Twin boys. Toddler daughter. Hospital Tech Support. Writer. Runner. Gamer. Creating in public again.*

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Blogging

Under the Hood

Looks good! What are you using under the hood?

The website is running on Blot:

A tool that turns a folder into a website. A simple way to publish to the internet— just drag and drop your files. Designed to work with the tools you already use, like your favorite text editor. For over a decade, people have used Blot to share their ideas and projects online.

Even though Blot is handling the backend of the website, that side of what’s happening is invisible to me. The only thing I see are my folders in Ulysses. These two paired together have been my workflow for about a decade now. It’s seamless and allows me to create on the fly from my phone.

Other than knowing that the folders in Ulysses are pointing to an iCloud Drive folder that Blot connects to, and the template I’m running on Blot is heavily customized by me and my friend Jay Ray (we’re still doing adjustments on the fly as I start building again), it really is that simple.

My Laboratory

I decided to build a new website to tell stories again—a place where the smallest ideas or the biggest ones can live. Time is much more limited now for me, so being efficient with that time is critical.

I need a foundation for everything I share online. Whether it’s photos, videos, playlists, books, music, video games, podcasts, or productivity advice, I need a home that’s prepared for it all.

The online world and social media are worse than they’ve ever been, and even at their best, you’re still spread across a dozen locations. That’s where having your own home on the internet comes in: a website that ties it all together. A central hub for everything you share.

This is my laboratory.

I Have Died Many Times

A new year. A new way to approach my writing. I hope you enjoy this new format. Going back to my roots. Blogging instead of weekly newsletters. This will remove the pressure of deadlines, which will also give me the freedom to create again, instead of fitting thoughts into a defined package due at the end of every week. Expect a more stream of conscious type of approach here now.

At the beginning of the last few years, I have enjoyed rereading I Have Died Many Times, by CGP Grey. Let’s start my return here with that.

My weekly newsletter that showed up in inboxes every Monday morning and lasted 137 weeks in a row is now over. When closing out last year, at first I only wanted to take a break during December, but as Christmas rolled around, and the new year approached, I knew that chapter of my life was over.

I’m ready for something new, and I think getting back to blogging (and microblogging) will scratch that itch for me. I’ll be able to build faster, with fresher ideas, and ultimately be more nimble with creating than those newsletters allowed me to be.

With no deadlines, you’ll now see more thoughts from me, or sometimes less, depending on the flow of that week. I can post immediately or not post at all for days or weeks. Only showing up when I have something to share.

A Bear That Blogs

If you’re looking for a simple way to blog, I recently stumbled on a new platform that seems very easy to use. It’s called Bear. “A privacy-first, no-nonsense, super-fast blogging platform. No trackers, no javascript, no stylesheets. Just your words. This is a blogging platform where words matter most.”

I still use Blot, but if I was just starting out today, and didn’t have the custom theme that I’ve been building for a decade now, then I’d probably be using something like Bear.