Happy 6th Birthday!
When I started this goofy little blog, I made a conscious decision not to flip the design, burn down every word I’d written and start over as the wind changed direction, which is what I had done up until 2011. I needed a place to capture the ideas I had been reading and to serve as a platform to goof around publicly. Writing isn’t a passion of mine, nor am I all that proficient in the craft, its just been a means to an end. I felt an overwhelming need to express myself and text was cheap.[1]
In 2017, this site has survived a full redesign—a Christmas miracle compared to my previous design churn—and no less than 4 different technology stacks.[2] After all that, I’ve really grown to like this little blog. I want to be here more often, to do more with it because, honestly, in this dark corner of the Internet, I’m free to express myself however I want. It’s fun, you should try it.
Like my resolution post for the new year, I wanted to sort out my commitments to improve my home away from home. In the last few weeks I feel like I've gained some real clarity about what I want to explore creatively.
I wrote earlier about exploring certain threads or patterns that interest me and I’m still committed to that plan. The plan needs to be reviewed and clarified, but the outlines are a little less fuzzy than they were when I originally wrote down that thought. If I think more about how the things that I read are captured and grouped, I can do a better job telling their story, so that’s what I’ll do. It is not important for me to be the first to blog about a subject, that’s not my business (n.b., there is no business), so I better put a peculiar spin on the links I capture or the prose I write. I intend to be a bit more mature and wait until I can read the tea leaves from a bit further back. That’s (re)commitment numero uno.
There is another. I want to push a bit outside my comfort zone. Drum roll please... I have been working on a YouTube project. The script for my first video is in its final stages and the video itself is beginning. I don't have a release date, or a posting schedule—so make whatever assumptions you need about the strength of my convictions.
The idea behind the series is to explore what goes into being a modern human. So far its a mix of history, anthropology and sociology of fashion and technology (strange angle, right?). My heart has always been drawn to deeper questions of metaphysics, morals and existentialism, so I suspect that's a foreshadow of what may come. C.G.P. Grey, Kurzgesagt and other educational YouTube channels are a clear source of inspiration for me. Hopefully, I will bring some of my own flavour and won’t sound too similar :P
It would be a lie to say that the past six years had been anything less than enjoyable. With these two commitments (and another side project/experiment) I truly believe that my home on the internet will be that much richer. I don't want to get too teary-eyed but I honestly am astounded that so little effort and forethought over the years could bring me this much joy.
If you haven't yet, maybe you should try setting up your own homestead on the internet. You'll love it, it's a real peach.
Talk is cheaper, but podcasting comes with other costs. RIP Too, a short-lived podcast that used too many words to say too little. Also, what a garbage name. I'm surprised Ryan and I resisted the trend to lose a vowel or two. ↩︎
Not to mention the name change and metaphysical metamorphosis into a floating eyeball. “Hey Siri, remind me to blog that story for the website.” “I cannot understand what you want me to do...” Ugh. ↩︎