Cut Off the Spigot articles feature all researched companies,
including those not covered in videos.
I grew up about 45 minutes south of the shores of Lake Ontario, near lovely Rochester, NY. Lake Ontario’s name is based on the Haudenosaunee’s (Iroquois) name for it in their own language, and has been in use amongst European settlers since at least 1641. The Haudenosaunee Federation, North America’s first democracy, inspired our nation’s […]
I am so excited to share this week’s episode with you! Davidson Boswell joined me to talk about how he uses comedy for activism (you may have seen his disruption videos with Climate Defiance), and we get into a larger discussion about activism – what works, what role protests play, and how to keep yourself […]
I officially switched over from Gmail this week for my personal email and I am SO EXCITED! 🤩 I have used Gmail as my only email address since 2010 – aka the last 16 years 😳 Despite the longevity of my relationship with Gmail, it was actually quite easy to switch. I’m sharing my process, […]
Video conferencing shouldn’t feel like a data collection exercise for Google Gemini, so let’s get into the alternatives 😁 ICYMI: De-Google Series Links Part 1: Search, Google Gemini & ChatGPT Part 2: Browser & Extensions Part 3: Samsung & Google Messages Part 4: Email, Calendar, Docs, Drive & Photos All articles This is an ongoing […]
I am very excited to share with you this special FREE bonus episode of The Learning Curve! Share If you want to get access to future episodes, get a subscription today! Patreon Substack You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube. In this episode, I spoke with Madge, the founder of The […]
Hello everyone! I am taking this week off to 🎉celebrate my birthday!🎉 And I have a little gift for you! Next Friday I will be sharing Episode 4 of my podcast The Learning Curve with everyone, not just paid members. I spoke with Madge, the woman behind Substack, about community – where to start, how […]
I posted a video on social media last week for Airbnb alternatives and got a lot of helpful feedback on what people still needed options for. So today I’m diving in on longer term, family & pet friendly alternatives and sharing others I found along the way including queer-focused and eco-friendly platforms. Subscribe now But […]
If anyone tells you boycotts don’t work, don’t listen to ‘em! The organizers of De-ICE Citizens Bank have been working tirelessly for the last six months to get Citizens Bank to end their relationship with ICE for-profit prison contractors, CoreCivic & GEO Group. Citizens Bank helped both companies get over $2 billion in financing since […]
One of the hardest parts of De-Googling is trying to move out of their ecosystem – if you have Gmail, you likely also have Drive, Photos, and Docs. So, I decided to tackle these in one big 🫨MEGA POST🫨 with both all-in and specific alternatives. If you’re nervous or feel overwhelmed about switching, I’ve included […]
In this episode of The Learning Curve, I spoke with Debra Ha, the founder of Sōtō Naturals, the first self-care brand built by and for neurodiverse life. Sōtō Naturals was born from her own five-year journey out of AuDHD burnout and the late diagnosis that revealed her life’s purpose. We discuss: Our AuDHD journeys & […]
I’ve been wanting to talk about Surveillance Pricing for awhile now, so let’s get into it 🙂 But First – Updates! Join the Live Q&A Tuesday, June 30th at 7pm EST for paid subscribers Episode 3 of The Learning Curve will come out next Friday instead of a regular article Get Access to Bonus Content […]
It’s 🌈Pride Month🌈 Baby! It’s a hard time to be any type (or multiple) of queerness under this administration, but trans people are especially under attack. From Republican megadonors pushing their ridiculous anti-trans policies across the country, Kansas revoking their drivers’ licenses, to increasing violence against trans people. So for this Pride edition, I’ve specifically […]
Elon Musk Became a Trillionaire Today & He’s Coming After Your Retirement Savings SpaceX had their IPO today, and Elon Musk is now the world’s first trillionaire. Billionaires shouldn’t exist, let alone trillionaires. Especially when Musk is just…such a piece of sh*t. I highly recommend listening to The Dollop’s Elon Musk series for a hilarious, […]
Samsung is discontinuing their Samsung Messages app starting in July 2026, and forcing their users to switch to Google Messages. Have no fear Samsung users – there are alternatives! 😁 But First – Updates! Format Changes: Starting this month, I will now be publishing category alternative articles every other week. On non-category alternative weeks, I’ll […]
In this episode of The Learning Curve, I spoke with Daniel Bingham, the founder of Communities. Communities is a new social media platform, similar to Facebook, for building and organizing community. Daniel is building it into a multi-stakeholder co-op model, where users and employees will have a voice in platform decisions. We discuss: What Communities […]
Hello you wonderful paid subscribers, I’m hosting my first Live Q&A next Thursday, May 28th at 7PM EST! Bring your questions on boycotting, how to approach, researching tips, or if you have any about me or Cut Off the Spigot in general 😊 If you can’t make it, no worries! You can still submit your […]
I am, for lack of a better term, hella passionate about traveling. I’ve been to 27+ countries and lived & worked abroad in Australia, Greece & the Netherlands. But travel isn’t just about going abroad – sometimes, you need a weekend getaway in nature to reset your rhythms. Or, you just need to book a […]
I can’t think of any other way of starting this article other than – I LOVE PLANTS!!!!!!!! I think they’re absolutely fascinating, gorgeous and wonderful. If you also love plants or just think they’re interesting, I highly recommend reading The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger. On top of loving plants in general, I also love […]
Pet Supplies was my FIRST article back in April 2025! I’ve gotten better at researching since then, so I’m taking a second look and refreshing my recommendations. I’ve added new alternatives, including for pet medications, and updated some existing ones. I know there is a lot of nuance to pet supplies – whether it’s getting […]
🎶Wouldn’t it be nice if we could browse, without being tracked or surveilled? 🎶 We’re back baby! I’ve gone through browser alternatives to Chrome, with a few recommendations on password and ad-block extensions. You can also check out my De-Google Series Part 1 article for Search and ChatGPT/Google Gemini alternatives, or my recent article on […]
I’m on the largest social platforms to reach people where they’re at. Substack is the biggest platform for what it does - same as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
