Blogroll
Sites and blogs I read with some regularity. Not an exhaustive list — just the ones I keep coming back to. Most of them share a general interest in doing things carefully, keeping things simple, and paying attention to the things most people ignore.
I don't use a feed reader anymore, so "read regularly" really means "check every week or two and catch up." It works well enough.
- Archive Team — They rescue data from websites and services that are shutting down. I've followed their work for years. The sheer volume of what disappears from the internet without anyone noticing is staggering, and these people actually do something about it.
- The Long Now Foundation — Thinking on timescales of thousands of years. Their seminars are consistently good, and the Rosetta Project alone is worth knowing about. I appreciate anyone trying to build things that last.
- Uses This — Short interviews with people about the tools they use for their work. I've found more useful software and hardware recommendations here than anywhere else. The interviews with librarians and archivists are especially good.
- 100 Rabbits — Two people living on a sailboat making software and art with minimal resources. Their approach to computing — offline-first, low-power, built to last — is something I think about a lot. Their tools are worth trying.
- Low-Tech Magazine — The solar-powered version of the site, which I find fitting. They write about old and overlooked technologies that still work perfectly well. Every article makes me reconsider something I took for granted.
- Gwern — Enormous, meticulously maintained research site covering everything from statistics to internet culture. I don't always agree with the conclusions, but the rigor is impressive. The approach to long-form, continuously updated writing is something more people should try.
- Pluralistic — Cory Doctorow's blog. He writes about technology, surveillance, monopolies, and digital rights with a clarity that I admire. Even when the topics are bleak, the writing is energizing. One of the few daily blogs I actually keep up with.
- IndieWeb — A community of people building and maintaining their own websites. The principles are simple — own your data, publish on your own domain, connect with others on your own terms. This site exists partly because of that philosophy.
- DataHoarder Wiki — Community-maintained resource for people who take data preservation seriously. Good practical advice on storage, backup strategies, and format longevity. I've referred people here more than once.
- Cheapskate's Guide — Practical guides to running old hardware and lightweight software. There's an ethic here I relate to — not everything needs to be new, and a ten-year-old ThinkPad running a minimal Linux setup can do almost anything most people need.
- suckless.org — Software that focuses on clarity, simplicity, and frugality. Their tools are opinionated and not for everyone, but the philosophy of keeping things small and understandable resonates with how I try to work.
- Permacomputing — Ideas about making computing more sustainable, long-lasting, and mindful. Still a relatively young community, but the questions they're asking about resource use and digital longevity feel important.
If you know of a site that fits this general sensibility — quiet, useful, maintained by someone who cares — I'm always interested.
— K. Vadala