Fun computers, stressful computers

There’s a thing I love about my ThinkPad, beyond Linux or the keyboard or anything like that: it’s a fun computer. That is, I use it only for fun stuff. When I open it and am greeted with the blank i3 lock screen, I know that I’m embarking on a computing session that solely for my enjoyment rather than to grind forward against my many obligations. I feel a corresponding shift in the nature of my brain’s chemical soup. And it feels good. In contrast, opening my corporate MacBook — my nicest laptop by most measures — triggers a stress response. Even if I open it to do something fun, like shell into my homelab to write a blog post, I feel the weight of corporate pressure on my shoulders. My baseline anxiety level is elevated. This is especially true after some recent, acute stresses on the job. I’m writing this particular post on my iPad Pro using Secure ShellFish to access my homelab, where I’m writing in Neovim. This iPad is also a fun device. I feel that I should conclude this post…