Written 2025-12-22
Look Mom! I'm making a website! I'm on the internet now and I'm gonna be famous!
For a while now, I've been reading blog posts from my friend and former coworker Lukas Werner, and I've really enjoyed his content. He has notes on various topics, tutorials, opinions, and photos (you should check his site out!). After one long session grading exams for our TA job, Lukas and I hung around the Kelley Engineering Center chatting together. Eventually, he convinced me to create a personal website of my own. I had to think about it for a while, but I ultimately realized it would be a great project.
I have several ideas for how I might use this site.
I'm planning to create some learning resources to document tools I use. As a TA, I saw lots of cases where electrical engineering and computer science students could really benefit from knowing a powerful text editor like Vim. One of my first planned articles is to document how I would learn Vim if I could start over again.
I think it would be a great to talk about hobbies and other things I do in my personal life. I've been getting more and more interested in amateur radio, and when I finally get on the air I imagine I'll have quite a bit to share.
Recently, I've also taken efforts to step away from my phone, and that has caused a lot of positive change for me. As I continue to work on my digital detox, this site will give me a place to document my process and results.
I want to write about simplicity. Why am I writing this page in plain HTML without javascript? Why do I use the tools and environment I use? Why do I look backwards in time for technological inspiration?
I have silly opinions that I want to share. Why did I switch to taking my class notes in cursive? Why do I insist on writing the date YYYY-MM-DD?
I'm very excited to begin using this site. I've always enjoyed content from the early web, and I think a blog is the perfect way for me to keep that spirit alive. I'm not looking to get as many views as possible -- quite the opposite: I want a low stakes place to share some thoughts, and have small but meaningful interactions with visitors.
This will definitely take some getting used to. I have a tendency to want everything perfect, so I often find it's hard to even get started writing. Plus, being a full time student and part-time employee, other activities demand lots of my time. Don't expect new articles too frequently.
One of the things that struck me about Lukas' blog was how human it felt, and I'm hoping I can achieve something similar here. Amidst a net full of the latest and greatest innovations, corporate products, and AI slop, I just want to ramble about old tech and whatever else is on my mind :-)