About - The Philosophy Behind MCT
About My Computer Therapy
The ironwood pines above Anini Beach have been here longer than the internet. They’ve survived every hurricane by bending without breaking, by growing deep roots, by creating their own ecosystem.
That’s the model.
The Philosophy
Computer Therapy isn’t about computers. It’s about digital autonomy in an age of platform feudalism.
Every service you don’t control is a dependency. Every platform you rely on is a point of failure. Every convenience you don’t understand is a future crisis.
We build systems that work like the reef: resilient, interconnected, self-healing. Systems that survive the storm because they were designed for the storm.
Core Beliefs
Local-first is the only first that matters.
If it doesn’t work on your local network, it doesn’t really work.
Ownership beats convenience.
Better to own a complicated truth than rent a simple lie.
Teaching scales better than doing.
Give someone a fish, feed them for a day. Teach them to run their own fishery, feed their community.
Boring technology is beautiful technology.
The tools that last are the ones that stopped trying to be clever.
Privacy is not optional.
You are not the product. Your data is not the payment. Your attention is not the currency.
The Person
Benjoe Vidal
Builder of systems, teacher of sovereignty
15+ years turning fragile infrastructure into resilient systems. Started in mainland data centers, ended up on a North Shore beach teaching people to own their digital lives.
Background
- Linux administrator since Ubuntu looked ugly
- Network architect since WiFi was exotic
- Home automation before it phoned home
- Self-hosting before it was necessary
Current
- Building Kauaʻi Digital Village infrastructure
- Running Tomorrow Radio (when the automation works)
- Living off-grid(ish) near Anini
- Kayaking the reef when the code compiles
Fluent In
- Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, the reliable ones)
- Networking (from cable crimping to BGP)
- Automation (Home Assistant, n8n, Node-RED)
- Reality (salt air, power failures, actual storms)
The Practice
MCT operates differently than tech support or IT consulting:
We Don’t
- Install software you don’t understand
- Create dependency relationships
- Optimize for our convenience
- Chase the newest anything
- Pretend complex things are simple
We Do
- Build systems you can maintain
- Transfer complete ownership
- Document obsessively
- Test for failure modes
- Make complex things understandable
The Location
Based on Kauaʻi’s North Shore, serving Hanalei to Kīlauea exclusively.
This isn’t market segmentation. It’s physics. Trust requires presence. Complex systems require context. Real solutions require understanding the specific humidity, the particular power grid, the actual internet options.
We know which houses lose power first. We know where cell signal dies. We know whose routers can’t handle salt air. This knowledge matters.
The Mission
Make North Shore Kauaʻi digitally sovereign.
Every household with its own email. Every business with its own cloud. Every organization with its own infrastructure.
Not dependent on California. Not beholden to platforms. Not vulnerable to policy changes.
When the next tech giant decides to sunset a service, change their terms, or harvest more data—the North Shore won’t notice. Because we’ll own our infrastructure.
The Invitation
This work isn’t for everyone. It requires:
- Patience to learn properly
- Courage to own complexity
- Vision to see past convenience
- Commitment to sovereignty
If you’re ready to stop renting your digital life and start owning it, we should talk.
Contact
Email: aloha@mycomputertherapy.com
Phone: 267-719-3352
Location: North Shore Kauaʻi
Availability: By appointment only
“The best technology is the one that still works when the company that made it doesn’t.”
About My Computer Therapy
The ironwood pines above Anini Beach have been here longer than the internet. They’ve survived every hurricane by bending without breaking, by growing deep roots, by creating their own ecosystem.
That’s the model.
The Philosophy
Computer Therapy isn’t about computers. It’s about digital autonomy in an age of platform feudalism.
Every service you don’t control is a dependency. Every platform you rely on is a point of failure. Every convenience you don’t understand is a future crisis.
We build systems that work like the reef: resilient, interconnected, self-healing. Systems that survive the storm because they were designed for the storm.
Core Beliefs
Local-first is the only first that matters.
If it doesn’t work on your local network, it doesn’t really work.
Ownership beats convenience.
Better to own a complicated truth than rent a simple lie.
Teaching scales better than doing.
Give someone a fish, feed them for a day. Teach them to run their own fishery, feed their community.
Boring technology is beautiful technology.
The tools that last are the ones that stopped trying to be clever.
Privacy is not optional.
You are not the product. Your data is not the payment. Your attention is not the currency.
The Person
Benjoe Vidal
Builder of systems, teacher of sovereignty
15+ years turning fragile infrastructure into resilient systems. Started in mainland data centers, ended up on a North Shore beach teaching people to own their digital lives.
Background
- Linux administrator since Ubuntu looked ugly
- Network architect since WiFi was exotic
- Home automation before it phoned home
- Self-hosting before it was necessary
Current
- Building Kauaʻi Digital Village infrastructure
- Running Tomorrow Radio (when the automation works)
- Living off-grid(ish) near Anini
- Kayaking the reef when the code compiles
Fluent In
- Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, the reliable ones)
- Networking (from cable crimping to BGP)
- Automation (Home Assistant, n8n, Node-RED)
- Reality (salt air, power failures, actual storms)
The Practice
MCT operates differently than tech support or IT consulting:
We Don’t
- Install software you don’t understand
- Create dependency relationships
- Optimize for our convenience
- Chase the newest anything
- Pretend complex things are simple
We Do
- Build systems you can maintain
- Transfer complete ownership
- Document obsessively
- Test for failure modes
- Make complex things understandable
The Location
Based on Kauaʻi’s North Shore, serving Hanalei to Kīlauea exclusively.
This isn’t market segmentation. It’s physics. Trust requires presence. Complex systems require context. Real solutions require understanding the specific humidity, the particular power grid, the actual internet options.
We know which houses lose power first. We know where cell signal dies. We know whose routers can’t handle salt air. This knowledge matters.
The Mission
Make North Shore Kauaʻi digitally sovereign.
Every household with its own email. Every business with its own cloud. Every organization with its own infrastructure.
Not dependent on California. Not beholden to platforms. Not vulnerable to policy changes.
When the next tech giant decides to sunset a service, change their terms, or harvest more data—the North Shore won’t notice. Because we’ll own our infrastructure.
The Invitation
This work isn’t for everyone. It requires:
- Patience to learn properly
- Courage to own complexity
- Vision to see past convenience
- Commitment to sovereignty
If you’re ready to stop renting your digital life and start owning it, we should talk.
Contact
Email: aloha@mycomputertherapy.com
Phone: 267-719-3352
Location: North Shore Kauaʻi
Availability: By appointment only
“The best technology is the one that still works when the company that made it doesn’t.”