This blog is mostly composed of very old posts from well over a decade ago. I stopped updating the blog after I joined Google+ which remains, to me at least, the best social media platform I have used.  Damn Google for killing it off for personal use.

Why have a blog in this day and age?
An interesting question given I don't actually have a lot to say other than disjointed ramblings and the occasional tech post. The reason is this quote from Jaron Lanier:

"Create a website that expresses something about who you are that won't fit into the template available to you on a social networking site".

It's from his book You Are Not a Gadget. 

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Enshittification In Action

I see the development of the internet over the past 25+ years as a series of decisions to reduce and limit interactivity. Every step of the way has reduced the ability of people to easily communicate.  Compare the wide open spaces of Usenet to the very limited interactions gained on through social media and blogs.   For me it went Usenet -> Forums -> Blogs -> Social media and it's been downhill all the way.  Each move has further limited the ability to interact with a wide range of people and restricted the ability to hold long, in depth discussions on any topic.

I also really miss personal websites.  I loved being able to enter random search terms and getting a long list of diverse sites mostly created by individuals.  The creativity in personally developed websites was enormous and many of them were very entertaining.  Life on the web was fun.

It no longer is. Today's web is mostly composed of bland corporate interfaces and walled gardens - and the gardens have decomposed until they are mostly wastelands.

This is my attempt to do something outside of those walled gardens and corporate blandosities.  I don't expect it to get much traffic or interest - but that is not its point. Its point is to be something of my own built on a platform not owned or controlled by other parties.

I will update the blog. However, it is likely to be somewhat sporadically :-)