I'll go first: My name is Jason and I live in VT with my two kids. I'm struggling with the increasing darkness & cold of stick season here in VT and some early-onset empty nesting, but I'm trying to combat it by biking as much as I can before the snow flies.

My son and I are watching Devs (a rewatch for me) and I'm listening to Percival Everett's James on audiobook, which is incredible so far.

I can be found on Instagram, Threads, and Mastodon, but I'm enjoying Bluesky the most these days.

Oh and thanks to Caroline G. for suggesting that we do this again!

My name is Stephanie and I live in Athens, GA (go dawgs) with my husband and 1 year old daughter. I'm a analytical research scientist specializing in glycobiology. Unlike Jason, GA in the winter means fun happy outdoor time and not death-humidity-in-summer time.

I have several interests on hiatus due to the tiny human consuming my life, but I'm very excited by episodes of Bluey.

Working in educational IT since the 90s (K-12 and Higher Ed). Smarter than Reagan. Left of Liberal. Native North Carolinian. Army vet. Grandfather 13x. Taco fan. Appalachian Trail Thruhiker. Blogger at Living Out Loud and App Addict Find me on Mastodon @[email protected]

Hello from Lawrence, Kansas, where I work in the School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. I'm a longtime newspaper journalist — mostly an editor and designer. I think I've been reading Kottke for more than 20 years now!

Yen, artist and writer in NYC, with one teen still at home but one at college, and a very similar burgeoning empty nest. My greatest joy in life is finding something interesting on the interwebs that Jason hasn't already shared. I still love seeing what people are up to on Instagram and I love how Gen-X my Threads is.

My name is Peter and I live on the outskirts of Amsterdam, NL (but my family and I spend a lot of time in NYC, where we lived until late 2020). I'm feeling my way forward while starting my own software business in the Netherlands (after a decade in academia and then another decade in high tech), which is both interesting and kind of a lot. I just signed up to run the Amsterdam marathon next September (celebrating the 750th birthday of the city of Amsterdam), a distance I have never run!

Between the nervousness of starting my own business, the upcoming US election, and the generic worries that come from being a parent, it makes sense that I am also really noticing it as the days get shorter and shorter.

I am most active on Bluesky and Github, but have made an effort to be pboothe in almost every namespace, so if you see that handle it's likely me, even if I'm no longer active there.

This is David, commenting from the Frozen North of Minnesota - where it's actually snowing today!
I'm a long time Kottke lurker, going back to 2006, I think? It feels like the site has evolved alongside me, going from being a single person, to a parent with young kids to a parent with near teenagers, so it always feels relevant. And yes, I play a lot of Fortnite with them, as GoxBoxer (Dr Seuss reference).
I always have a hard time describing what I do professionally, I guess it's management consulting for small to midsize companies that I care about, there's usually a lot of low hanging fruit around tightening up their organizational processes. I also do a lot of organizing in my community around sustainability and elections.
I can feel myself getting pulled back into my escapism science fiction hole because of political stuff. During the 2016 to 2020 phase I worked through all of the Expanse books, all the Foundation books, three body problem trilogy, Neal Stephenson, etc. Hoping other folks have some deeply immersive science fiction to recommend!

Oh, hi! I'm Andy Baio, a writer and coder in Portland, Oregon. I've written on my blog Waxy.org for the last 22 years. After 12 years, we just wrapped the final XOXO in late August and released all the talk videos, and I'm in the early stages of working on something new.

I also do all the print/web production work for Pink Tiger Games, my wife Ami's tabletop games studio. We just released her sixth game, Hurt Party: A Game of Bad Apologies.

As of last month, we're also empty nesters, with our 20-year-old son transferring to a university. So many changes at once!

Aside from my blog (RSS 4ever), you can find me on Mastodon and Bluesky.

Hi, I'm Bud. Loooooong time reader and lover of this site. I live in SF. I have a 3 year old son, an Aussie wife, and an anxious rescue dog. I play bad guitar and have picked up bad golf recently because it's a really nice walk and mindful activity. I don't know where to be in social these days as I just can't support Elon. I blog over here infrequently and publish work-related stuff here (I do org design and change work). If I have time, I like to paint and take infrared photos.

