what i've read lately
i am still pretty bad at collecting things i read. the attempts are worth it though, i think. mostly because the act of collecting pushes a little against the default “decay” (i.e., where links…
How to clean your home
A letter to my past self # This blog post is a letter to my past self. It’s what I wish I had known back in 2020 or 2021. Back when my domestic demands were growing - a family growing bigger,…
If you don’t know what to do, pick up a chair
Jon Banafato shared his older blog post Stacking Chairs in Mastodon the other day. “Stacking chairs”, taken literally, is what it sounds like. You know those stackable plastic and metal chairs that…
Facing the Firing Squad
Well as it so happens this week I was alerted to a semi-terrifying development at work. It seems the moronic executives have been pushing very hard for upper and mid management to furnish them with a…
Promises Made, Promises Broken
This post is from a period before SPLectrum. I wrote a small number of posts, but wasn’t exactly a productive writer. It was not until the arrival of AI that productivity in writing was unlocked for…
2026.06.24
CAVEMAN TALK ABOUT SIMPLICITY, FIGMA FUTURE, AND RESUMES
Reverse interviews
An interview is a two-way process. Here is the set of "reverse interview" questions I use to assess the real quality of a software job — the red and green flags that reveal what a place is actually…
When a rearset swap ended with my Panigale V4S brake line on fire
I swapped the rearsets on my Ducati Panigale V4S and set off a chain of rear brake problems that ended with the brake line on fire on the West Seattle Bridge. Here is what happened and how it got…
My defining decade
A 30th birthday reflection on the decade that shaped me, from graduating and finding my way into tech to community, love, faith, and beginning again.
Risultati FdI 24 Giugno 2026
Sono disponibili i risultati della prova pratica e di teoria della programmazione del 24 Giugno 2026. Il risultato complessivo è stato calcolato dove applicabile.
Cornchip
Got inspired to draw Churchill, I had a lot of fun drawing him after so long. My work week has been so crummy and of AI bs that I need real authentic joy and creativity to keep me going.
10 Employer of Record (EOR) Companies to Consider in 2026
Choosing the right Employer of Record (EOR) provider can simplify global expansion. Here are my picks for EOR providers.
Negativity broke my blogging
How a busy year, a sour drafts folder, and one very disappointing podcast taught me that the choice of subjects can affect your mental health, and that I'd rather write about things I actually like.
Building got cheaper. Entrepreneurship did not.
A personal read on indie hacking in 2026, from the first cheap-software startup myths to AI wrappers, distribution, trust, runway, and the projects that never reached the market.
can you not eat them all?
“the coyote is similar than the prairie dog.” “WG loves me because i talk to him so much.” “i wanna muo muo your hand.” “blueblerries.” “mama, did you get your reperiod?"
a day in my life (boring! real!)
i'm personally tired of reading or hearing about people with the Ultimate Perfect Morning Routine blah blah, but i'm also kind of tired of hearing about the wonderful lives of rich people who don't…
2026-06-23 Tuesday
Up too early, set off for Brussels; worked on train, another train, Eurostar waiting room, train etc. Arrived, more work. Meeting to encourage the EC in it's Digital Sovereignty direction. Reception…
The Wake Up Call………….
  You fly into New Orleans, pick up your rental car and drive to the hotel down near Bourbon Street, check in and crash from a long travel day! Then before your head hits the pillow you call and…
The more you think...
I was thinking of writing another blog post. I was thinking about changing careers. I was thinking about starting a family. I was thinking about buying a new car. I was thinking... It can be so…
molten
guh
Organization vs Automation
“Automation” is one of those buzzwords that’s almost as overused as “AI” (and sometimes people put those buzzwords together). Automation promises massive scalability,…
Die Illusion des Nachholens – und die Kunst, einen Tag stehen zu lassen
Tage können ihre Sollbruchstelle haben; einen feinen Punkt, an dem die beste Planung still und heimlich nachgibt und sich die innere Ordnung in Chaos verwandelt, ohne dass man sich bewusst…
this morning, i watched a video
and my faith is americans is that much smaller now two days ago, jubilee released a video of dean withers debating women who are part of the "maga" movement. i don't typically watch jubilee videos. i…
A Bunch of Random Updates
I've updated some things in the last few years. Now's as good a time as any to link to them. bookfeed.io bookfeed.io is an RSS feed for book releases. I'm not sure why, but Google Books' search…
falling into hatred
yeah i'm not gonna pretend im a nice person
June 2026 Board of Ed; Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School
the report is here completed the tasks described in the three conditions, around governance of their board different than demonstrating sustained improvement will have additional governance…
postcrossing
i signed up for postcrossing today and sending postcards to germany, russia, canada, the netherlands, and malaysia! 🥲
June 2026 Board of Ed: translation and interpretation regulation
backup is here ; public comment summary is here ; redline is here Martinez notes there's no money attached to this strategic about what is in regs; "want to be nimble" "not intended to create a…
What Do These Photos Tell You About Me?
