/now

Last updated November 3, 2026.

This is what’s occupying my time and attention lately. At 60, I’m getting more selective about what deserves both, although you probably wouldn’t know it from the number of projects I have scattered around.

Making a home on the small web

I’m putting time into my websites, writing, and exploring the parts of the internet that still feel personal. Independent blogs, the Fediverse, Gemini, and Gopher continue to hold my attention. I like finding something because another person thought it was worth sharing.

Offgrid Holdout is part of that effort. I want a place where I can publish something, share a project, or follow an interest without having to consider what an algorithm wants from me.

Tinkering with technology

Debian is home, and my computers and self-hosted services give me plenty of opportunities to tinker. Sometimes that means building something useful. Sometimes it means spending an evening figuring out why something that worked yesterday has decided it has other plans.

My projects include a Renegade BBS, Gemini hosting through Gemcities, and tools for exploring and publishing on the small web. Progress varies depending on what has my attention... which probably explains why I should probably create a projects page.

I’m also using AI as a technical assistant for troubleshooting and development. I find it useful, and I’m interested in what it can help me understand and accomplish. I’m considerably less interested in the endless arguments over whether using it makes someone a fraud.

Studying history and writing

I’m pursuing my master’s in American History alongside a full-time job. The coursework demands a fair amount of reading and writing, and it gives me plenty to think about concerning how we interpret the past.

Outside coursework, I’m making room for blogging and creative writing. Technology, history, and human nature tend to work their way into whatever I’m writing, even when I thought I was starting somewhere else.

Keeping music in my life

I’m still playing music with local groups. After more than 40 years, it remains something I want to make time for, even when work and everything else compete for the same hours.

There’s usually music playing while I’m working on something, too. My listening habits wander enough that I’ve stopped trying to explain them.

Being a little more selective

The ongoing challenge is deciding which interests deserve another evening and which ones can wait. I enjoy building things, learning things, and following an idea just to see where it goes. I’d also like to finish a few of those things occasionally.

I’m working on that. Apparently, it’s another project.

This is a /now page, inspired by Derek Sivers and the now page movement. You can find more ideas for pages like this at Slash Pages.