Marty McGuire martymcgui.re

Machine knitting: sweater knitalong complete!

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-25T11:00:00-0400",
    "url": "https://martymcgui.re/2025/12/25/machine-knitting-sweater-knitalong-complete/",
    "category": [
        "machine-knitting",
        "sweater",
        "KnitFactoryImpl",
        "knitalong"
    ],
    "name": "Machine knitting: sweater knitalong complete!",
    "content": {
        "text": "Yeah, I'm retro-posting. Hello from the future, ding-dongs!\nThis post is part of a series, as I play catch-up on KnitFactoryImpl's knitalong of a set in sleeve crew neck sweater for channel members.\nIn the previous installment, I wrote about failing to get a good neckline for this sweater.\nWell, I decided to try sewing it up as-is, rescuing dropped stitches as I went. After my hand-warmer adventures, I was a little more confident about how to sew up a ribbed edge.\nYes, that's a dropped stitch in the back of the collar. No, I haven't fixed it, yet!The process was slightly harrowing, but resulted in dropping only one stitch! What! Incredible!\nSo, of course, at this point I put in a box because I was afraid to finish it. I had intended this to be a gift for producer Amy upon her return from Berlin in early December. When she came home, we had other stuff going on, I got distracted, and I definitely wasn't constantly thinking about this unfinished sweater every day.\nJust finish the sweater, Marty!\nNo! Well, okay! I mean: sort of!\nWhat I\u00a0did\u00a0do was finish seaming the neck and shoulders before Amy left in mid-December to visit family. I packed it with a length of yarn and a tapestry needle, as well as links to the videos on how to finish the sweater.\nI gifted producer Amy a sew-it-yourself sweater kit. \ud83d\ude05\nIn truth, this was actually her idea. Several times she brought it up and I declined, insisting I would finish it, but eventually I relented.\nSo, the rest of this story is hers!\nOkay, uh, finish the sweater, Amy!\nShe did! After watching Carson's video, and finding another video explainer or two on mattress stitching, this was Amy's on-the-road project for December.\nBeginning to attach a sleeve.A sleeve half-attached.One sleeve fully attached.One sleeve fully attached, one half-done.Two sleeves attached!One sleeve fully seamed.It's done! -ish!She got it finished on December 24th and popped it in the wash.\nFinished and washed.A happy sweater model.On Christmas morning, she found Santa had delivered a perfectly decent sweater! A bit short in the sleeves, and there's that dropped stitch in the back of the collar, but it's recognizably a sweater! And, according to producer Amy, it is quite cozy and I have seen her wear it several times. Amazing!\nThanks for reading\nWhile I'm still somewhat embarrassed that I didn't finish the sewing-up on the sweater, I am really proud of how it turned out. I'm grateful that Amy graciously took it on as a DIY project. I certainly learned a lot, and Amy learned some new techniques, and we have finished a successful collab together.\nAnd it looks like a thing!\nThis feels like a pretty great project to have accomplished at the end of 2025. A year that has been panned by critics, and most everyone, alike.\nUntil next time!",
        "html": "<p><i>Yeah, I'm retro-posting. Hello from the future, ding-dongs!</i></p>\n<p>This post is part of a series, as I play catch-up on <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kntNWiaZVM\">KnitFactoryImpl's knitalong of a set in sleeve crew neck sweater for channel members</a>.</p>\n<p>In the previous installment, <a href=\"https://martymcgui.re/2025/11/24/machine-knitting-neckline--show-and-tell/\">I wrote about failing to get a good neckline for this sweater</a>.</p>\n<p>Well, I decided to try sewing it up as-is, rescuing dropped stitches as I went. After my <a href=\"https://martymcgui.re/2025/12/13/machine-knittin-moar-mittens/\">hand-warmer adventures</a>, I was a little more confident about how to sew up a ribbed edge.</p>\n<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/31/f2/f3/f6/0485b8c75adaf235df59041276e6e06917dd26d789b8fb2298babf98.\" alt=\"\" />Yes, that's a dropped stitch in the back of the collar. No, I haven't fixed it, yet!<p>The process was slightly harrowing, but resulted in dropping only one stitch! What! Incredible!</p>\n<p>So, of course, at this point I put in a box because I was afraid to finish it. I had intended this to be a gift for producer Amy upon her return from Berlin in early December. When she came home, we had other stuff going on, I got distracted, and I definitely wasn't constantly thinking about this unfinished sweater every day.</p>\n<h2>Just finish the sweater, Marty!</h2>\n<p>No! Well, okay! I mean: sort of!</p>\n<p>What I\u00a0<i>did</i>\u00a0do was finish seaming the neck and shoulders before Amy left in mid-December to visit family. I packed it with a length of yarn and a tapestry needle, as well as links to the videos on how to finish the sweater.</p>\n<p>I gifted producer Amy a sew-it-yourself sweater kit. \ud83d\ude05</p>\n<p>In truth, this was actually her idea. Several times she brought it up and I declined, insisting I would finish it, but eventually I relented.</p>\n<p>So, the rest of this story is hers!</p>\n<h2>Okay, uh, finish the sweater, Amy!</h2>\n<p>She did! After watching Carson's video, and finding another video explainer or two on mattress stitching, this was Amy's on-the-road project for December.</p>\n<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/e5/37/6c/e5/b592a041e029515f82d387bcae9fefbee69180b6e3de863f72f29802.\" alt=\"\" />Beginning to attach a sleeve.<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/dc/03/66/48/844e6302d8e7da4fe17149d9182997071fe46c648aefe3f990261036.\" alt=\"\" />A sleeve half-attached.<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/1d/f2/f1/3e/46392ed81fd8f9dcd250a23c4cc8ebb74bb8fa92739898ce3c9135b7.\" alt=\"\" />One sleeve fully attached.<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/3c/8f/d4/e4/3141c88eca6c3b948660a0d449e36dd9c41984a1aaf5353b69d7c7ec.\" alt=\"\" />One sleeve fully attached, one half-done.<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/80/99/64/24/53e2d0bcdd2559f6bb96a02817a6dd4345856ea2ba7d5461b8b00a58.\" alt=\"\" />Two sleeves attached!<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/22/61/e7/f3/9833a72aa10bf8f5b748ef206e8a5b1bac6d42ec273485f36323f148.\" alt=\"\" />One sleeve fully seamed.<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/3c/11/d0/d9/5be6559c997dcfbf46e56d7395656d0540cc9f6cb6228724d67ce42f.\" alt=\"\" />It's done! -ish!<p>She got it finished on December 24th and popped it in the wash.</p>\n<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/e9/d6/55/39/358cde1f2849916039c19239e24d63382a504edf9809de1f648d9623.\" alt=\"\" />Finished and washed.<img src=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/46/45/5a/9b/06c321c1efe060f7da55eed6540c0c0993abfaa67367c0bb1ae0fb35.\" alt=\"\" />A happy sweater model.<p>On Christmas morning, she found Santa had delivered a perfectly decent sweater! A bit short in the sleeves, and there's that dropped stitch in the back of the collar, but it's recognizably a sweater! And, according to producer Amy, it is quite cozy and I have seen her wear it several times. Amazing!</p>\n<h2>Thanks for reading</h2>\n<p>While I'm still somewhat embarrassed that I didn't finish the sewing-up on the sweater, I am really proud of how it turned out. I'm grateful that Amy graciously took it on as a DIY project. I certainly learned a lot, and Amy learned some new techniques, and we have finished a successful collab together.</p>\n<p>And it looks like a thing!</p>\n<p>This feels like a pretty great project to have accomplished at the end of 2025. A year that has been panned by critics, <i>and most everyone</i>, alike.</p>\n<p>Until next time!</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Marty McGuire",
        "url": "https://martymcgui.re/",
        "photo": "https://martymcgui.re/images/logo.jpg"
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    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "46952330",
    "_source": "175"
}

gRegor Morrill gregorlove.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2026-01-02 16:58-0800",
    "url": "https://gregorlove.com/2026/01/to-read-the-language-of-the-night/",
    "syndication": [
        "https://www.goodreads.com/read_statuses/10338658203"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Want to read: The Language of the Night by Ursula K. Le Guin (ISBN 9781668034903)",
        "html": "<p>Want to read: <span class=\"p-read-of h-cite\"><a class=\"u-url\" href=\"https://gregorlove.com/isbn/9781668034903\">The Language of the Night</a> by <span class=\"p-author\">Ursula K. Le Guin</span> (ISBN <span class=\"p-uid\">9781668034903</span>)</span></p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "gRegor Morrill",
        "url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
        "photo": "https://gregorlove.com/site/assets/files/6268/profile-2021-square.300x0.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "46945298",
    "_source": "95"
}

