Hi, my name is Josh and this is my new #introduction. I joined Mastodon around 2 years ago and like many of you, I’m a recovering big tech user. I believe privacy is a human right & been trying to avoid the surveillance marketing industry. I’ve been online since 1997. ☎️💾📼📠 I learned HTML back when the world looked at computers differently. I dabbled in web development here and there observing what its become today. Long story short; joining Mastodon has been sort of an experiment. To connect in a more meaningful way I wanted tell you my name and share some things about myself.

My posts are photos from my adventures, usually based around where I feel a burst of energy that needs to be shared. Possibly a trip report, mountain conditions, lesson learned in nature or from old growth trees, travel inspiration, deeper thoughts & reflections. I’m trying to hold myself to be intentional and positive. Which isn’t always often, so to help balance this place out I try to limit what I put out there. In my journey I reached a point of needing to share the good things I was finding in the world. Through a lot of sacrifice & surrender, I seem to always find opportunities to explore. Ive moved a lot but "from" the Pacific North West. Earlier in life I did a lot of International travel, working in Taiwan, Thailand & Australia. Recent travels have been in North America. Reflecting from 100+ snow days a year in the mountains over the past 7 yrs, riding snow every month 10 of the past 12 years. Mountains have been my place of refuge for grief, of peace, joy & healing.

Before this I was basically living offline, traveling around in a mini van, working to travel and understand the world. As a reddit refuge I somehow stumbled onto Lemmy, Mastodon & Cory Doctorow who was the first person I heard explain wtf enshittification was, ActivityPub & the development of this public social media we seem to be calling the Fediverse. Since joining I’ve come to see the world in a new way; discovering what technology protocols can do when we focus on giving. None of us would be here without the incredible people who gave. So Ive noticed the intention of wanting this place to be a good space to be. Thank you all for being here connecting. Alive internet theory can exist. I hope to share some mountain joy because my best mindset is in the mountains.