I’m Tim Carmody! I was born in Detroit but live in Philadelphia. I first moved here 22 years ago to get my PhD in Comparative Literature, but that field imploded so I wound up in tech journalism. Now I work for the marketing team for an education company called DeepLearning.AI, writing blog posts and newsletters and such. I started out as an internet writer on a personal blog called Short Schrift, then joined the group at Snarkmarket, and eventually became a semi-regular guest host and contributor here at Kottke.org. I’m married to the illustrious web-maker-better Karen McGrane, and we have a Boston Terrier named Orzo. I think that’s everything! Vote Harris/Walz, free the hostages and stop the genocide, go Lions and Eagles!

Hi All, I'm Esther Wu, a graphic designer living in Brooklyn, NY where its 80 degrees F today. I'm a generalist by practice and temperament (and I'm open to work and collaborations), but have been doing key art for theater/theatre as my niche. I showcase work on instagram, where my dog, Ingo, has about 5x more followers than I do. I foster dogs and do silly little lettering projects.
Thanks Jason, this is a great idea. Love hearing a bit about other readers' lives.

I'm Ziad 👋🏼 I've been reading this site since its yellow era. Really enjoying the comments now too. I live in Paris, and work in figuring out ways to make life less miserable to healthcare people who have to use computers for stuff. I like to play IF games, read poetry and graphic novels, libraries and textile crafts - I've been trying to stay further away from tech and computers stuff, I feel they're bringing me less and less joy.

Hi, Josh Kramer from Washington, DC here 👋. I'm a longtime Kottke reader and recovering journalist and cartoonist. I used to freelance nonfiction comics, and you can still see that stuff at my site. Now I work for New_ Public, a small tech nonprofit trying to come up with some new, better ideas for social media, including community forums. I do communications for them, so feel free to say hi on social or our newsletter.

I'm Mike. I'm a real estate attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have seen prints of Hokusai's Great Wave Off Kanagawa in person over the past year both here and in Tokyo. I am currently watching through The Wire television series for the 5th time.

Hi I'm Josh, long time lurker first time commenter. I live in jersey city and work in manhattan. Constitutional lurker too but have been reading this site since i want to say the mid/late aughts, so wanted to comment and thank you and it for being a place of respite for me, rarely a day goes by that i don't get to come here and see something that takes me away in the most interesting way from whatever i was doing. My kid picked up soccer a few years ago so i apparently watch almost nothing but (turns out there is always a game on), except for the west wing which i am lucky enough to be watching for the first time now

Hi I'm Betsy and I'm in the SF East Bay in Northern California and have read this site with much fascination for a long time!
I'm an artist/cartoonist/illustrator and am rewriting a speculative scifi novel series that was trad published in 2014-15. One of my cartoons is set decoration in the movie "San Andreas" starring the Rock (fame!).
I make a comic called Sloth and Manatee. Their motto is "Wherever We Go, We Are Friends."
I'm currently reading Suttree by Cormac McCarthy and just finished Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. I adored An Immense World by Ed Yong. Huge fan of all the kinds of music and all the art.
I send out comics and silliness on Saturday Mornings.
I'm on Bluesky and Instagram and Mastodon.
There are so many wonderful people and creatures in the world doing beautiful things.

I’m Lorem, but my family and friends call me “Mark”. I live in Massachusetts. Collector of nearly useless information; interested in pop culture, art, cooking, 3D printing, novice automata maker, and general puttering around. I work in higher ed collating data. I hesitate to post my political leanings; let’s just say, “Go, Democracy!” next Tuesday.

Stephen in SF. Came for the design and graphics, stayed for the rest because it's one of the smartest reads I've found. Currently in SF by way of NYC. Former chef and current higher ed admin. Doing some nonprofit work and restaurant admin work as side hustle to keep out of trouble.