Tantek Çelik tantek.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2026-01-02 16:20-0800",
    "url": "https://tantek.com/2026/002/t1/find-export-strava-year-in-sport",
    "category": [
        "Strava",
        "yearInSport",
        "yearInReview",
        "ownYourYearInReview",
        "100PostsOfIndieWeb",
        "100Posts"
    ],
    "photo": [
        "https://indieweb.org/images/0/0f/2025-strava-profile-year-in-sport.jpeg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "I checked my Strava: Year in Sport 2025 after I did my last run on the 31st, and it felt a bit light. When I checked my saved images/videos from last year\u2019s Strava Year in Sport, it was clear they had dropped several things from 2024 to 2025.\n\n\nFirst, here\u2019s updated instructions for finding and exporting your Strava Year in Sport 2025:\n\nThe Strava Year in Sport 2025 is once again only available on the native mobile app (iOS and presumably Android) and not accessible via the website.\n\nFrom the mobile app home screen, tap the \"\ud83d\udccb You\" button in the lower right corner.\n\nNear the top you should see an orange header with white text:\n\nSTRAVA\nYEAR IN SPORT \n\nand a black triangle play button on a white disc background.\n\n\n\nTap that \u25b6\ufe0f play button.\n\n\nSaving Summary Segments\n\nYou should fairly quickly see an animation start playing, with nine \"segments\" (like Instagram stories) at the top, gradually filling-in as progress indicators one at a time. \n\nThe first \"segment\" is purely intro animation. You can skip it.\n\nEvery subsequent \"segment\" you can screenshot using the respective button pressing on your mobile (e.g. volume-up + power on iPhone 14). In addition to taking a screenshot it will put you in a \"share\" screen with one or more videos or still images to share in a carousel format. \n\nFor each item in the carousel (if there is more than one)\n1. tap the item in the carousel\n2. tap the \"[\u2193] Save\" button at the bottom to store it locally on your mobile\n\nThen tap \"Cancel\" in the top right to go back to the \"segments\".\n\nEither wait for that current \"segment\" to finish playing or tap the video near the right edge of the screen to skip to the next \"segment\" and repeat the two steps above.\n\nThe ninth \"segment\" is your overall summary, and shows all your sports combined.\n\nSave it (using the \"[\u2193] Save\" button as noted above), then\n* tap the \"\u270f\ufe0f \u00a0Customize\" button\n* choose an individual sport (e.g. \"\ud83d\udc5f Run\")\n* tap \"Save changes\"\n* save that image (with the \"[\u2193] Save\" button as above)\n* tap customize again\n* choose the next sport (e.g. \"\ud83d\udeb2 Ride\")\n* \"Save changes\" again\n* \"[\u2193] Save\" button again\n\nStrava seemingly only reports summaries of (up to?) two of your sports. Those were Run (presumably all running, street and trail) and Ride for me.\n\n\nCleanup Your Screenshots\n\nAfter having saved all the videos/images for each \"segment\", you can:\n* go back to your mobile\u2019s top level Photos app/stream\n* delete the screenshots\n\nYou should see all the images you've saved (no videos this year). If anything is missing, go back to the previous steps and save them again, then remove any duplicates as necessary.\n\n\nI have saved all the images from my own Strava Year In Sport, and as I assemble the pieces into my own Year in Sport post, I\u2019ll take more notes, and add to the IndieWeb year in review page accordingly: https://indieweb.org/year_in_review\n\nPreviously: https://tantek.com/2025/001/t3/strava-year-in-sport-how-to-get-info-save\n\n#Strava #yearInSport #yearInReview #ownYourYearInReview\n\nThis is post 2 of #100PostsOfIndieWeb. #100Posts\n\n\u2190 https://tantek.com/2026/001/t1/no-socials-january\n\u2192 \ud83d\udd2e",
        "html": "I checked my Strava: Year in Sport 2025 after I did my last run on the 31st, and it felt a bit light. When I checked my saved images/videos from last year\u2019s Strava Year in Sport, it was clear they had dropped several things from 2024 to 2025.<br /><br /><br />First, here\u2019s updated instructions for finding and exporting your Strava Year in Sport 2025:<br /><br />The Strava Year in Sport 2025 is once again only available on the native mobile app (iOS and presumably Android) and not accessible via the website.<br /><br />From the mobile app home screen, tap the \"\ud83d\udccb You\" button in the lower right corner.<br /><br />Near the top you should see an orange header with white text:<br /><br />STRAVA<br />YEAR IN SPORT <br /><br />and a black triangle play button on a white disc background.<br /><br /><a href=\"https://indieweb.org/File:2025-strava-profile-year-in-sport.jpeg\"></a><br /><br />Tap that \u25b6\ufe0f play button.<br /><br /><br />Saving Summary Segments<br /><br />You should fairly quickly see an animation start playing, with nine \"segments\" (like Instagram stories) at the top, gradually filling-in as progress indicators one at a time. <br /><br />The first \"segment\" is purely intro animation. You can skip it.<br /><br />Every subsequent \"segment\" you can screenshot using the respective button pressing on your mobile (e.g. volume-up + power on iPhone 14). In addition to taking a screenshot it will put you in a \"share\" screen with one or more videos or still images to share in a carousel format. <br /><br />For each item in the carousel (if there is more than one)<br />1. tap the item in the carousel<br />2. tap the \"[\u2193] Save\" button at the bottom to store it locally on your mobile<br /><br />Then tap \"Cancel\" in the top right to go back to the \"segments\".<br /><br />Either wait for that current \"segment\" to finish playing or tap the video near the right edge of the screen to skip to the next \"segment\" and repeat the two steps above.<br /><br />The ninth \"segment\" is your overall summary, and shows all your sports combined.<br /><br />Save it (using the \"[\u2193] Save\" button as noted above), then<br />* tap the \"\u270f\ufe0f \u00a0Customize\" button<br />* choose an individual sport (e.g. \"\ud83d\udc5f Run\")<br />* tap \"Save changes\"<br />* save that image (with the \"[\u2193] Save\" button as above)<br />* tap customize again<br />* choose the next sport (e.g. \"\ud83d\udeb2 Ride\")<br />* \"Save changes\" again<br />* \"[\u2193] Save\" button again<br /><br />Strava seemingly only reports summaries of (up to?) two of your sports. Those were Run (presumably all running, street and trail) and Ride for me.<br /><br /><br />Cleanup Your Screenshots<br /><br />After having saved all the videos/images for each \"segment\", you can:<br />* go back to your mobile\u2019s top level Photos app/stream<br />* delete the screenshots<br /><br />You should see all the images you've saved (no videos this year). If anything is missing, go back to the previous steps and save them again, then remove any duplicates as necessary.<br /><br /><br />I have saved all the images from my own Strava Year In Sport, and as I assemble the pieces into my own Year in Sport post, I\u2019ll take more notes, and add to the IndieWeb year in review page accordingly: <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/year_in_review\">https://indieweb.org/year_in_review</a><br /><br />Previously: <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2025/001/t3/strava-year-in-sport-how-to-get-info-save\">https://tantek.com/2025/001/t3/strava-year-in-sport-how-to-get-info-save</a><br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">Strava</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">yearInSport</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">yearInReview</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">ownYourYearInReview</span><br /><br />This is post 2 of #<span class=\"p-category\">100PostsOfIndieWeb</span>. #<span class=\"p-category\">100Posts</span><br /><br />\u2190 <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2026/001/t1/no-socials-january\">https://tantek.com/2026/001/t1/no-socials-january</a><br />\u2192 \ud83d\udd2e"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Tantek \u00c7elik",
        "url": "https://tantek.com/",
        "photo": "https://tantek.com/photo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "46944998",
    "_source": "2460"
}

Tantek Çelik tantek.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2026-01-01 22:56-0800",
    "url": "https://tantek.com/2026/001/t1/no-socials-january",
    "category": [
        "socialMedia",
        "IndieWeb",
        "100PostsOfIndieWeb",
        "100Posts"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "2026 goals I\u2019ve heard:\n* Dry January \u2014 avoid alcohol\n* Meatless January \u2014 avoid meat\n\nIf you have a personal website, how about also:\n\n* No Socials January \u2014 avoid #socialMedia silos\n\nNo posting on social media, just for a month (not counting DMs).\n\nInstead, since you have your own website, post there, and see how that feels.\n\nIf you don\u2019t have a personal website, make it your goal for the month to set one up. The #IndieWeb folks https://indieweb.org/ can help! Join https://chat.indieweb.org/\n\nOnce again I am restarting a #100PostsOfIndieWeb #100Posts project for the year.\n\nThis is post 1.\n\nPreviously:\n* https://tantek.com/2025/001/t1/15-years-notes-my-site-first\n\n\u2190 \u2728\n\u2192 \ud83d\udd2e",
        "html": "2026 goals I\u2019ve heard:<br />* Dry January \u2014 avoid alcohol<br />* Meatless January \u2014 avoid meat<br /><br />If you have a personal website, how about also:<br /><br />* No Socials January \u2014 avoid #<span class=\"p-category\">socialMedia</span> silos<br /><br />No posting on social media, just for a month (not counting DMs).<br /><br />Instead, since you have your own website, post there, and see how that feels.<br /><br />If you don\u2019t have a personal website, make it your goal for the month to set one up. The #<span class=\"p-category\">IndieWeb</span> folks <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/\">https://indieweb.org/</a> can help! Join <a href=\"https://chat.indieweb.org/\">https://chat.indieweb.org/</a><br /><br />Once again I am restarting a #<span class=\"p-category\">100PostsOfIndieWeb</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">100Posts</span> project for the year.<br /><br />This is post 1.<br /><br />Previously:<br />* <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2025/001/t1/15-years-notes-my-site-first\">https://tantek.com/2025/001/t1/15-years-notes-my-site-first</a><br /><br />\u2190 \u2728<br />\u2192 \ud83d\udd2e"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Tantek \u00c7elik",
        "url": "https://tantek.com/",
        "photo": "https://tantek.com/photo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "46937615",
    "_source": "2460"
}

Jonathan LaCour cleverdevil.io/profile/cleverdevil

Just got home, did I miss anything? 🙌🏻 🏈

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2026-01-01T06:03:50+00:00",
    "url": "https://cleverdevil.io/2026/just-got-home-did-i-miss-anything",
    "photo": [
        "https://cleverdevil.io/file/40a3ed8b26ca5ae0fad6c3658304b33a/thumb.jpg"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://cleverdevil.club/@jonathan/115818327686606453",
        "https://bsky.app/profile/cleverdevil.io/post/3mbdphs36gi2b"
    ],
    "name": "Just got home, did I miss anything? \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffb \ud83c\udfc8",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Jonathan LaCour",
        "url": "https://cleverdevil.io/profile/cleverdevil",
        "photo": "https://cleverdevil.io/file/e37c3982acf4f0a8421d085b9971cd71/thumb.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "46928550",
    "_source": "10"
}

