Journal – Trance Blackman

Here you’ll find my philosophical meanderings in the form of articles, essays, and occasional poetry. My interests and curiosities are broad, but the central focus remains the pursuit of what is authentic, real, and true.

Lux et veritas

Journal Entries / technology (21 Posts)

Showing posts tagged “technology”. Clear filter

The Machinery of Stolen Time

02 August 2026 ~ 7 minute read

We were promised that technology would return something to us. Time, freedom, ease, perhaps even a greater capacity to live. Yet somewhere between the promise and the implementation, the tools became obligations, convenience became compliance, and the hours they were meant to save disappeared into the machinery required to keep them functioning.

Living Systems, Extractive Systems: Beyond the Next Promise

01 August 2026 ~ 24 minute read

There comes a point, after enough observation and enough inward wrestling, when the appetite for grand explanations begins to soften. Not because the questions no longer matter, but because life has a way of revealing that many of our most pressing troubles do not yield to scale, speed, or certainty. They ask something quieter of us. They ask us to look more closely at the conditions we are creating, the assumptions we’ve inherited, and the kinds of systems — inwardly and outwardly — to which we’ve given our allegiance.

The Industrial Devolution

07 July 2026 (rev. 09 July 2026) ~ 9 minute read

Every era tells itself a story about progress. We inherit those stories long before we possess the discernment to question them, and, more often than not, spend much of our lives defending assumptions we never consciously chose. But every so often, something begins to unravel. A contradiction becomes too obvious to ignore, and the narratives that once seemed self-evident begin to reveal themselves as carefully maintained illusions.

A Wider Field

10 June 2026 ~ 3 minute read

There is a difference between paying attention and becoming consumed by what is directly in front of us. One sharpens our awareness; the other narrows it. Somewhere between distraction and fixation lies a quieter state of presence, one that allows us to remain grounded in the moment while still remembering to look toward the horizon.

What Matters Most

02 June 2026 ~ 3 minute read

We have limited time and attention. The modern world is exceptionally good at capturing both. Whether we pursue mastery, general competence, family, travel, career, self-sufficiency, or something else entirely, every choice carries an opportunity cost. The challenge is not choosing the “right” path, but choosing consciously rather than being swept along by inherited expectations, cultural narratives, or manufactured priorities.

Complex and Inverted

27 March 2026 ~ 7 minute read

We move through systems every day without noticing how deeply they shape us. Not by force, but through incentives, expectations, and quiet agreements we rarely question. Over time, what is useful and real can be inverted, while what is abstract and dependent is elevated in its place.