord thank you for the blessing of children!

    I will admit that this didn’t continue for too long, but it was amazing how many things I found to be thankful for, and the number of sub-blessings within each. May your thanksgiving remind you of the good giver of every gift.

    Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

    Psalm 136:1

  • Word of the day #4

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    Flâneur

    1. One who strolls aimlessly
    2. An idle, gossiping saunterer
    3. An affluent urban male walking the city without agenda
    4. Connoisseur of the street

    I was introduced to the idea of a flâneur by Nassim Taleb in his book Anti-fragile (and his subsequent tweets about flaneuring around New York).

    Although I am by no means a flâneur, I am trying to do this more, walking without an agenda or destination; it is quite a challenge for my type A personality.

  • This Fractured Mind

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    I’m practicing this dance, it’s almost as good Napoleon Dynamite

    Since I can remember I’ve always enjoyed music videos. Not all of course, but those that take the power of the song and add an extra dimension to it; where you just have to watch, and where you are left with a certain feeling and maybe more questions than answers.

    I discovered Nation of Language recently, and this video nailed it. Lo-fi shots of a deserted New York City in the summer, odd dancing robot, sad love story with friends – what more can you ask for?

  • Hush little baby – capitalist edition

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    I was browsing through my notes recently and found this satirical version of Hush Little Baby that I drafted early last year, but never finished or published.

    My thought process was, what would this poem sound like if papa was a ruthless capitalist?

    Hush little baby don’t say a word,
    papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird

    And if that mockingbird don’t sing,
    papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring

    And if that diamond ring don’t shine,
    papa’s gonna buy you a diamond mine

    And if that diamond mine don’t produce,
    papa’s gonna cut every employee loose

    And if those employees try to unionize,
    papa’s gonna hire scabs that don’t sympathize

    And if those scabs ask for a raise,
    papa will acquiesce if they sing his praise

    And if profits decrease and he’s in a rage,
    papa’s gonna lobby for lower minimum wage

    And if papa gets away with this fraud,
    he’ll still have to answer directly to God

  • Sabbath Poems

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    I’ve been slowly working my way through Wendell Berry’s collection of Sabbath Poems called Another Day.

    As a nonagenarian with deep connections to farming and care for the land, he has witnessed significant changes in how we extract from the earth for profit at unprecedented scale.

    Berry advocates for connection to the place we live, both the people and the natural world, and pushes back against the dehumanizing effect of technology and the raw exploitation of capitalism – arguing that the benefits don’t outweigh the costs.

    It is well worth a read. The poem below, from 2014, captured me with its prescient view that technology will both replace our work (AI) and bring division rather than peace (social media etc).

    The expert on resistance to torture
    becomes an expert torturer.
    The machine that helped a woman
    to do her work replaces her at work.
    The machine that helped a man to think
    ticks on in absence of the man.
    The communications technology that was
    to become the concourse and meeting
    of all the world, bringing the longed-for
    peace to all the world, becomes
    a weapon to break the world in pieces.

    Wendell Berry, Another Day, IX (2014)