Tantek Çelik tantek.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-31 11:38-0800",
    "url": "https://tantek.com/2025/365/t1/donation-suggestions-donate-resonate",
    "category": [
        "donation",
        "donated",
        "donate",
        "Mozilla",
        "W3C"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "2025 #donation suggestions. I #donated to these, #donate to those that resonate:\n\n@ACLU\n@CalAcademy\n@NAACP\n@deYoungMuseum\n@ExperienceCamps\n@Exploratorium\n@EFF\n@Wikipedia\n@InternetArchive\n@SFMOMA\n@KQED\n@MontereyAq\n@SPLCenter\n@LongNow\n@RPF_EB\n@GardensofGGP\n@PPact\n@Mozilla**\n\n**Disclosure: I work for #Mozilla, on & with open web standards & communities @IndieWebCamp @microformats @WHATWG #W3C supported by @Firefox to provide a more human-centric, private, and secure web for all users.\n\nPreviously: https://tantek.com/2024/366/t2/last-donation-please-donate-tonight",
        "html": "2025 #<span class=\"p-category\">donation</span> suggestions. I #<span class=\"p-category\">donated</span> to these, #<span class=\"p-category\">donate</span> to those that resonate:<br /><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ACLU\">@ACLU</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/CalAcademy\">@CalAcademy</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/NAACP\">@NAACP</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/deYoungMuseum\">@deYoungMuseum</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ExperienceCamps\">@ExperienceCamps</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/Exploratorium\">@Exploratorium</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/EFF\">@EFF</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/Wikipedia\">@Wikipedia</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/InternetArchive\">@InternetArchive</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/SFMOMA\">@SFMOMA</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/KQED\">@KQED</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/MontereyAq\">@MontereyAq</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/SPLCenter\">@SPLCenter</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/LongNow\">@LongNow</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/RPF_EB\">@RPF_EB</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/GardensofGGP\">@GardensofGGP</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/PPact\">@PPact</a><br /><a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/Mozilla\">@Mozilla</a>**<br /><br />**Disclosure: I work for #<span class=\"p-category\">Mozilla</span>, on &amp; with open web standards &amp; communities <a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/IndieWebCamp\">@IndieWebCamp</a> <a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/microformats\">@microformats</a> <a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/WHATWG\">@WHATWG</a> #<span class=\"p-category\">W3C</span> supported by <a class=\"h-cassis-username\" href=\"https://twitter.com/Firefox\">@Firefox</a> to provide a more human-centric, private, and secure web for all users.<br /><br />Previously: <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2024/366/t2/last-donation-please-donate-tonight\">https://tantek.com/2024/366/t2/last-donation-please-donate-tonight</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Tantek \u00c7elik",
        "url": "https://tantek.com/",
        "photo": "https://tantek.com/photo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "46925286",
    "_source": "2460"
}

fluffy beesbuzz.biz

2025 🔜 2026

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-31T00:00:00-08:00",
    "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/7591-2025-%F0%9F%94%9C-2026",
    "category": [
        "resolutions",
        "not resolutions",
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    "name": "2025 \ud83d\udd1c 2026",
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        "name": "fluffy",
        "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
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Aaron Parecki aaronparecki.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-30T20:56:06-08:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2025/12/30/12/",
    "category": [
        "hotsauce",
        "cooking",
        "habanero"
    ],
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    "content": {
        "text": "Just made the first batch of habanero hot sauce in the new kitchen! 64oz"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
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Baker's Dozen: My Favorite TV Shows of 2025

