Interesting event: https://www.austinforum.org/events/september-1-2026

It was worth the drive. The organizers of this group make the effort to create community. Jésabel DC is a low-tech futurist, tech anthropologist, and founder of The Lifestyle Lab. 

She highlighted the need for technology to feel like the fun, simple computers of the early 2000s instead of the stressful mind grabs we use today. Her main point is that gadgets and apps should be tools you use and put down, rather than slot machines designed to steal your time and exhaust your brain.

The key takeaways from her message are:

• Slow down: Get rid of endless feeds and instant rushes that spike your anxiety.
• Respect your energy: Build tech that lets you get things done and move on with your real day, without constant notifications and digital burnout.
• Keep it playful: Bring back the simple, charming, and bounded feel of old-school software and digital toys that didn’t demand 24/7 attention.

I was reminded of the digital detox movement just after the early 2000s. That movement has grown into full blown retreats. People are paying to turn off devices and for intentional IRL (in real life). Jésabel pointed to one of the popular time-suck apps that has a new campaign to do just this: https://newsroom.pinterest.com/news/2026-brand-campaign/

Along the same lines, I came up with eventcarpooling.com as a summer project to get friends and family to go out more by carpooling in car-addicted 🥵 Texas. The AI app was popular enough that I launched in several other cities.

Agreed with the premise of the overall talk that good tech design will let you breathe, not bleed your time.