Keep it Weird.
Fuck it man. Just put on some Grateful Dead. Put on some Aretha. Print some kind of zine. Paint a sign. Start a band. Write a manifesto. Bootleg a t-shirt. Hand out stickers. Throw a party. Keep it weird.
Joan Westenberg
Pattern Recognition vs. Pattern Lock-In
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 cast a long shadow. France, humiliated and burning for revenge. Germany, rising and certain it had to strike first to stay on top. Every decision, every alliance, every military maneuver was shaped by one core belief: another war wasn’t just possible—it was inevitable.
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Progress (?)
The Case for Embracing Cringe
We curate ourselves into something safe. We smooth out our rough edges. We keep things palatable, we stay detached, we’re less invested, we’re dedicated to avoiding embarrassment at all costs. That’s the mantra. Be cool. Be aloof. Don’t try too hard. Don’t try at all.
Pizza Party
My Passion is Staring Into the Void
The Fediverse Isn’t the Future. It’s the Present We’ve Been Denied.
For years, the internet has been shrinking. Not in size, not in data, but in ownership. A vast, decentralized network of personal blogs, forums, and independent communities has been corralled into a handful of paved prison yards controlled by a few massive corporations. Every post, every “friend,” every creative work—
I’m Entering My Curmudgeon Era
My current project: I've been dusting off the old hard drives with my ripped CD collection and loading them into an iPod. A 20-year-old piece of tech with its click wheel intact, no WiFi, and no algorithm feeding me recommendations I didn't ask for. The result:
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Support Small Business
The Only Metrics That Matter
I don't run analytics tools on my blog or The Index. Why would I? I don’t write for numbers. I write for people. There are no ads, no sponsors, and no investors to placate with colorful graphs and charts. In my experience, most metrics measure the wrong
Big Tech Wants You Trapped. The Open Web Sets You Free
Big Tech designed their platforms to keep you trapped. YouTube, X, Instagram, and TikTok aren't neutral spaces. They're businesses built on capturing your attention and data. Their algorithms, notification systems, and content policies all serve one purpose: keeping you engaged on their terms. And their terms
How Digital Marketing Broke Society
25.9% of teenagers who spend four or more hours daily on screens experienced depression symptoms in the past two weeks. 27.1% reported anxiety symptoms. Higher durations of Internet use increases depression levels. Adolescents who spend more than three hours online daily are more likely to fall into the
Why I Won't Write on Substack
There is something perverse about every voice of record, every journalist with a profile, every writer with an audience abandoning ship for Substack. It's been a growing trend for the past few years, and it's getting worse. Substack has done an excellent job convincing intelligent people