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/articles/favorite-tv-shows-of-2025-bakers-dozen",
    "published": "2025-12-29T08:51:34-08:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/mariposta/image/upload/w_1200,c_limit,q_65/awesome_movie_nokl5q.jpg\" /><h2>I normally don\u2019t care for long lists like this, but I enjoyed such a wide range of television this year, I simply couldn\u2019t narrow it down.</h2>\n\n<p>Going into 2025, I had a concern that the era of \u201cprestige TV\u201d was behind us. That we would increasingly find ourselves watching paint-by-numbers shows with smaller budgets and smaller ambitions. Stories which sound good on the surface but ultimately without a lot to say. <em>Fluff.</em></p>\n\n<p>That, I\u2019m pleased to say, did not happen. In fact, I had such a good time with so many different shows, it was hard to limit myself to any particular theme or genre. So I simply made a list. Y\u2019all have no doubt been bombarded with year-end lists, thus my commentary on each show will be kept to a minimum. Hopefully you\u2019ll find some common ground with my thoughts, and perhaps find a nugget or two you didn\u2019t know about!</p>\n\n<p>While I do have 13 entires sorted, that isn\u2019t to say I greatly prefer (4) over (9). All of these shows made a big impression on me for one reason or another. But I <em>will</em> say that the number one show is in first place by a pretty significant margin. It\u2019s not that the other shows aren\u2019t so good. It\u2019s just that this show is one of the greatest seasons of television I\u2019ve ever seen in my life. (I wonder if you can guess what it is?)</p>\n\n<p>Alright, enough of my blethering. Let\u2019s start with a couple honorable mentions before counting backwards from 13 to 1. (And stick around for the wrap-up where I share a grab-bag of real disappointments.)</p>\n\n<h3>Honorable Mention: Stranger Things S5 (Netflix)</h3>\n\n<p>I <em>love</em> Stranger Things. How could I not, being such a nerd about retro 80s synth music and action-adventure movies of that era? And yes, I\u2019ve certainly been enjoying this final season. With the finale episode still to come, I have no doubt they will stick the landing. Yet I can\u2019t help but feel this season is rather superfluous. Could they have come up with a tighter storyline for season 4 and ended the series there? <em>Absolutely.</em> I won\u2019t say much of what happens this season is \u201cfiller\u201d because it is all quite interesting and well done, but at some point, can we <em>please</em> stop traumatizing these poor kids &amp; families and leave them in peace? \ud83d\ude05</p>\n\n<h3>Honorable Mention: The Handmaid\u2019s Tale S6 (Hulu)</h3>\n\n<p>I had many complicated feelings watching this final season of an explosive TV show about a fascist far-right theocracy taking over the United States while living under a fascist far-right theocracy taking over the United States. And I was frustrated that, while this show was very good right up to the end, it ultimately didn\u2019t feel like it had much to teach us about how we might deal better with our present moment. For the curious, <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/podcast/124/\">I shared many of these thoughts in detail on the Fresh Fusion podcast.</a></p>\n\n<p>With that down, let\u2019s begin the list starting with number 13:</p>\n\n<h3>13) The Beast in Me (Limited Series, Netflix)</h3>\n\n<p>I won\u2019t say too much about this here <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/links/20251118/the-beast-in-me-could-have-dazzled\">because I already reviewed it</a>, but I definitely enjoyed the series. Though I wished it could have been a small notch higher in quality (mainly with regards to the plot), with the two lead actors being <em>incredibly</em> delicious playing their cat-and-mouse game, it\u2019s one not to miss.</p>\n\n<h3>12) The Witcher S4 (Netflix)</h3>\n\n<p>Surprised to see this make the list? Me too! All signs pointed to this season of a rapidly-degrading show being quite terrible, and I suspect quite a few fans are boycotting <em>The Witcher</em> at this point. Yet I\u2019m also willing to go out on a limb and say the more toxic corners of the fandom took things too far. I will admit I am not a connoisseur of the books nor the games, so I\u2019m unable to compare the show to those media. All I can tell you, as a <strong>huge fan</strong> of the first season, this season really felt like it touched back on the fun and mayhem and good-natured camp of the early show. And was Liam Hemsworth a not-bad replacement for Henry Cavill? Surprisingly, yes! I quickly settled into the new vibe. And I would argue episode 5 is among the best of the whole series. I am definitely looking forward to the fifth and final season.</p>\n\n<h3>11) Dept Q S1 (Netflix)</h3>\n\n<p>On paper, we\u2019ve seen this story a million times. Dodgy old codger working as a police detective is seemingly on his way out, but he\u2019s given one more case (or in this case, many cold cases) to attempt to solve, and with his rag-tag bunch of misfits at his side, he saves the day and earns back the respect of his colleagues (in spite of his unorthodox approach and maddening personality). And yet\u2026this show <em>totally works</em> as a fresh installment in the genre (especially the Scottish vs. English cultural jabs throughout). Glad to know a second season is in the works!</p>\n\n<h3>10) Death by Lighting (Limited Series, Netflix)</h3>\n\n<p>We all know how President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Did you know how President James Garfield was assassinated, and why? Me neither! This show managed to take an obscure corner of American history and transform it into riveting television, while also inspiring me to pull up Wikipedia and brush up on my presidential timeline. Michael Shannon crushed it as Garfield, and Nick Offerman as a larger-than-life Chester A. Arthur is a real treat.</p>\n\n<h3>9) The Diplomat S3 (Netflix)</h3>\n\n<p>Yes, I watched a lot of Netflix this year (I really tamped down on my streaming subscriptions part-way through the year), but I promise I\u2019ll get to some other networks shortly (plenty of Apple TV on the way). At any rate, the first season of <em>The Diplomat</em> exploded onto the scene in 2023, and it was followed up with an equally fantastic second season in 2024. Given the truly bonkers cliffhanger ending of that season, I wondered if this third season might go off the rails or continue to serve as truly excellent political thriller material (with a healthy dose of personal comedy on the side). I\u2019m pleased to report this season did not disappoint. Bring on the next installment!</p>\n\n<h3>8) Paradise S1 (Hulu)</h3>\n\n<p>I\u2019m a little surprised to see this show popping up on a lot of people\u2019s year-end lists. I wasn\u2019t completely blown away by it, but I did really enjoy it. It\u2019s a slow burn in spots, and a handful of the plot points feels fanciful even within the fanciful sci-fi premise, but I think there\u2019s enough meat here that future installments could really take the show to the next level. And who doesn\u2019t love seeing James Marsden as a himbo all-American president dude with mush for brains but a heart of gold?</p>\n\n<h3>7) Your Friends &amp; Neighbors S1 (Apple TV)</h3>\n\n<p>We\u2019re roughly at the halfway point, and from here on every show I\u2019ll be mentioning isn\u2019t just really good, it\u2019s <em>outstanding</em>. And this one is no exception. It\u2019s funny that Jon Hamm went from appearing in Apple TV ads specifically because he wasn\u2019t in any Apple TV shows, to finally making his network debut on <em>The Morning Show</em>, to starring as the lead in a show of his own. And what a show this is! Everything you think this show is about starting off, it then zigzags in another direction. The life themes it explores are clever, the action is comedic while also feeling like the stakes are high, the interpersonal relationships are always fascinating, and Jon Hamm has never been more Daddy in all of the best ways. While at the end of the day Hamm will always be Don Draper to my mind, I think Andrew \u201cCoop\u201d Cooper is shaping up to be his next great role.</p>\n\n<h3>6) Alien: Earth S1 (HBO Max)</h3>\n\n<p>I\u2019m not gonna lie: I had absolutely no interest in watching this show. I wasn\u2019t asking for more <em>Alien</em> material. I\u2019m not even a big fan of that franchise. I did enjoy seeing the movie <em>Alien: Romulus</em> in theaters last year, but nothing about that made me clamor for another story set in that universe. And yet\u2026because I heard <strong>so much buzz</strong> about this show right from the outset, I decided to give it a go. I\u2019m so glad I did! It was fantastic, and honestly shocking in terms of the quality of the writing and the energy behind all of the many story beats and <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/links/20250830/alien-earth-looks-stellar\">impressive world-building which I previously wrote about</a>. Sydney Chandler\u2019s portrayal of Wendy is one for the ages\u2026this is now an iconic character within the franchise and I can\u2019t wait to see what happens next.</p>\n\n<h3>5) The Studio S1 (Apple TV)</h3>\n\n<p>Seth Rogen is a god among men. Watch this. All the buzz was completely deserved and then some. <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/20250331/the-studio-is-all-that\">I wrote about being hooked right from the very first episode</a> and it didn\u2019t merely continue that level of quality up to the last moment of the season, it kept ratcheting up the awesome over and over again. If you don\u2019t have Apple TV, you need to subscribe just to watch this. <strong>It is that good.</strong></p>\n\n<h3>4) The Morning Show S4 (Apple TV)</h3>\n\n<p>As one of the OG shows on Apple TV, I was somewhat surprised they were able to keep pushing the story forward this long. I wouldn\u2019t have even been disappointed if this fourth installment was merely decent. I honestly did not expect it to be <em>so-o-o</em> good. But it was. It was brilliant, and in particular, episode 6 <em>If Then</em> stood out as transcendent television, sublime. <em>The Morning Show</em> has never let me down, having set a high bar for that official launch of Apple TV and keeping the pedal to the metal ever since.</p>\n\n<h3>3) House of Guinness S1 (Netflix)</h3>\n\n<p>As John Campea likes to say, all art is subjective. So it\u2019s possible this show won\u2019t land with you the way it has with me. Let\u2019s just say if you poured my brain into a blender, fizzed it all up real good, and then poured a TV show out that I would absolutely adore, <em>House of Guinness</em> is that show. Imagine a group of half-drunk Irish punks laughing in Gaeilge taking a look at stodgy period English TV and then defacing it with spray paint and choice expletives all while the fiddles and drums furiously play, and that\u2019s the manic energy of this show. It grabs you by the collar and the balls, spits in your eye, and tells you you\u2019re gonna love it. And oh boy do I love it. <strong>A true highlight of the entire year for me!</strong></p>\n\n<h3>2) Pluribus (Plur1bus?) S1 (Apple TV)</h3>\n\n<p>In any ordinary year, this would have been my Show of the Year. The only reason it\u2019s not number one is because of the unusual nature of my number one (as you\u2019ll soon see). That this show is my number two is in no way meant to detract from the ingenuity and inventiveness of <em>Pluribus</em>. Many people are coming into this show as fans of Vince Gilligan\u2019s past shows such as <em>Breaking Bad</em>. I never watched that show nor the spinoffs thereof, so I\u2019m not liking this show out of some sense of nostalgia or obligation. <strong>I\u2019m liking it because it\u2019s fucking brilliant.</strong> (Note: there does seem to be a bit of an Atlantic divide, with many Europeans getting hung up on all of the very American foibles of the lead character and finding her quite unlikable. I understand those issues, and yet I\u2019m able to get past all that and firmly join Team Carol.) And while this show is certainly not intended as a direct commentary on the modern scourge of generative AI, I nevertheless can\u2019t help but think a lot about the extractive and dehumanizing nature of Big Tech and what this show may teach us about individuality, creativity, community, and the possible future of the human race.</p>\n\n<p>And now, without further ado, <strong>my number one show of 2025:</strong></p>\n\n<h3>1) Star Wars: Andor S2 (Disney+)</h3>\n\n<p><strong>C\u2019mon.</strong> Could it have been anything else? No, it could not. <em>Andor</em> is a triumph, a pinnacle, a revelation and a revolution. Not only was this season every bit as remarkable as the first season, this exquisitely-crafted and superbly-executed show stands as one of the greatest sci-fi shows in television history and one of the great shows, <em>period</em>.</p>\n\n<p><em>Andor</em> is art, it is message, it is a warning, it is a comfort, and it is an example of how high-concept science-fiction can lead to a story which is far more than the sum of its parts. I struggle to come up with reasons why it might have been better or how it could have been improved. Perhaps the storyline of Bix Caleen was a bit disappointing this season\u2026although even her ultimate fate was completely understandable and in a way its own \u201cnew hope\u201d that satisfies. <strong>I am in awe of this TV show</strong> and expect <em>Star Wars</em> fans will be talking about it for years to come. And I agree with John Campea: this is the best <em>Star Wars</em> since the original trilogy. It just is. And for that, I tip my cap to Disney+ for making <em>Star Wars: Andor</em> possible.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>OK, coming back down to earth, I\u2019ll now share a few of my disappointments for the year. I don\u2019t relish having to trash talk any show, but if a spade is a spade, I will call it.</p>\n\n<p>In no particular order:</p>\n\n<h3>Foundation S3 (Apple TV)</h3>\n\n<p>I had high hopes for this season, and indeed, <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/links/20250822/the-mule-is-a-villain-for-the-ages\">I wrote about the explosive appearance</a> of famed character <em>The Mule</em> and really thought that the quality of the acting and storytelling would continue at that high bar throughout the whole season. Alas, that was not the case. By the final episode, I felt like the plot has completely disintegrated. I kept looking up \u201cexplainers\u201d online to see if I missed anything which might help me feel better about it, but nothing improved my sour mood. To be honest, <strong>I hated the ending.</strong> I really did not care for it one bit (and if you\u2019ve seen it, you can easily guess which big twist I got hung up on). Not only was I disappointed, I\u2019m now no longer looking forward to season 4. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll watch it anyway, but the showrunners will need to work overtime to win back my trust and indicate they know how to get the show back on track.</p>\n\n<h3>The Hunting Wives S1 (Netflix)</h3>\n\n<p>This show seems to have immediately built up a cult following, which leads me to wonder if we watched the same show. The premise is simple enough, if strange: imagine horny queer people getting it on within an oppressive conservative southern culture and what I can only describe as \u201cgun porn\u201d. Like OK, this <em>could</em> be rather awesome in a black comedy subversive way. And yet it just felt like trash. A low-quality, sleazy romance novel <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/@jaredwhite/115018916390131561\">I have no reason to ever think about or relive ever again.</a> (Pray for me that I don\u2019t fall into temptation and watch the second season when it comes out\u2026)</p>\n\n<h3>The White Lotus S3 (HBO Max)</h3>\n\n<p>I didn\u2019t think this season of the show was bad. Unfortunately I didn\u2019t think it was all that good either. When you have a premise like this where the setting and nearly all the cast completely changes from installment to installment, it\u2019s always a question if the schtick is going to get real old, real fast, or if they can keep it feeling fun and inventive. While I won\u2019t say <em>The White Lotus</em> has run out of steam, I do think this season failed to answer the question \u201cwhy?\u201d I\u2019m not sure I care to watch another season, unless they can find a way to mix things up in a dramatic and interesting fashion.</p>\n\n<h3>Severance S2 (Apple TV)</h3>\n\n<p>I feel terrible putting the second season of this incredible show in my \u201cdisappointments\u201d list. Because this is by no means a bad season of television! I thought <em>Severance</em> S2 was quite good. The problem is the first season was fucking genius, so following that up with something nice and decent is inevitably a disappointment. Look, were there certain episodes and certain moments which I would put up on a level on par with the first season? <strong>Absolutely.</strong> But taken as a whole, I did not vibe with the sequel to my favorite Apple TV show of all time. I hope they can find a way to kick it up a notch with the third season.</p>\n\n<p><strong>And there you go!</strong> My baker\u2019s dozen favorite TV shows of 2025, some honorable mentions, and a few disappointments. All in all, I was very gratified with the available fare this year, and it\u2019s making me excited for all the marvelous adventures which await in 2026.</p>\n\n\n\n  <br /><p>\n    \n      <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/tvshows\">#tvshows</a>\n    \n  </p>",
