Blog Question Challenge 2025

I saw this going around and it looked fun. Thanks for the idea, James.

Why Did You Start Blogging in the First Place?

I wanted a place to share my photography and cool things I read and watched. That was 2007.

What Platform Are You Using to Manage Your Blog, and Why Do You Use It?

WordPress, self-hosted on Pressable. I use WordPress because it is open source, infinitely modifiable, with good defaults. I like the block editor and the vast plugin ecosystem.

I host with Pressable because I work at Automattic and get it for free. That said, I’d pay for Pressable if I didn’t work at Automattic because it is fast and solid.

Have You Blogged on Other Platforms Before?

I hand coded the first version, then moved to WordPress in 2008, then Jekyll in 2015, then back to WordPress in 2020. I moved back to WordPress because I wanted things to just work. There was enough friction with Jekyll, getting it built locally, and deploying that it kept me from blogging sometimes. Nothing worse than writing a post only to spend an hour trying to figure out some random Ruby gem error.

How Do You Write Your Posts?

90% of the time I write them directly in the block editor. For my weekly updates, I start by going through my photos on my phone from the week and looking at any notes I may have collected in Obsidian. I always start not knowing what I’m going to say, but usually end up with over 1000 words and it takes roughly an hour.

The other 10% are project posts that I draft over the course of a couple days, usually while I am still working on the project. Usually in Obsidian or Drafts, which is more accessible on my phone when I’m out in the workshop.

When Do You Feel Most Inspired to Write?

When I’m creating things in real life.

Do You Normally Publish Immediately After Writing, or Do You Let It Simmer?

I press publish and walk away. I barely even proofread. I figure Zeldman will message me if I have a typo

What’s Your Favorite Post on Your Blog?

Hard to pick just one. Here are a few that stand out:

Building a swing set with A-frame brackets because it has spawned a bunch of IRL swing sets for kids, which warms my heart

How can we keep domains working long after our death? because I think it is an incredibly important problem to solve

Steph Curry’s Advantage (Or How to Become a Leader in the NBA) because it got me a job and is a good example of exploring interests in an open-ended way. Unfortunately the D3 charts are broken right now, which I need to fix.

Any Future Plans for the Blog?

Keep blogging indefinitely. Blogging is a lifestyle.

Who Will Participate Next?

Hopefully you, dear reader. I’m not going to nominate anyone, it must be self-driven, like all blogging.