After several unsuccessful attempts to get a cool photo of my steaming hot cup of coffee this morning… I had another bright idea💡 Here are 2 photos taken from my backwards facing passenger seat……
Build Your Product Story in 30 Minutes
A product story is three sentences. Most teams have never written even one of them.We've spent this month on the cost of that gap. When product is a black box, the org writes your story for you.…
30 Day Update of Learning Mandarin
It’s time to celebrate my first 30 consecutive days of learning Mandarin. In the first 30 days, I have been able to do just one full pass of one episode of [机智 的 上半场], an interesting Chinese TV…
a ghost story for solstice
I didn't do anything special for solstice this year. It's fairly hot in south west England - 24° C - and it'll only get hotter this week with highs of 34°. I had a quiet day in, cooking and cleaning.…
My Plan to Become Fluent in Mandarin in Two Years
This is going to be my third attempt at learning Mandarin. My first attempt was in 2014-15, and the second one, I don’t even remember. I’ve also decided to revisit Japanese and go for…
Hello world!
For you, we prayed, cried, waited and trusted.
Aw Geez
aw man
Between the Lines: June 2026
Announcing our partnership with Southleft, what we're watching at Config, and why we've been telling some teams to hold off.
What to do when children stomp on, play with, cry about, and intervene with critters? Answer–it depends
Grounded in a 20 minute episode on the playground, this essay shares the perspectives of  colleagues and children to explore four teacher decision points regarding the socialization of…
Reflections on a Solstice
Marking the summer solstice of 2026
Two Weeks Notice (Weeknote No. 26-25)
Goings On ⏱️ The big personal highlight is that I tendered my resignation ahead of my upcoming retirement. I’ve begun gleefully declining meetings. 🚘 We accomplished something we thought we never…
big car
I bought a new car yesterday. Technically it's 6 years old, but it is new to me. I went to one of those car supermarkets that seem to have sprung up on the country's industrial estates over the last…
Lessons from my first time using a teleprompter
The biggest lesson from my first time using a teleprompter is that the goal is to make people forget you’re using one. Recently, I had the chance to work with a teleprompter for the first time.…
mama if that’s moving up then I’m…
I’m sitting in a massive bedroom - massive, that is, compared to the size of my old one - surrounded by bin bags and boxes full of my stuff. I don’t really know where to start. My toiletries are…
THE JUNE SCRAMBLE
Alright.The heat is upon us. My brain cannot multitask at the best of times and certainly not in these end-of-days temperatures. So like a broken record an urgency loop, I will repeat at the top of…
Read a Book and Save the Date: #Librarian Conference #EduSky #LibSky #Education #read
Here I am pictured in front of one of my old haunts, Brook Hollow Public Library in San Antonio, Texas. In the original version of this picture, which my wife snapped Saturday, I appear bald head,…
Sideways subdivision: Sin City homebuilders find new ways to pack ‘em in.
The predictability of a post-1950s subdivision in most of suburban America almost renders it impervious to analysis.  After all, there’s nothing exotic about a middle-class home with 3-4…
A Super Fun Introduction
Hi, I'm Mare. 20. Active Duty Air Force. No kids at the moment. Currently living in Las Vegas. I fix GE F110 jet engines for work. I do online college and wait till the last minute to turn everything…
How Banking Actually Works (And How to Set Up Your First Accounts)
Let’s make money make sense. Let’s be honest for a second… Nobody really cares about banking—until that first real paycheck hits. Whether it’s from a part-time job, tutoring, lifeguarding, or just…
Weekly Update, June 2026
Well the world is burning and I'm sheltering inside, so here's a quick stock update for this week. First up, I have film news: Film Stocks I have installed a fridge! I've been meaning to do this for…
Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams by Roger Schwarz
I finished this book in May 2026. I recommend this book 5/10. Why you should read this book: This book will teach you the importance of getting your team to focus on a mutual learning mindset instead…
Goloka – Premium – Holy Basil
I bought this pack at the beginning of 2025 from the now no longer existing online shop ‘Spiru’. The pack… Continue reading “Goloka – Premium – Holy Basil”…