Howdy howdy! I’m Jared, an award-winning essayist, Rubyist, and podcaster who’s been commenting on and building for the web since Mosaic was a thing. (Yup, it’s true! 😆)
In my spare time I travel around Portland and the Pacific Northwest (pandemic lockdowns notwithstanding) and make artsy-fartsy videos. 📹 📺
This is my home on the internet. I hope you enjoy browsing around! 📍
P.S. You can find out more about me or subscribe to my occasional email newsletter.
Sure, we're not out of the woods yet. But it truly feels like we've turned a corner.
Nomadland Won Best Picture at the Golden Globes and I Had No Idea
It absolutely deserved the accolades, because Nomadland is very, very good. It is an outstanding character study, a moving tribute to love and loss, and a respectful look at an alternative lifestyle that’s part-tragedy, part-refuge.
The recent snowstorm here in #portland was the most snowfall I’ve seen in the city since moving here. It’s all melted now and we’re even getting some sun, but for a few days there it was totally surreal. This is the trainyard near Union Station. Fresh snow with very few tracks in sight!
Signs of life at Tanner Springs. #portland #oregonexplored
Ready to Join the Movement to Restore Speed, Simplicity, and Elegance to the Web?
If you’re tired of codebases which mushroom in complexity until they’re unmaintainable over the long term due to Hype-Driven Development…if you’re weary of practices which make the open web feel like a morass of numbers-driven “experiences” and subtle vendor lock-in…if you yearn for the days when a prudent employment of open web standards and “conceptual compression” could unlock delightful experiences outpacing much larger rivals…then join us.
I understand that to some of my readers, my new business website will come across as a bunch of incomprehensible techno-babble. Don’t worry—if that’s the case, you’re not my target demographic. 😄 This site is by a developer, for developers. My goal is to connect with like-minded people and organizations who are building the future of the web. Ping me if you fit the bill!
North Over the Willamette.
#portland #oregonexplored
Kicking off my first blog series for 2021: “Tales from Decrypt: Stories of Woe and Wonder from My 25-Year Career as a Freelance Web Developer”
Electric vehicles close to ‘tipping point’ of mass adoption
Electric vehicles are close to the “tipping point” of rapid mass adoption thanks to the plummeting cost of batteries, experts say.
Global sales rose 43% in 2020, but even faster growth is anticipated when continuing falls in battery prices bring the price of electric cars dipping below that of equivalent petrol and diesel models, even without subsidies. The latest analyses forecast that to happen some time between 2023 and 2025.
I have no doubt we will soon reach the point where buying a car that is not electric is seen as a true head-scratcher. I, for one, intend to run my current Mazda gas-powered vehicle (all paid for) into the ground…and then buy an electric car. I simply couldn’t imagine spending a single nickel on any product which consumes fossil fuels.
As many speeches and pundits have been saying today, Democracy has prevailed. We had the worst president of the modern age wreak havoc on our institutions and public discourse, make a mockery of peaceable faith, and all but destroy global alliances.
And yet…. Today we begin anew.
Incredible hiking trails up at Beacon Rock State Park along the Columbia River Gorge. I went there to climb Beacon Rock itself, but the trails were closed. However, it was a blessing in disguise, because the mountains north of the gorge are simply breathtaking. #washingtonexplored
Sex Appeal, Heteronormativity, and White Supremacy in AlgorithmsIn today's episode, I step through some follow-up and a few items of note I've been tracking (such as the gorgeous Nikon Z fc retro-style camera!) before kicking off a rant about the ways algorithms privilege the already privileged instead of favoring content off the beaten path. Apparently you're likely to do quite well on YouTube if you're young, white, cis, "attractive", and so forth…but what about the rest of us?
This Sunday, February 28, marks the one year anniversary of Covid-19 hitting Oregon. My god.
A Webpack-aware, Ruby-powered static site generator for the modern Jamstack era. In fact, you’re looking at a site built with this awesome framework right now! 😊
I’m on the Bridgetown core team, so if you decide to try it out please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
My alter ego as a producer of synthwave, chillout, and thematic electronica. Yarred combines cutting-edge DJ-style live groove production with classic keyboard playing on analog and digital synthesizers.
Essays which echo the broader movement of progressive Christian writers and thought leaders—heralding a return to the empire-challenging social justice movement which was the hallmark of Jesus’ ministry and of his disciples.
Get quality writing and photography from Jared emailed to you about once a week. Perhaps you’d be interested?
A weekly newsletter all about the challenges and rewards of being an underpaid content creator building an audience one connection at a time.
Prefer feeds? No problem! Pick your format: RSS {} JSON
If you'd rather connect with me on the socials, I am on:
Got a Comment? Idea? Feedback? Let’s talk! (Also let me know if it’s something you don’t want shared in a link or podcast.)
I'm glad you appreciated what I had to say. Hey, wanna stay in touch?
I’m running a microblogging experiment over at HEY World (the new light-weight blog platform intetgrated with the HEY email service). I’ve published this and a couple of other posts since March began. Having fun so far! #website #writing #movies