        "text": "I normally don\u2019t care for long lists like this, but I enjoyed such a wide range of television this year, I simply couldn\u2019t narrow it down.\n\nGoing into 2025, I had a concern that the era of \u201cprestige TV\u201d was behind us. That we would increasingly find ourselves watching paint-by-numbers shows with smaller budgets and smaller ambitions. Stories which sound good on the surface but ultimately without a lot to say. Fluff.\n\nThat, I\u2019m pleased to say, did not happen. In fact, I had such a good time with so many different shows, it was hard to limit myself to any particular theme or genre. So I simply made a list. Y\u2019all have no doubt been bombarded with year-end lists, thus my commentary on each show will be kept to a minimum. Hopefully you\u2019ll find some common ground with my thoughts, and perhaps find a nugget or two you didn\u2019t know about!\n\nWhile I do have 13 entires sorted, that isn\u2019t to say I greatly prefer (4) over (9). All of these shows made a big impression on me for one reason or another. But I will say that the number one show is in first place by a pretty significant margin. It\u2019s not that the other shows aren\u2019t so good. It\u2019s just that this show is one of the greatest seasons of television I\u2019ve ever seen in my life. (I wonder if you can guess what it is?)\n\nAlright, enough of my blethering. Let\u2019s start with a couple honorable mentions before counting backwards from 13 to 1. (And stick around for the wrap-up where I share a grab-bag of real disappointments.)\n\nHonorable Mention: Stranger Things S5 (Netflix)\n\nI love Stranger Things. How could I not, being such a nerd about retro 80s synth music and action-adventure movies of that era? And yes, I\u2019ve certainly been enjoying this final season. With the finale episode still to come, I have no doubt they will stick the landing. Yet I can\u2019t help but feel this season is rather superfluous. Could they have come up with a tighter storyline for season 4 and ended the series there? Absolutely. I won\u2019t say much of what happens this season is \u201cfiller\u201d because it is all quite interesting and well done, but at some point, can we please stop traumatizing these poor kids & families and leave them in peace? \ud83d\ude05\n\nHonorable Mention: The Handmaid\u2019s Tale S6 (Hulu)\n\nI had many complicated feelings watching this final season of an explosive TV show about a fascist far-right theocracy taking over the United States while living under a fascist far-right theocracy taking over the United States. And I was frustrated that, while this show was very good right up to the end, it ultimately didn\u2019t feel like it had much to teach us about how we might deal better with our present moment. For the curious, I shared many of these thoughts in detail on the Fresh Fusion podcast.\n\nWith that down, let\u2019s begin the list starting with number 13:\n\n13) The Beast in Me (Limited Series, Netflix)\n\nI won\u2019t say too much about this here because I already reviewed it, but I definitely enjoyed the series. Though I wished it could have been a small notch higher in quality (mainly with regards to the plot), with the two lead actors being incredibly delicious playing their cat-and-mouse game, it\u2019s one not to miss.\n\n12) The Witcher S4 (Netflix)\n\nSurprised to see this make the list? Me too! All signs pointed to this season of a rapidly-degrading show being quite terrible, and I suspect quite a few fans are boycotting The Witcher at this point. Yet I\u2019m also willing to go out on a limb and say the more toxic corners of the fandom took things too far. I will admit I am not a connoisseur of the books nor the games, so I\u2019m unable to compare the show to those media. All I can tell you, as a huge fan of the first season, this season really felt like it touched back on the fun and mayhem and good-natured camp of the early show. And was Liam Hemsworth a not-bad replacement for Henry Cavill? Surprisingly, yes! I quickly settled into the new vibe. And I would argue episode 5 is among the best of the whole series. I am definitely looking forward to the fifth and final season.\n\n11) Dept Q S1 (Netflix)\n\nOn paper, we\u2019ve seen this story a million times. Dodgy old codger working as a police detective is seemingly on his way out, but he\u2019s given one more case (or in this case, many cold cases) to attempt to solve, and with his rag-tag bunch of misfits at his side, he saves the day and earns back the respect of his colleagues (in spite of his unorthodox approach and maddening personality). And yet\u2026this show totally works as a fresh installment in the genre (especially the Scottish vs. English cultural jabs throughout). Glad to know a second season is in the works!\n\n10) Death by Lighting (Limited Series, Netflix)\n\nWe all know how President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Did you know how President James Garfield was assassinated, and why? Me neither! This show managed to take an obscure corner of American history and transform it into riveting television, while also inspiring me to pull up Wikipedia and brush up on my presidential timeline. Michael Shannon crushed it as Garfield, and Nick Offerman as a larger-than-life Chester A. Arthur is a real treat.\n\n9) The Diplomat S3 (Netflix)\n\nYes, I watched a lot of Netflix this year (I really tamped down on my streaming subscriptions part-way through the year), but I promise I\u2019ll get to some other networks shortly (plenty of Apple TV on the way). At any rate, the first season of The Diplomat exploded onto the scene in 2023, and it was followed up with an equally fantastic second season in 2024. Given the truly bonkers cliffhanger ending of that season, I wondered if this third season might go off the rails or continue to serve as truly excellent political thriller material (with a healthy dose of personal comedy on the side). I\u2019m pleased to report this season did not disappoint. Bring on the next installment!\n\n8) Paradise S1 (Hulu)\n\nI\u2019m a little surprised to see this show popping up on a lot of people\u2019s year-end lists. I wasn\u2019t completely blown away by it, but I did really enjoy it. It\u2019s a slow burn in spots, and a handful of the plot points feels fanciful even within the fanciful sci-fi premise, but I think there\u2019s enough meat here that future installments could really take the show to the next level. And who doesn\u2019t love seeing James Marsden as a himbo all-American president dude with mush for brains but a heart of gold?\n\n7) Your Friends & Neighbors S1 (Apple TV)\n\nWe\u2019re roughly at the halfway point, and from here on every show I\u2019ll be mentioning isn\u2019t just really good, it\u2019s outstanding. And this one is no exception. It\u2019s funny that Jon Hamm went from appearing in Apple TV ads specifically because he wasn\u2019t in any Apple TV shows, to finally making his network debut on The Morning Show, to starring as the lead in a show of his own. And what a show this is! Everything you think this show is about starting off, it then zigzags in another direction. The life themes it explores are clever, the action is comedic while also feeling like the stakes are high, the interpersonal relationships are always fascinating, and Jon Hamm has never been more Daddy in all of the best ways. While at the end of the day Hamm will always be Don Draper to my mind, I think Andrew \u201cCoop\u201d Cooper is shaping up to be his next great role.\n\n6) Alien: Earth S1 (HBO Max)\n\nI\u2019m not gonna lie: I had absolutely no interest in watching this show. I wasn\u2019t asking for more Alien material. I\u2019m not even a big fan of that franchise. I did enjoy seeing the movie Alien: Romulus in theaters last year, but nothing about that made me clamor for another story set in that universe. And yet\u2026because I heard so much buzz about this show right from the outset, I decided to give it a go. I\u2019m so glad I did! It was fantastic, and honestly shocking in terms of the quality of the writing and the energy behind all of the many story beats and impressive world-building which I previously wrote about. Sydney Chandler\u2019s portrayal of Wendy is one for the ages\u2026this is now an iconic character within the franchise and I can\u2019t wait to see what happens next.\n\n5) The Studio S1 (Apple TV)\n\nSeth Rogen is a god among men. Watch this. All the buzz was completely deserved and then some. I wrote about being hooked right from the very first episode and it didn\u2019t merely continue that level of quality up to the last moment of the season, it kept ratcheting up the awesome over and over again. If you don\u2019t have Apple TV, you need to subscribe just to watch this. It is that good.\n\n4) The Morning Show S4 (Apple TV)\n\nAs one of the OG shows on Apple TV, I was somewhat surprised they were able to keep pushing the story forward this long. I wouldn\u2019t have even been disappointed if this fourth installment was merely decent. I honestly did not expect it to be so-o-o good. But it was. It was brilliant, and in particular, episode 6 If Then stood out as transcendent television, sublime. The Morning Show has never let me down, having set a high bar for that official launch of Apple TV and keeping the pedal to the metal ever since.\n\n3) House of Guinness S1 (Netflix)\n\nAs John Campea likes to say, all art is subjective. So it\u2019s possible this show won\u2019t land with you the way it has with me. Let\u2019s just say if you poured my brain into a blender, fizzed it all up real good, and then poured a TV show out that I would absolutely adore, House of Guinness is that show. Imagine a group of half-drunk Irish punks laughing in Gaeilge taking a look at stodgy period English TV and then defacing it with spray paint and choice expletives all while the fiddles and drums furiously play, and that\u2019s the manic energy of this show. It grabs you by the collar and the balls, spits in your eye, and tells you you\u2019re gonna love it. And oh boy do I love it. A true highlight of the entire year for me!\n\n2) Pluribus (Plur1bus?) S1 (Apple TV)\n\nIn any ordinary year, this would have been my Show of the Year. The only reason it\u2019s not number one is because of the unusual nature of my number one (as you\u2019ll soon see). That this show is my number two is in no way meant to detract from the ingenuity and inventiveness of Pluribus. Many people are coming into this show as fans of Vince Gilligan\u2019s past shows such as Breaking Bad. I never watched that show nor the spinoffs thereof, so I\u2019m not liking this show out of some sense of nostalgia or obligation. I\u2019m liking it because it\u2019s fucking brilliant. (Note: there does seem to be a bit of an Atlantic divide, with many Europeans getting hung up on all of the very American foibles of the lead character and finding her quite unlikable. I understand those issues, and yet I\u2019m able to get past all that and firmly join Team Carol.) And while this show is certainly not intended as a direct commentary on the modern scourge of generative AI, I nevertheless can\u2019t help but think a lot about the extractive and dehumanizing nature of Big Tech and what this show may teach us about individuality, creativity, community, and the possible future of the human race.\n\nAnd now, without further ado, my number one show of 2025:\n\n1) Star Wars: Andor S2 (Disney+)\n\nC\u2019mon. Could it have been anything else? No, it could not. Andor is a triumph, a pinnacle, a revelation and a revolution. Not only was this season every bit as remarkable as the first season, this exquisitely-crafted and superbly-executed show stands as one of the greatest sci-fi shows in television history and one of the great shows, period.\n\nAndor is art, it is message, it is a warning, it is a comfort, and it is an example of how high-concept science-fiction can lead to a story which is far more than the sum of its parts. I struggle to come up with reasons why it might have been better or how it could have been improved. Perhaps the storyline of Bix Caleen was a bit disappointing this season\u2026although even her ultimate fate was completely understandable and in a way its own \u201cnew hope\u201d that satisfies. I am in awe of this TV show and expect Star Wars fans will be talking about it for years to come. And I agree with John Campea: this is the best Star Wars since the original trilogy. It just is. And for that, I tip my cap to Disney+ for making Star Wars: Andor possible.\n\n\n\nOK, coming back down to earth, I\u2019ll now share a few of my disappointments for the year. I don\u2019t relish having to trash talk any show, but if a spade is a spade, I will call it.\n\nIn no particular order:\n\nFoundation S3 (Apple TV)\n\nI had high hopes for this season, and indeed, I wrote about the explosive appearance of famed character The Mule and really thought that the quality of the acting and storytelling would continue at that high bar throughout the whole season. Alas, that was not the case. By the final episode, I felt like the plot has completely disintegrated. I kept looking up \u201cexplainers\u201d online to see if I missed anything which might help me feel better about it, but nothing improved my sour mood. To be honest, I hated the ending. I really did not care for it one bit (and if you\u2019ve seen it, you can easily guess which big twist I got hung up on). Not only was I disappointed, I\u2019m now no longer looking forward to season 4. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll watch it anyway, but the showrunners will need to work overtime to win back my trust and indicate they know how to get the show back on track.\n\nThe Hunting Wives S1 (Netflix)\n\nThis show seems to have immediately built up a cult following, which leads me to wonder if we watched the same show. The premise is simple enough, if strange: imagine horny queer people getting it on within an oppressive conservative southern culture and what I can only describe as \u201cgun porn\u201d. Like OK, this could be rather awesome in a black comedy subversive way. And yet it just felt like trash. A low-quality, sleazy romance novel I have no reason to ever think about or relive ever again. (Pray for me that I don\u2019t fall into temptation and watch the second season when it comes out\u2026)\n\nThe White Lotus S3 (HBO Max)\n\nI didn\u2019t think this season of the show was bad. Unfortunately I didn\u2019t think it was all that good either. When you have a premise like this where the setting and nearly all the cast completely changes from installment to installment, it\u2019s always a question if the schtick is going to get real old, real fast, or if they can keep it feeling fun and inventive. While I won\u2019t say The White Lotus has run out of steam, I do think this season failed to answer the question \u201cwhy?\u201d I\u2019m not sure I care to watch another season, unless they can find a way to mix things up in a dramatic and interesting fashion.\n\nSeverance S2 (Apple TV)\n\nI feel terrible putting the second season of this incredible show in my \u201cdisappointments\u201d list. Because this is by no means a bad season of television! I thought Severance S2 was quite good. The problem is the first season was fucking genius, so following that up with something nice and decent is inevitably a disappointment. Look, were there certain episodes and certain moments which I would put up on a level on par with the first season? Absolutely. But taken as a whole, I did not vibe with the sequel to my favorite Apple TV show of all time. I hope they can find a way to kick it up a notch with the third season.\n\nAnd there you go! My baker\u2019s dozen favorite TV shows of 2025, some honorable mentions, and a few disappointments. All in all, I was very gratified with the available fare this year, and it\u2019s making me excited for all the marvelous adventures which await in 2026.\n\n\n\n  \n\n    \n      #tvshows"
    },
    "name": "Baker's Dozen: My Favorite TV Shows of 2025",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "46907813",
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Aaron Parecki aaronparecki.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-28T12:12:34-08:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2025/12/28/4/",
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    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Apparently should have built the cat tree before mounting the TV on the wall..."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "46898549",
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Jonathan LaCour cleverdevil.io/profile/cleverdevil

