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December, 2020

2020 in review

I’ve tried and tried, but I can’t write a reflective look back on this year. This was a year of unprecedented deaths, racist police brutality, political turmoil, and the sheer misery of people all over the world losing their loved ones and finding their families torn apart. If we felt less ...
December 31, 2020

Writing bingo

My friend Carrie Tian, who works for Mailchimp, wrote aboout how their seasonal reading bingo board inspired her to create one for writing. I really love this: one of my goals for 2021 is to write a great deal more, building on the progress I made this year, and this ...
December 30, 2020

The magic portal

I vividly remember my first day on the internet. I was sat in my teenage bedroom, staring at a bulky cathode ray tube monitor, which my dad had surrounded with spider plants in order to hopefully absorb some electromagnetic radiation. My 14.4K modem connected - loudly and slowly - to ...
December 28, 2020

Three new year’s resolutions

I hope to maintain three streaks and turn them into habits: Exercise every day. No exceptions, unless I'm really sick. I've done more regular exercise over the last year than I'd managed since I moved to California, but I'd like to make it more regular, for the good of my own health. Write ...
December 27, 2020

The most important thing

The most important thing in any team, product, company, or community is kindness. And with it, empathy. Any bias towards action, energy, or insight doesn't matter if you don't have that. That's the post. ...
December 21, 2020

A Known update

I believe in the independent web - which was born thirty years ago today - more than any other technology. Earlier today, I shared an update with collaborators, advisors, and investors in Known. Here's what's up: Recently, I filed paperwork to officially dissolve Known, Inc, the Delaware C-Corporation. It is expected that ...
December 21, 2020

Mulling words

Writing was my first love. It's still far and away the thing I most love to do. While a lot of people I know love technology on a deep level and nerd out on the intricacies of protocols and stacks, I got into this game to tell stories. I'm excited ...
December 15, 2020

The Web blooms again

NiemanLab just released its predictions for journalism 2021. I was delighted to be asked to contribute. My piece is about the open web: “In place of the monolithic super-platforms that were the hallmark of using the internet over the last decade, we’ll see smaller, independent publications and websites that address the ...
December 10, 2020

Advice for a first-time founder

Over on Twitter, Andy Sparks asked repeat founders what they wished they knew at the beginning of their first company. It's a great question. I've co-founded two startups and been the first employee at a few more. In particular, I knew nothing at the beginning of the first one. It's ...
December 8, 2020

Beginning to look towards 2021

I'm trying to spend some time to reflect on this absurd, terrible year, paying particular attention to my role in it, and the things I can control in the future. Honestly, for much of the year, it's been a case of just trying to stay afloat: the cognitive load of the ...
December 7, 2020

I wish I'd bought Slack stock

I've been telling people for years how valuable Slack is, but I didn't own a single share. Alas. Congratulations to everyone who gained from this acquisition. Slack is a great company that does things the right way: a revenue-based business that grew by providing genuine social value to the companies it ...
December 1, 2020

Reading, watching, playing, using: November 2020

This is my monthly roundup of the tech and media I consumed and found interesting. Here's my list for November. Books Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson. A sobering, intelligent take on America's unspoken caste system, comparing it to similar systems around the world. For me, the history of how the Nazis looked to ...
December 1, 2020