Analytics for the personal web
Traditional web analytics emphasize the wrong things, at least for the noncommercial personal websites. Here are some ideas on what analytics for the personal web could look like.
Could Apple create a new model of the social web by combining personal websites with social media features?
A thought experiment about how Apple could create a new hybrid model of personal websites + social media leveraging iCloud and other products.
Some thoughts on killing your blogroll
Keenan is killing his blogroll, mostly because it sucks to decide what’s on it and what gets left out. He worries about how that makes others, and himself, feel. I get it. When I finally (re-)published mine awhile back—after a decade-long absence—I found it far more stressful than I had anticipated. And I wondered if … Read more
Small social networks are everywhere (still)
The common tale told about the rise of the big social media platforms is that they consolidated virtually all online social activity. And there’s a lot of truth to that. It was easier for many smaller communities to simply organize on a specific platform rather than build and maintain their own system, whether that be … Read more
Intentionality > Minimalism
I think that minimalism is a good, yet incomplete, frame for consumer purchases. But I also don’t believe that less stuff is inherently better. At least not for the life I want to live. Here’s one example to illustrate: I live in Phoenix and enjoy kayaking the Lower Salt River on the edge of town, … Read more
I might like it too much
A dozen or more years ago, one of my friends said something that really caught my attention. We were at her apartment pool hanging out with a few other friends, two of which were discussing their previous weekend using psychedelic mushrooms. Conversation turned towards other drugs. And my friend mentioned some of her previous experimentations … Read more
My permadomain
Look, I own a lot of domain names. Waaaay too many. Each new project idea starts with a name, and that name is in part driven by domain availability. Don’t complain to me, I don’t make the rules. These projects may (ok, will likely) never see the publish button. They’re intentions—good, serious intentions, mind you, … Read more
Why GPS sucks for roadtrips, and why I’ll still never drive without it
I did a long road trip last month, making my way from Phoenix through south Texas and over to New Orleans, then generally up the Mississippi River to Illinois and back towards Phoenix via Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. I drove about 6800 miles in total. I used GPS the entire way, running off of a … Read more
Writing a book about “all the [blank]?”
I’m a big fan of travel quests—a goal of visiting a particular set of places, usually one that involves “visiting all the ________________.” ➡️ Here are some of my own quests, here’s a guide for how to get started on your own, and here’s a directory of 1500 quests you might enjoy. So it catches … Read more
Our charging kit for inside the tent
Since we tent camp regularly, whether during a road trip or just on a free weekend, we end up needing to charge some items overnight in the tent. To make this process a bit easier, last year we put together a dedicated tent charging kit. While it might feel a bit redundant—I have copies of … Read more