But even after that era, as search engines started to become a reliable and powerful way to navigate the wealth of content on the growing Web, links still dominated our exploration. Following a link from a resource that was linked to by somebody you know carried the weight of a “web of trust”, and you’d quickly come to learn whose links were consistently valuable and on what subjects. They also provided a sense of community and interconnectivity that paralleled the organic, chaotic networks of acquaintances people form out in the real world.
[...]
The net result is that Internet users use fewer different websites today than they did 20 years ago, and spend most of their “Web” time in app versions of websites [..] Truly exploring the Web now requires extra effort, like exercising an underused muscle.

Since I started my IndieWeb journey this month I’ve been thinking a lot about the digital content I’m producing and how I can be more in control of my data, avoiding data silos as much as possible.

1. Tagged with
2. running
3. indieweb

Looking Back on 35

• I (helped) launch two major (different) versions of some factory automation software at work.
• I wrote an article in Japanese that was published in a real-life magazine.
• Interviewed and got a dream job that'll let me have a meaningful impact on climate change.

• Built and released my first project in years (Tanzawa).
• Paid off my car note (6 year loan, paid off in 1.4).
• Fully embraced that I'm an early riser and began prioritizing health.
• Running more months of this year than previous years (though there's still been some big gaps, I'm hopeful).
• Hit over 1 year of weekly The Week posts.
• Dodged 'rona and got us vaccinated very early for our age group (less than a week after eligibility), which gave us full vaccination during delta.
• Took two small overnight stays in Japan (Saitama last November, Yokohama less than a week ago)

Looking Forward on 36

• Go on a couple small family trips in Japan (covid allowing). I'd love to ride the Shinkansen with Leo.
• Continue running and or cycling, but on a more regular basis, rain or shine. Ideally I want to do a couple of 5ks during the week and a longer run/ride on the weekend.
• Reduce my non renewable energy usage (put solar panels on the house).
• Build and release an electricity related side project.
• Reduce my plastic usage / trash (this is difficult as it seems no matter what you buy in Japan, it's wrapped in at least one plastic bag). We throw out about 1 40L bag per week today, which seems like way too much. I'd love to get that down to 1 40L bag per every two weeks, or even per month.
• Introduce Leo to his grandparents. Leo has only met my mom on my side of the family when she came to visit shortly after he was born. I'd like him to meet the rest of the family, so maybe a trip to the US once borders open up a bit more?

If you run a UGC platform (User Generated Content) you either die with an MVP ("minimum viable product") or live long enough to the point that you have to build content moderation. It’s a story as old as the internet and a topic that is seldom discussed.

1. Tagged with
2. blogging
3. social media

For younger folk: this photo is from the farcical Web 1.0 Summit to make fun of those using the "Web 2.0" moniker for their own marketing ambitions. In other words, history repeating itself. https://laughingsquid.com/web-1-summit/ The photos are gold: https://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/sets/1084819/

• People don't sit down at computers, so you "need" a web app and a mobile app (which requires submitting apps to stores with arbitrary rules). 
• People don't want to create logins (so you need to integrate with the tech giants for login)
• Services keep (your) data tight within walls.
• Search results often favor the big incumbents.
• Most every online interaction is somehow linked to Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, or Twitter.