Articles
2023
We Need To Talk About Obsidian
·820 words·4 mins
Articles
obsidian
assorted geekery
markdown
productivity
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve recently come down with a case of the mind-virus that is Obsidian. I was infected by the dastardly Daniel Rodriguez, whose dark exploits are well known.
New Arrivals Jan 2023
·453 words·3 mins
Articles
ttrpg
books
horror
art
workbooks
I try to post cool new arrivals from Kickstarters and pre-orders when they arrive, usually to my Mastodon account,1 but with the business at work and with the podcast it slipped past me.
Migrating My Site to Hugo
·420 words·2 mins
Articles
go
ssg
personal
tech
assorted geekery
I feel like “migrating to a different static site generator” is the new “installing a new Linux distro.” It’s something nerds do for almost no reason besides curiosity, boredom, and perhaps no small amount of masochism.
2022
Human Readable RSS Feeds With Pelican
·692 words·4 mins
Articles
python
rss
pelican
A few months ago, I came across this post by Simone Silvestroni explaining how they implemented a styled and human-readable RSS feed for their Jekyll-powered blog. I really liked the idea and wanted to implement it on my own site for browsers that don’t automatically offer to subscribe to a given feed.
Web3 Grifts
·360 words·2 mins
Articles
web3
crypto
nft
grift
tech
If you haven’t been following the ongoing saga of incredible grift in the so-called web3 space, I highly recommend checking out the work being done by Molly White, whose site Web3 is going just great is a shocking timeline of the various scams and hacks occurring constantly within the broader “crypto” market.
Actual Play Podcast Playbook: Guests
·1536 words·8 mins
Articles
podcast
podcast production
howto
explorers wanted
Here’s the scenario: you’ve got an actual play TTRPG podcast, and you want to invite a guest onto your show for a special appearance. This is a great idea! It’s delightful to collaborate with other creators, and you can learn so much simply by working with new people.
Running Monster Care Squad
··2086 words·10 mins
Articles
reviews
gm tips
ttrpg
I wrote recently about receiving my backer copy of Monster Care Squad, which is a Ghibli-inspired RPG about the people caring for the magical monsters that once protected their communities from a terrible illness.
GDPR Rulings Making Waves in 2022
·500 words·3 mins
Articles
privacy
A few GDPR rulings have recently been handed down that are going to be causing major shakeups across a number of sites and services. This year’s off to a wild start.
Tamsyn Muir On Meme References In Her Writing
·206 words·1 min
Articles
writing
The truth is that I am just a very referential writer. And my problem is that I’ve got a very Catholic taste. There’s a hell of a lot of Bible stuff in there too.
2021
Nine Tips for a Legendary Campaign
··3991 words·19 mins
Articles
ttrpg
gaming
gm tips
writing
So you’re getting ready to kick off a campaign for your gaming group? Before you even get started, ask yourself: are you looking to create a campaign that will simply be fun, or one that your players will be talking about for years to come?
2020
Vote for Explorers Wanted!
·165 words·1 min
Articles
podcasts
awards
audioverse
explorers wanted
numenera
It’s been a wild first six months for those of us at Explorers Wanted, and we’ve been humbled and astounded by our growing community of listeners. I love making our show, and talking with our fans has been a delight.
Introducing Explorers Wanted
·375 words·2 mins
Articles
announcements
personal
projects
podcasts
ttrpg
numenera
explorers wanted
It isn’t news to anyone that I’m a big fan of Numenera. It is my favorite game to run and I will shamelessly hype for it to anyone who will listen.
2019
Umberto Eco on the appeal of the cliché
·72 words·1 min
Articles
books
film
When all the archetypes shamelessly burst in, we plumb Homeric depths. Two clichés are laughable. A hundred clichés are affecting–because we become obscurely aware that the clichés are talking to one another and holding a get-together.
New Fiction: A Heart Has Roots of Flame and Blood
·114 words·1 min
Articles
fiction
writing
I’ve posted a new short story in Ye Olde Fiction section. This one’s for anyone who’s felt alien, and trapped by the weight of their own feelings. It’s also a reminder that those feelings can have power, even if it manifests in unexpected ways.
Running Invisible Sun: The Shadows of Her Eyes
·1624 words·8 mins
Articles
gaming
ttrpg
invisible sun
Last Tuesday, I wrapped up a two-month introductory adventure for Invisible Sun. It was my first time running the game, and all my players were new to it as well. One other had also backed the original Kickstarter, but this was his first opportunity to play.
NYT on the Secret History of Women in Coding
·297 words·2 mins
Articles
tech
history
The NYT recently ran a wonderfully in-depth story covering the history of women in coding. The issue of note for the article is that in the beginning of computer science the gender balance among programmers was basically equal.
Your prescribed dose of garden photos
·63 words·1 min
Articles
photos
personal
One of my favorite places to visit is Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. Exhausted from the gray and brown of winter, today my family made the trek out there for their Orchid Extravaganza.
The Terror of a Future America in Vigilance
·407 words·2 mins
Articles
books
reviews
Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett
In his latest novel, Vigilance, Robert Jackson Bennett shows us the plausible terror of an America which has utterly given up preventing gun violence and instead embraced it.
Cal Newport on digital minimalism
·153 words·1 min
Articles
tech
To succeed with this approach, a useful first step is to remove from your smartphone any apps that make money from your attention. This includes social media, addictive games and newsfeeds that clutter your screen with “breaking” notifications.
New Fiction: Memories of Stars
·259 words·2 mins
Articles
fiction
meta
writing
featured
There’s a new short story in ye olde fiction section. Well, I say, “new”. This is actually a couple years old, but it felt like a good time to share it.