RGB House Number Project Done! 🌈🏠

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-25T20:41:33+00:00",
    "url": "https://cleverdevil.io/2025/rgb-house-number-project-done",
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        "https://cleverdevil.io/file/3d8f3703a17f16b78d40fba463eeeeb8/thumb.jpg",
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        "https://cleverdevil.io/file/b2c1379757c71931706b8f927be28de6/thumb.jpg"
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    "syndication": [
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        "https://bsky.app/profile/cleverdevil.io/post/3matnayk4r42v"
    ],
    "name": "RGB House Number Project Done! \ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udfe0",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Jonathan LaCour",
        "url": "https://cleverdevil.io/profile/cleverdevil",
        "photo": "https://cleverdevil.io/file/e37c3982acf4f0a8421d085b9971cd71/thumb.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "46879161",
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gRegor Morrill gregorlove.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-24 17:40-0800",
    "url": "https://gregorlove.com/2025/12/i-enjoyed-watching/",
    "category": [
        "faith",
        "love",
        "Christmas"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://bsky.app/profile/gregorlove.com/post/3marnzlqhbc27"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "I enjoyed watching the replay of the Disabled Body of Christ\u2019s Christmas Eve service. I\u2019m reflecting on the prompt: \u201cWhere is one place in your life or the world where you want love to be born this Christmas?\u201d\n\nAbout the service:\n\n\n\u201cDisabled people are a necessary part of the Body of Christ. This is not a healing service because our bodies are not problems to be fixed and disabled bodies are also part of the Body of Christ just as we are.\u201d\n\n\u2014 Rev. Kate Harmon Siberine\n\n\nIt\u2019s part of the Episcopalian church and streams Wednesdays at 11AM Eastern on TikTok. It is usually about 25 minutes long.",
        "html": "<p>I enjoyed watching the replay of the Disabled Body of Christ\u2019s Christmas Eve service. I\u2019m reflecting on the prompt: \u201cWhere is one place in your life or the world where you want love to be born this Christmas?\u201d</p>\n\n<p>About the service:</p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"h-cite\">\n<p class=\"p-content\">\u201cDisabled people are a necessary part of the Body of Christ. This is <em>not</em> a healing service because our bodies are not problems to be fixed and disabled bodies are also part of the Body of Christ just as we are.\u201d</p>\n\n<p>\u2014 <a class=\"p-author h-card\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@kateharmonsiberine\">Rev. Kate Harmon Siberine</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It\u2019s part of the <a href=\"https://www.nhepiscopal.org/worship-liturgy\">Episcopalian church</a> and streams Wednesdays at 11AM Eastern <a href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@kateharmonsiberine\">on TikTok</a>. It is usually about 25 minutes long.</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "gRegor Morrill",
        "url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
        "photo": "https://gregorlove.com/site/assets/files/6268/profile-2021-square.300x0.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "46873891",
    "_source": "95"
}

Latourell Falls, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge
#SilentSunday #OregonExplored

Read More

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/pictures/20251214/latourell-falls-on-the-a-href-https-pixelfed-social-discover-tags-oregon-src-hash-title-oregon-class-u-url-hashtag-rel-external",
    "published": "2025-12-14T08:39:21-08:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/c19ce1b25-2f8843/eWnmuo3p9amE/CTqyQjKyqvF9d2krtreyNeRP3xgUEQXQGENjYlu6.jpg\" /><p>Latourell Falls, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge<br /><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/silentsunday\">#SilentSunday</a> <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/oregonexplored\">#OregonExplored</a></p>",
        "text": "Latourell Falls, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge\n#SilentSunday #OregonExplored"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "46870610",
    "_source": "2783"
}

The most perfect timing ever for the light at Hidden Falls in Happy Valley 😍
#FallVibes #OregonExplored

Read More

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/pictures/20251116/the-most-perfect-timing-ever-for-the-light-at-hidden",
    "published": "2025-11-16T14:42:24-08:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/3dc769ff5-aadbb1/8T1yrqFoyXXY/qzBOLkPF0YadlodyZo6d2HOhLc7cKrjV58AxLCvA.jpg\" /><p>The most perfect timing ever for the light at Hidden Falls in Happy Valley \ud83d\ude0d <br /><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/fallvibes\">#FallVibes</a> <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/oregonexplored\">#OregonExplored</a></p>",
        "text": "The most perfect timing ever for the light at Hidden Falls in Happy Valley \ud83d\ude0d \n#FallVibes #OregonExplored"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "46870611",
    "_source": "2783"
}

Aaron Parecki aaronparecki.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-22T15:21:57-08:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2025/12/22/10/",
    "category": [
        "365",
        "moving"
    ],
    "photo": [
        "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/f329c1905d2bde64d760a6d6bcc9d2fa95aed432fb996cf9f96092b10b9c3d00.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Spent most of the day moving @anomalily's livestreaming gear to her new office, and we decided to build it in to her desk! Everything is neatly tucked away, the cables are hidden under the desk and gear inside this drawer.",
        "html": "Spent most of the day moving <a href=\"https://anomalily.net/\">@anomalily</a>'s livestreaming gear to her new office, and we decided to build it in to her desk! Everything is neatly tucked away, the cables are hidden under the desk and gear inside this drawer."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "46861046",
    "_source": "16"
}

Aaron Parecki aaronparecki.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-21T13:46:01-08:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2025/12/21/11/",
    "category": [
        "glimpse",
        "365",
        "triplex"
    ],
    "photo": [
        "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/d3a3bd1013eac013fa8b23f9eade06c473645c3b13e9b37d3f8da6f2e03453e1.jpg"
    ],
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "46861047",
    "_source": "16"
}

fluffy beesbuzz.biz

The state of the fluffy (late December 2025 edition)

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-22T18:00:15-08:00",
    "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/5701-The-state-of-the-fluffy-late-December-2025-edition",
    "category": [
        "blogging",
        "new year",
        "mental health",
        "car",
        "music",
        "finances",
        "publ",
        "bandcrash"
    ],
    "name": "The state of the fluffy (late December 2025 edition)",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "fluffy",
        "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
        "photo": "https://beesbuzz.biz/static/headshot.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "46856939",
    "_source": "2778"
}

