Expressively publishing on the open web since 1996.
Entranced by Portland, Oregon since 2017.
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 and shoot cinematic-yet-quirky vlogs. 📹 📺 In addition, I compose and produce 80s-flavored retro electronica. 🎹 🎶
This is my home base on the internet. I hope you enjoy browsing around! 📍
P.S. What am I doing now? That’s what the Now Page is for! ⏱
P.P.S. What’s my favorite (fill-in-the-blank)? Find out in About Me. 😃
It would seem I’m always but one step away from reaching for an endeavor to occupy my time with at any given moment. Besides what’s obviously available on this website…from Bridgetown, a Ruby-powered site generator, to Yarred, my musical alter-ego, there’s something for…well…somebody.
A weekly show where we discuss the business, the art, the ethics of content creation on the open web. Hosted by Jared White.
Yes my friends, it’s time to pull back the curtain and share about some events which have transpired in my personal life—things which have been among the most challenging moments of my life. But first, an announcement: I have a newly redesigned website! Woo hoo! =)
Look, I get it. You already subscribe to too many newsletters. So much to keep up with. But guess what? I only send out a newsletter occassionaly. It’s no big deal. And if you peruse the Creator Class archive, you might find something that resonates with you. It’s a great way to stay current with what I’m publishing, and newsletter recipients always get some extra insight just for them. So what are you waiting for? Let’s roll!
Howdy! Welcome to part TWO of a two-part vlog of our summer vacay up in Seattle. Many grand vistas and lots of fun exploration to be had! Missed part one?
The official debut of my kids on Essential Life! 🥳👏 (also apologies for some of the shaky footage here and there…they were also my cinematography assistants! 😉) This is part ONE of a two-part vlog of our summer vacay up in #Seattle. We were tickled pink with our GORGEOUS hotel room and got to see many incredible sights along the way. Enjoy!
Building in Slabtown. #portland #bnw #nikonzfc
Having fun with my new polarizing filter and getting that 80’s slide film look. Gazing north along 14th Ave. #portland #oregonexplored #nikonzfc
Summer Bumble (Bee). #flowers #hillsboro #nikonzfc
I wasn’t given a blueprint for this. I never expected to be Married-No-Longer. But now, after my divorce, I have to decide what comes next.
I stopped by my local #Apple store yesterday to take a look at the new #iPhone as well #iPadmini models.
I was fairly surprised that the first impressions I’d had of the devices solely from watching the announcement keynote and glancing at marketing materials carried over intact to my hands-on trial.
I just don’t like any of the non-pro iPhone colors this year. And that’s disappointing because the rumor mill seems convinced that this is the last year for an iPhone mini form factor. And being a mini enthusiast, it sucks I have no interest in purchasing this year’s mini.
On the other hand, this may be my favorite lineup of iPhone Pro colors to date. All of the models look fantastic and quite premium up close, and they feel good in the hand. Graphite and Gold are definitely my favorites. Despite my love for the trusty mini, I’m sorely tempted to get a Gold iPhone 13 Pro as a holiday treat. (BTW, the Max size is laughably gigantic…I don’t know who buys phones this large! 😂)
Watching Apple’s recent event, I was blown away by the iPad mini. Clearly it was the star of the show for me. And holding it and seeing it in real life, the accolades are well-deserved. The size is delicious, the Apple Pencil 2 is an amazing note-taking and sketching companion at this size, and it’s just so light and “airy” (sorry iPad Air!). It’s the sort of device that simply begs you to use it and carry it around with you everywhere.
Having an #iPadPro already in my possession, I’m still thinking through where an iPad mini would fit in my life. But I have no doubt at some point down the road, it will join my collection. Well done Apple. The iPad mini finally gets its opportunity to shine.
new #website, who dis 🤓
j/k. I’m super excited to present my newly-redesigned website (still powered by #Bridgetown of course). The previous design was heavily centered around a “social network” vibe, as if you were looking at my profile page. I literally repeated my name and avatar for every post, and even had an ❤︎ Awesome button you could click.
This time however, I decided to go back to my blogging roots and come up with a concept that’s both retro and forward-looking. So in terms of typography, shading, mobile navigation, performance, and other small touches, it feels like a modern website…but at the same time it’s totally obvious that it’s a blog. It’s definitely my most holistic and disciplined personal website design to date. I hope you enjoy it!
P.S. One of my secondary goals in working on the new design was to create a codebase from which I could extract a Bridgetown theme for others to use. I don’t have immediate plans to start on that, but it’s only a matter of time… (meanwhile, if you’re curious, my website repo is open to all).
Sure, we're not out of the woods yet. But it truly feels like we've turned a corner.
It's taken a global pandemic for many of us to realize something profound about the web. It isn't just a technology which helps the world go around. Today, on a certain level, is IS the world.
This may sound like the craziest thing you’ve ever heard, but I watched a TV show called Portlandia and then I moved to Portland. No joke.
This is your chance. This is your time.
A critical examination of the Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel and what it means for America's culture war.
I needed to take some time off work to think, to dream. Instead I listened to the advice of family and friends and charged into a new business opportunity. Was it successful? Was it an utter disaster? Read my story to find out.
Self-reflection may be good for the soul, but not when the issue is forced by a constant barrage of the opinions of others.
When we have difficulties helping our children learn new skills or cope with the tumult of everyday life, it's tempting to want to blame ourselves. But we can choose to see the learning opportunity inherent in every emotional moment.
Living daily as if everything around you is representative of constant warfare is a recipe for emotional and mental disaster. Trust me, I've been there.
If you think as I did a couple years ago, you probably assume that people who struggle with depression must be sad a lot and just need to be cheered up or adopt a more positive attitude. Well, as I came to discover, that notion is dead wrong.
Presenting two brilliant examples of the classic wit, spiritual depth, and surprisingly fresh language found in millennia-old Celtic verse
When you become a dad, it's much harder to stay stuck on self. Your kids won't let you.
