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.
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
McClellan Overlook 😲
#washingtonexplored
O Patreon, You Done Me WrongI opened the Patreon mobile app on my iPhone. I looked at the feed. Suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, POOF! A bunch of the creators I follow vanished. Gone. Out of this world. Did they suddenly shut down all their accounts? Was there a rapture and I wasn’t notified? No, it was none of those things. Patreon just had a temporary snafu billing my debit card, and because of that, I was unceremoniously placed in fan purgatory with little elucidation of my crimes. This wasn’t a temporary user experience glitch. This was a UX disaster. And yet, buried in their help center, Patreon states this is exactly how they handle such matters. Boo! Creators and fans deserve better.
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.
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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