A Year in Four Seasons: 2025 Was One Hell of a Ride

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/articles/year-in-review-2025",
    "published": "2025-12-21T08:07:08-08:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/mariposta/image/upload/w_1200,c_limit,q_65/magical-fall-waterfall.jpg\" /><h2>I went into this year wondering if I was about to make a terrible, terrible mistake. Did I? Well you\u2019ll just have to keep reading.</h2>\n\n<p>Never a dull moment. Count your blessings. I survived. It\u2019s about the journey, not the destination. Follow your heart. <em>That was a hell of a thing.</em></p>\n\n<p>Many platitudes &amp; clich\u00e9s flood my mind as I consider what I\u2019ve done, what I\u2019ve been through, what I\u2019ve accomplished, and what I\u2019ve failed at in <strong>2025</strong>. I won\u2019t tell you this was the worst year since the pandemic, because that would be <strong>2023</strong> for personal family reasons I will fully reveal one day (but that day is not today). Yet I\u2019d be lying if I said <strong>2025</strong> was a walk in the park\u2026although, ironically, <strong>I did a lot of walking in a lot of parks! \ud83d\ude02</strong></p>\n\n<p>This year was fairly unique for me in that I truly went through all four seasons in an emotional and energetic sense. My winter looked nothing like my spring which looked nothing like my summer which looked a bit like my fall but also sort of not. And I must admit, <strong>I rather liked that temporal topology.</strong> I liked it so much I\u2019m trying to consider how to take steps to ensure 2026 follows similar contours. If the life I\u2019m living in August 2026 doesn\u2019t look all that different than my life in February 2026, I will have failed. <strong>And failure is not an option.</strong> *<em>dramatic closeup</em>*</p>\n\n<p>All right, so let\u2019s put some skin on these bones and detail what my year looked like\u2026at least to the extent such an objective can be manifested in one blog post.</p>\n\n<h3>Winter 2024\u20132025: I Can\u2019t Take It Anymore</h3>\n\n<p>I started out the year mad as hell and not gonna take it any more. Such malaise certainly had its roots in prior months, and that was in part due to the shocking U.S. presidential election results, yes, but also the carryover of certain family issues from 2023 into 2024. While those issues got more-or-less \u201cresolved\u201d in late 2024, the lingering mental anguish certainly wasn\u2019t going to dissipate in a day. I\u2019d also spent a significant period of time in the last few months of 2024 fairly sick\u2026one bout of respiratory illness after another which certainly wasn\u2019t life-threatening but was definitely life-thwarting.</p>\n\n<p>One realization I\u2019d first had all the way back on July 3, 2024 was that <strong>I wasn\u2019t happy where I lived</strong>. Oh I was happy to be in <em>Portland</em>, but not my specific abode. I tried some various changes: most notably, where my home office was located. It was an improvement, but ultimately it was a band-aid.</p>\n\n<p>My growing malaise, coupled with increasing financial difficulties, all culminated in an epic drive out the Oregon coastal town of Lincoln City right after New Year\u2019s in January. Something in me broke, or perhaps something in me was restored. In any event, it was the mental shift I needed to embark on a course of action <em>which would completely change my life and define what this year would mean to me.</em></p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://jaredwhite.com/articles/revelation-in-the-car.jpg\" alt=\"in my car looking at sunset over the Pacific Ocean, having a subliminal revelation about my life\" /></p>\n<p>I knew what I needed to do. Mere days after the mind-melting occurrence of one Donald J. Trump becoming President of these United States\u2026<em>again</em>\u2026I submitted my 30 days\u2019 notice to the landlord, and on February 28, 2025, I left; left the world of stationary housed people behind; left a predictable, \u201cnormal\u201d life in search of a different kind of stability, an inner spiritual groundedness. <strong>In short, I became a nomad.</strong></p>\n\n<p>I haven\u2019t quite finished writing my full travelogue, but <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/nomadlifestyle/\">you can read all of the various installments and other ancillary bits about my adventures here</a>. (Accompanied by many photos &amp; videos!)</p>\n\n<h3>Spring: The World I\u2019m Passing Through</h3>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/20250522/passing-through\">As the Bruce Hornsby song goes</a>, I willingly and eagerly became \u201ca vagabond and a drifter\u201d and indeed it was \u201cnot so hard to be.\u201d</p>\n\n<p>I won\u2019t cover my travels too much here because that\u2019s what the travelogue link above is for. Instead, now that I\u2019m on the other side of those adventures (spoiler alert!), I can form a few concluding thoughts about my experience.</p>\n\n<p>One: <strong>I miss being a nomad desperately.</strong> I had a variety of fears going into the nomadic lifestyle for the first time, but one of them was this: <em>that I would love it too much</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Yeah. \ud83d\ude04</p>\n\n<p>I\u2019m very grateful my eventual reentry into stationary housing was an excellent one (more on that below), and I don\u2019t at all want to sound dismissive of that. But I will say: I would rather live on the road out of my car than live in a house I don\u2019t like or in a location I can\u2019t stand. My \u201callegiance\u201d to house living is on pretty thin ice these days.</p>\n\n<p>And in many ways, that\u2019s a really good thing. As mentioned, my financial picture this year did not start out in the healthiest of places, and to be brutally honest, it\u2019s now in the fucking shitter. But I often muse on how good it was I got to experience life without \u201ca place to call home\u201d because if at some point I\u2019m \u201cforced\u201d back into the nomadic lifestyle rather than choosing it willingly, I already know what that\u2019s like. And\u2026<em>it\u2019s actually pretty fucking fantastic.</em></p>\n\n<p>(I understand many people classified as \u201chomeless\u201d who are desperately poor and have no resources at all experience a way of life which is often not good at all. I was extremely fortunate to be able to continue working on the road through the magic of computing and Internet access. I recognize that being a \u201cdigital nomad\u201d vs. being a nomad due to crushing poverty cannot be compared in good faith. My lived experience though is that where I once had the fear of \u201cI could lose everything\u201d\u2014aka lots of material stuff in a house\u2014I no longer have that fear. <strong>I learned it\u2019s possible to be happy with relatively little\u2026</strong>a lesson learned by many wise sages and great spiritual leaders throughout history.)</p>\n\n<p>Two, and this is very much related: the ways in which American politics is so often <strong>unnecessarily cruel to poor people and vagabonds</strong> is <em>despicable</em>. (I suppose one could argue this is hardly unique throughout the history of civilization\u2026or maybe <a href=\"https://nebula.tv/videos/jdraper-we-didnt-start-the-class-war-the-tudor-homelessness-crisis\">it\u2019s just a Tudor thing</a>.) If I suddenly inherited massive wealth, I would put all of it into local library systems, community centers, public restrooms, volunteer wellness facilities, and other non-commercial \u201cthird places\u201d. I am <strong>dumbfounded</strong> by how rank consumerism and unfettered capitalism has made it nearly impossible to live a dignified life outside of a heartless &amp; relentless transactional system. Our culture is so spiritually ill, so poisoned with an addiction to the pursuit of money, <em>we actually look down on the poor</em>. Like there\u2019s something \u201cwrong\u201d with them, rather than something tragically wrong with us.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Listen to me when I say:</strong> I have more respect for the beggar on the front steps of the library than I do the rich capitalist who backs inhumane policies which will lead to the closure of said library.</p>\n\n<p>All of the strength I now have to join protest movements, write endlessly about the dangers of LLM proliferation, and fight back against online watering holes being overrun by fascists, has come from the inner strength I received from my travels. <strong>I believe everyone should travel at certain times in their lives.</strong> There is nothing which will open your eyes more. And I don\u2019t mean \u201cvacation travel\u201d with a fancy jet and a fancy hotel and a fancy party you got invited to over the span of a few days. I mean more of an aimless, \u201cnothing but what you can carry\u201d sort of travel spanning a meaningful breadth of time. <strong>That, my friends, is an education worth more than all the gold in Trump\u2019s ugly penthouse.</strong></p>\n\n<h3>Summer: Rescued by a Friend</h3>\n\n<p>As much as I might paint the picture that, as a nomad, I was carefree and without any responsibilities, nothing could be further from the truth. I also am a father, and so on the regular I would have to return to the same general area of Oregon and spend time at a hotel with my kids. And I knew this was eventually unsustainable\u2026as much as <em>I</em> might enjoy my ability to travel around and have adventures, my kids need the kind of stability which comes from knowing each of their divorced parents has got their shit together. As my teen emphatically put it: \u201cDad, you can do all that stuff <em>after</em> you retire!\u201d <em>(And so I shall, without a doubt!)</em></p>\n\n<p>Thus as the spring progressed and I began to make plans for the summer, I started to take the idea of \u201csettling down\u201d seriously once more. I\u2019d already downsized quite a bit so I could fit my remaining stuff into a modest storage unit, but as everyone knows even small apartments for rent in most urban centers on the coasts of the U.S. can cost a pretty penny.</p>\n\n<p>A little ahead of schedule, I was thrown a lifeline: a dear, dear friend of mine had recently gotten engaged, and as a consequence of them and their fiance moving in together into the main floor of a gorgeous old Portland home, a cozy AirBnB-vibes basement apartment (of said home) was suddenly available to rent. Might I be interested?</p>\n\n<p><em>Interested?</em> <strong>Interested?!</strong> <em>WHERE DO I SIGN ???</em> \ud83e\udd2f</p>\n\n<p>OK sure, it was a slightly more introspective decision than that\u2026but not by much. And so, on May 22, 2025, I received the keys to my sweet little castle. Again, I would have preferred this to have happened truly in the summer (as after only three months of glorious nomadism I was hardly ready to hang up my hat), but sometimes you don\u2019t choose timing. <em>Timing chooses you.</em> And I knew this was absolutely the right next move for me.</p>\n\n<p>All in all, this was a Good Summer. In spite of \\*<em>gestures wildly</em>\\* everything happening the world of technology &amp; politics this year, I was deeply thankful to have landed in a place which felt so <em>me</em>\u2014not just a house but a <strong>home</strong>. (And very much adjacent to a local community of creative Portlanders whose presence in my life I definitely will never take for granted.)