Hey there, I'm David. I live in northern Colorado and have been a regular reader since, I'm guessing here, around 2001. Happy to be in a position to start funding the site, which I love reading as much as when I was much younger. I've started and ended a few blogs myself, but they've generally been for a private audience.

I have been a web developer since 1998, and I am now moving into more management-y roles, but reluctantly. I picked up a master's in AI/ML over the pandemic and am exploring that development as well.

Jeremy in Oakland, CA. I work as a video editor and motion designer. Got featured once on Kottke for a video I made about the Origin of the World Map. These days I make videos for places like the WSJ & Johnny Harris. Long time fan of the site and really appreciate all of the hard work you've put into it.

Hiya! I'm Eric Kissack. Born in New York City, I now live in Los Angeles with my wife, two kids and black terrier/chihuahua rescue dog. I edit film and television and am currently gleefully working on a noir version of Spider-Man starring Nicholas Cage.

I also direct the occasional short film... each of which you can watch at my website.

My wife is also an editor and I just finished proudly watching her work on Agatha All Along. Next up, trying to find time to go see Anora and Conclave in the theaters.

I'm a terribly slow reader which means I'm always years behind what everyone else is reading so I'm currently finishing reading Normal People. I like it!

Find me on Instagram and Threads.

Mrs Doubtfire voice: Helloooooo

My name's Eric. I live in Chicago and run marketing for our public transportation agency the Chicago Transit Authority.

I've been doing digital marketing for about 20 years. I regular make the joke: been doing social for work back when you needed a .edu to join Facebook

That's also about as long as I've been a Kottke.org reader. Love how Jason finds the unique of the web.

On the personal side I'm married with two kids. The 10yo loves Roblox. The 6yo loves coloring. And my current addictions are:
- Balatro - an amazing poker meets yahtzee meets rogue like game
- Cocktail making - got into this during 2020 instead of bread making
- The Penguin / Great British Bake Off - my favorite shows on currently

I'm Eric, a long time reader going back to the late '90s and Jason's 0sil8 days. Originally from Cedar Rapids, IA, I'm in my mid-50s and live in Minneapolis. My 2 kids are 18-22, with one in college, and I love sending them Kottke links that I think they will love.

I'm eagerly awaiting The Tournament of Books' long- and short-lists to supplement my reading list. Big Swiss (Jen Beagin) is the best book I read recently, and The Deluge (Stephen Markley) was the most recent book that profoundly moved me with it's frighteningly realistic take on what climate change could do to the US over the next 20 years politically, socially, and environmentally. I also love books by Neal Stephenson, DFW, and Amor Towles.

I make music (guitar, piano, choral), run marathons, and collect/drink pinot noir. I'm an actuary and do employee benefits design and strategy for a living. I am a huge Kottke fan and am ever grateful for Jason's curation and enthusiasm.

Hi I'm AJ.

I can't remember how I found the Kottke.org but I think it was from a blogroll on draplin.com. After spending way too much time in PDX I now live in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. I am a husband, a father of two little people and one big dog, a graphic designer and one big fan of the site.

Currently trying to finish Chokepoint Capitalism by Cory Doctorow, I actually made it through the "what's wrong" section and happily reading the "what we can do about it" section.

Absolutely love coming here and learning about the world from Jason and now w/ comments from all of you!

alanwasem.com
alanjawn.bsky.social

Hi! I live in Hamilton, but was born in St John’s, and went to school in Vancouver (any other Canadians in the crowd?). After a couple decades working in bars and record stores and spending all my money on travel, I finally settled down (got pregnant) and have been doing non profit administration for the last 5 years, currently at a local environmental education and climate action organization. I’m not very online, but everything cool I see and inevitably forward to my friends is from kottke, so I figured I should finally support the site. I love books, records, and cooking, and my software developer husband, 7 year old daughter, and our two cats keep life comfortably full. Thanks for creating such a great space Jason!

Hi! My name is Drew. I live in California. I spend some time in the San Francisco Bay Area, and some time up in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Yosemite. I run a software development consulting firm called 33 Teams.

