I used to be good at this.
In the early 2000s, before marriage, before children, before the one-man software company, I’d update this blog several times a day for weeks at a time.
I’ll get back to it at some point. Maybe after I’m retired. Maybe when the children are off to college. Maybe tomorrow, who knows.
Probably not soon, though.
Ok, back to work. I’m in market and things are exploding — mostly in a good way, sometimes in an ugly way.
Onward.
I don’t have any data on this, but I think I’m probably one of the few people who have blogged in their 20s, 30s, 40s and (now) 50s. I started my site in early 2001, when I was 28. I am now 50.
I don’t think I get a prize or anything, but it’s kinda neat.
Still in launch mode, but helping out with ticketing for my daughter’s high-school performance of 42nd Street. It should be a fabulous show!
Alright, I’m really bad at this. Lots going on.
One of the advantages of running a newsfeed engine is that I’m always coming across really interesting new sites to check out and follow.
The Substack economy has been a boon to readers. The ecosystem is the richest it’s been since the golden age of blogging in the mid-2000s. I love it when I come across some new longer-form writers.
Here are some of my new favorites that you should probably try out:
I hope to be able to do more “linky goodness” posts this year. I’m just heads-down in launch mode, so it’s harder to carve out the fifteen minutes or so each day. I need to get back at it.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for some more sites I’m paying attention to, you can check out what I’m following on Serendeputy, or just look over my deputy’s shoulder.
(I’d also be fascinated to know what you think of it…)
Or, I share a lot of links on Twitter, so there’s that, too.
I’ll be back sometime between tomorrow and eventually.
I’m still media-adjacent, so I follow the comings and goings and new business models…
Who wants to be a chickenaire? in which the author lays out his paywall strategies.
Meanwhile, Charlie Warzel and many others are migrating their newsletters to The Atlantic.
I’m still working on the pro offering for Serendeputy, so I know the temptation. It’s more fun to build stuff than to do the daily operational grind.
Last time I checked in, it was midsummer. Now, it’s late October.
There’s still a ton going on. School is in full bloom. The holidays are coming up.
I even have a daughter about to get her driver’s permit; I’m entirely prepared for that.
Serendeputy is going in-market in a couple of weeks (Murphy-willing).
I’m still trying to notice things. I just don’t have as much time to ruminate and pull it all together.
Maybe soon.
You can still get a feel for what I’m finding interesting on the web by following me on Twitter.
See you soon.
The end of the school year, summer camps, redesigns, etc.
Lots going on. Will write again at some point….
Happy June.
I am now two weeks past my second shot and am officially fully vaccinated. So, that’s good. We’re all making slow progress. I got the family tickets to a Red Sox game on Labor Day Weekend; I’m going to predict things should be pretty much back to normal by then. I can’t wait.
Everything’s becoming a subscription, and the pandemic is partly to blame. We have a lot of subscriptions (plus recurring donations to a few public radio stations — a happy legacy from my NPR days — and other non-profits). I think we’re going to have a full reckoning over the summer to see what we really need.
My name is Max, and I have a cicada problem. Sometimes the dog is going to eat all the cicadas.
River Runner. This is a fun site that lets you drop a raindrop anywhere in the country and see its path.
The Oral History of ‘WandaVision’. WandaVision was a conquering hero in the household when it finally hit the screen.
The Internet is flat. Things are complicated. Try to behave with grace. I follow my own context collapse tag to remind me to try to keep as much context as I can.
Current reading: Crossing the Chasm and Escape Velocity by Geoffrey Moore. Can you tell I’m about to do a redesign and rewrite all my marketing copy?
‘FIND THIS ****:’ Inside Citizen’s Dangerous Effort to Cash In On Vigilantism. This app seems like an awful idea.
Hadestown Tiny Desk Concert. Here’s a few minutes of fun for you.
Current reading while waiting in various parking lots: What Would Nature Do. More complexity theory stuff. Luckily, evolution has had quite a few years to run some experiments…
I’ve been stuck in Dependency Hell for the past few days, but I think I was able to track down the last bit. Of course, it would be idiotic to launch something new on the Friday before a holiday weekend, so it looks like I’ll be able to push it out on Tuesday. It was worth the lift, though; the fallback was to do a clean build and then port the full application over and rebuild the whole server farm. That would have been 6-8 weeks of grind.
Happy Wednesday.
We’re getting closer to the end of school. Everyone is excited, including me. Next year, we will have buses! This year, we have not. Lots of driving. Lots of waiting. At least I have probably gotten through a couple more books than I would have otherwise.
Currently reading: Style by Joseph Williams. This is another good book on writing. The book reminds me that I should have my nouns verbing. I’m still working on that.
I actually found it hard yesterday writing up notes for the designer I’m working with. It’s been a long time since I have had to give detailed feedback to anyone other than myself. Turns out that while I always know what I mean — not everyone else does.
Bosses Still Aren’t Sure Remote Workers Have ‘Hustle’. Not a huge issue for me, obviously, but it will be interesting to see what kind of shake up the office world will have this fall.
Silicon Valley’s Social App and Teen Obsession. Wait five days and other teen app will come along.