I've been hanging around kottke.org for so long that I can't remember how long it has been.

My media diet recently is watching a lot of BBC Crime Dramas and reading a lot of Science Fiction (mostly post-apocalyptic and time-travel related). I have gotten a lot of good recommendations in both categories from other kottke readers in various comment threads (got any for me?).

Hobbies include Amateur Radio 📻 (KN6TBJ), riding my Peloton 🚲 (drewmcmanus), and following the news 🗞 (New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and San Jose Mercury News daily) and a lot of RSS feeds.

I have been considering doing a lengthy watch of all the Star Trek series and movies, starting at the very beginning (I really have only ever seen The Original Series, which I watched as a kid), but I'm a little daunted by how long it would take.

I have accounts on all the social media things (handle is always drewmcmanus), but I really only post on Mastodon lately.

Hi! Stefan here from Philadelphia where I live with my wife and elderly pitbull. Started reading around 2009 I think with my first desk job, but definitely more frequently since 2018ish. I work at a university with clinical placement software for students as a kind of superuser/trainer. I'm not in IT but I'm often tech-ing the tech for people (generally I talk to the ____ so the ____ don't have to). My work days generally vary between tackling grandiose strategic projects and applying digital duct tape. I'm generally self-deprecating but did get the opportunity to talk twice at a conference last month.

I generally lurk social media and rarely post. I think if things go the bad way next week I'll have to figure out some way to disconnect.

Hi, I'm Paul. 👋🏻 First time commenter, long time reader (early 2000s, maybe?). I'm a fairly new resident of Chicago. I've been working on the web about as long as I've been visiting this site; mostly for small-er web publishers.

I'm an avid eater and cook, runner, and reader. I'm currently reading A Walk in the Park, which is about hiking through the Grand Canyon the hard way (which has me thinking about hiking through the easy way... someday).

Howdy! I live in the Boston area and work in HR at some fancy biomedical research place but I really wish I could afford to work in collections management in museums. I make wonky quilts, garden poorly, and love to sew little guys. I'm terrible at comments but have enjoyed the site for at least the past 13 years (or at least that's what my RSS feed tells me, so probably longer RIP GoogleReader). I'm currently enjoying the Decameron on Netflix and reading old scifi paperbacks I come across. Currently Gordon R. Dickson, but I have a stack of Ursula Le Guin up next!

Hi, I'm Shane. I live in the Twin Cities area and work at the University of Minnesota Libraries. I actually met Jason way back in 1999 working on a website for our local PBS station. I've been following his website ever since. I learn a lot thanks to this website and Jason's unique take on culture. In fact, I'm traveling by train to Chicago this weekend to view Hokusai's "Great Wave" at the Art Institute of Chicago. I learned it was on display right now thanks to kottke.org. Thanks for the years of great content, Jason!

Hi, I'm Tim. I'm "older" - I spent 38 years in a mainframe career, 5 of them in COBOL-era application programming, 33 of them as a "systems programmer" which is the mainframe equivalent of what you now call a sysadmin. I was usually the person asked to figure out new stuff, which is why I know _some_ deep tech about a broad array of things. I've connected mainframes to a ton of different things using a bunch of different protocols; I've administered email on a mainframe, and probably _not_ the one you've heard of; I've implemented an Apache web server on a mainframe. I'm interested in lots of tech things off the mainframe as well, I end up learning enough to get something working, and where to look for help when something is messed up.

I'm also interested in many genres of music, tons of art, and other eclectic things. I perform with the Mickee Faust comedy cabaret troupe in Tallahassee, a raucous group of irreverent individuals who believe in 'community theater for the weird community' and that theater can include everyone which is why we have ramps in the wings, and have had actors with various disabilities blossom on stage with us.

All of which might explain why this site is so great for me.

I'm on Facebook and Mastodon. I've an Instagram account but I don't post, it's just to follow artists.

Bio/geo information: born in Western Massachusetts (we're the ones that don't "pahk the cah"), secondary schools in South Florida, college in North Florida, and the rest of my life there so far.