</p>\n\n<p>It was fun to rethink how I wanted to set up a house, <a href=\"https://humansare.social/c/downthelane/p/2127/art-decos-revenge-the-rise-and-fall-of-millennials-and-their-gray\">what kind of decor and design to aim for and why</a>. And it was exciting to experience a completely different <em>style</em> of living in Portland: previously I\u2019d only lived near the city center in a very urban environment. Which was exactly what I needed at the time I was there! But now I was in more of a true residential neighborhood, albeit still close to public transit as well as many cute-as-all-get-out \u201cstreetcar corridors\u201d <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6uy6Sw3P3o\">which define the highly-desirable urban fabric of Portland\u2019s east side</a>.</p>\n\n<p>If you love early 20th century bungalows and all things Arts &amp; Crafts (as I do!), this whole region will make your heart explode. \ud83d\ude0d</p>\n\n<h3>Fall: Descent to Turbulent Undercurrents</h3>\n\n<p>Despite my multiple attempts to course-correct my career as a software engineer throughout the summer of 2025 and find more stable financial footing, it had become clear that the hellish toxic stew of Trumpian politics &amp; Big Tech\u2019s death march into the Cult of AI was destined to thwart any meaningful progress. And so with the winding down of the year and the literal specter of increasing darkness in the outside world, I found myself once again fending off that double-headed monster of depression &amp; fatigue.</p>\n\n<p>I truly wish I could end my <strong>Year in Review</strong> on a positive note. And yes, it\u2019s accurate to say a number of things are going pretty well. I had a lot of renewed success in open source the second half of the year, culminating in back-to-back releases of <a href=\"https://www.bridgetownrb.com/\">Ruby web framework Bridgetown 2.0 and 2.1</a>. I feel like <a href=\"https://pixelfed.social/@essentiallife\">my photography this year</a> took a significant leap forward in quality, and I look forward to pushing further into travel photography in 2026 (and of course, you have to travel in order to do travel photography <em>heh heh</em> \ud83d\ude0f). I wrote a whole hell of a lot this year, <a href=\"https://plus.intuitivefuture.com/\">juggling multiple publications &amp; newsletters</a> better than I ever have in the past.</p>\n\n<p>While all of that creative output is personally rewarding, I can\u2019t claim I benefited financially from it much at all. Which, again, isn\u2019t the primary reason I publish\u2026never has been. But as someone who would <em>like</em> to diversify and make a steady partial income from content creation, it\u2019s frustrating.</p>\n\n<p>Closing out the year as winter begins once more and a New Year daws, I wonder what the future holds for me. It\u2019s not a feeling of dread, per se. Dread implies I can envision what evils might befall me. And that\u2019s the thing: <em>I really can\u2019t.</em> My mind\u2019s a blank. I\u2019ve never felt so uncertain about my career, even while wishing wholeheartedly that I could continue it (I\u2019m very content being a professional freelance programmer, even though I don\u2019t want that to be my only hustle). I\u2019ve never had such a conflicting feeling about what might happen in technology &amp; politics in 2026.</p>\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t a \u201cpredictions\u201d post. I\u2019ll save that for the next one. But I <em>am</em> predicting an overarching theme, and unfortunately it\u2019s not a pleasant one: <strong>collapse.</strong> Or perhaps more accurately: <strong>apocalypse.</strong></p>\n\n<p>May you be reminded that an apocalypse doesn\u2019t have to be fully doom and gloom. <em>Good things can come out of apocalypses.</em> The end of one age can precipitate the beginning of another. So the implosion of the MAGA movement, the bottom falling out of AI, and the record scratch moment for sales of hulking EVs\u2026these events will be very discomforting for some but ultimately beneficial to all. OK, I\u2019d better save the rest for my predictions list\u2026</p>\n\n<h3>Winter 2025\u20132026: There and Back Again</h3>\n\n<p>And now it\u2019s wintertime, one year after my consternation about where and how I was going to live. I need no longer worry about where and how I\u2019m going to live. (Where and how I\u2019m going to make an honest day\u2019s living\u2026still up for debate!)</p>\n\n<p>I went into this year wondering if I was about to make a terrible, terrible mistake: throwing everything I still own into a single room-size storage unit, loading some must-haves into my crossover, and venturing forth into points unknown. <strong>Turns out, that was among the very best decisions I have ever made in my entire life.</strong> Then I wondered what would become of me if I did want to settle down again. <strong>And that decision was made by the universe on my behalf, via circumstances I never could have engineered on my own.</strong></p>\n\n<p>So in that regard, though this year brought with it many obstacles, 2025 also gave me a greatly renewed sense of\u2014for lack of a better word\u2014<em>faith</em>. I have a lot of faith in synchronicity, in friends, in amazing people I meet near and far, and perhaps most importantly in my self. And what more could you ask for as you celebrate the holidays with the family you love and the communities you care about. \ud83d\udd4e\ud83c\udf84</p>\n\n<p><em>See you on the flip side\u2026</em></p>\n\n\n\n  <br /><p>\n    \n      <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/lifehacks\">#lifehacks</a>\n    \n  </p>",
        "text": "I went into this year wondering if I was about to make a terrible, terrible mistake. Did I? Well you\u2019ll just have to keep reading.\n\nNever a dull moment. Count your blessings. I survived. It\u2019s about the journey, not the destination. Follow your heart. That was a hell of a thing.\n\nMany platitudes & clich\u00e9s flood my mind as I consider what I\u2019ve done, what I\u2019ve been through, what I\u2019ve accomplished, and what I\u2019ve failed at in 2025. I won\u2019t tell you this was the worst year since the pandemic, because that would be 2023 for personal family reasons I will fully reveal one day (but that day is not today). Yet I\u2019d be lying if I said 2025 was a walk in the park\u2026although, ironically, I did a lot of walking in a lot of parks! \ud83d\ude02\n\nThis year was fairly unique for me in that I truly went through all four seasons in an emotional and energetic sense. My winter looked nothing like my spring which looked nothing like my summer which looked a bit like my fall but also sort of not. And I must admit, I rather liked that temporal topology. I liked it so much I\u2019m trying to consider how to take steps to ensure 2026 follows similar contours. If the life I\u2019m living in August 2026 doesn\u2019t look all that different than my life in February 2026, I will have failed. And failure is not an option. *dramatic closeup*\n\nAll right, so let\u2019s put some skin on these bones and detail what my year looked like\u2026at least to the extent such an objective can be manifested in one blog post.\n\nWinter 2024\u20132025: I Can\u2019t Take It Anymore\n\nI started out the year mad as hell and not gonna take it any more. Such malaise certainly had its roots in prior months, and that was in part due to the shocking U.S. presidential election results, yes, but also the carryover of certain family issues from 2023 into 2024. While those issues got more-or-less \u201cresolved\u201d in late 2024, the lingering mental anguish certainly wasn\u2019t going to dissipate in a day. I\u2019d also spent a significant period of time in the last few months of 2024 fairly sick\u2026one bout of respiratory illness after another which certainly wasn\u2019t life-threatening but was definitely life-thwarting.\n\nOne realization I\u2019d first had all the way back on July 3, 2024 was that I wasn\u2019t happy where I lived. Oh I was happy to be in Portland, but not my specific abode. I tried some various changes: most notably, where my home office was located. It was an improvement, but ultimately it was a band-aid.\n\nMy growing malaise, coupled with increasing financial difficulties, all culminated in an epic drive out the Oregon coastal town of Lincoln City right after New Year\u2019s in January. Something in me broke, or perhaps something in me was restored. In any event, it was the mental shift I needed to embark on a course of action which would completely change my life and define what this year would mean to me.\n\n\nI knew what I needed to do. Mere days after the mind-melting occurrence of one Donald J. Trump becoming President of these United States\u2026again\u2026I submitted my 30 days\u2019 notice to the landlord, and on February 28, 2025, I left; left the world of stationary housed people behind; left a predictable, \u201cnormal\u201d life in search of a different kind of stability, an inner spiritual groundedness. In short, I became a nomad.\n\nI haven\u2019t quite finished writing my full travelogue, but you can read all of the various installments and other ancillary bits about my adventures here. (Accompanied by many photos & videos!)\n\nSpring: The World I\u2019m Passing Through\n\nAs the Bruce Hornsby song goes, I willingly and eagerly became \u201ca vagabond and a drifter\u201d and indeed it was \u201cnot so hard to be.\u201d\n\nI won\u2019t cover my travels too much here because that\u2019s what the travelogue link above is for. Instead, now that I\u2019m on the other side of those adventures (spoiler alert!), I can form a few concluding thoughts about my experience.\n\nOne: I miss being a nomad desperately. I had a variety of fears going into the nomadic lifestyle for the first time, but one of them was this: that I would love it too much.\n\nYeah. \ud83d\ude04\n\nI\u2019m very grateful my eventual reentry into stationary housing was an excellent one (more on that below), and I don\u2019t at all want to sound dismissive of that. But I will say: I would rather live on the road out of my car than live in a house I don\u2019t like or in a location I can\u2019t stand. My \u201callegiance\u201d to house living is on pretty thin ice these days.\n\nAnd in many ways, that\u2019s a really good thing. As mentioned, my financial picture this year did not start out in the healthiest of places, and to be brutally honest, it\u2019s now in the fucking shitter. But I often muse on how good it was I got to experience life without \u201ca place to call home\u201d because if at some point I\u2019m \u201cforced\u201d back into the nomadic lifestyle rather than choosing it willingly, I already know what that\u2019s like. And\u2026it\u2019s actually pretty fucking fantastic.\n\n(I understand many people classified as \u201chomeless\u201d who are desperately poor and have no resources at all experience a way of life which is often not good at all. I was extremely fortunate to be able to continue working on the road through the magic of computing and Internet access. I recognize that being a \u201cdigital nomad\u201d vs. being a nomad due to crushing poverty cannot be compared in good faith. My lived experience though is that where I once had the fear of \u201cI could lose everything\u201d\u2014aka lots of material stuff in a house\u2014I no longer have that fear. I learned it\u2019s possible to be happy with relatively little\u2026a lesson learned by many wise sages and great spiritual leaders throughout history.)\n\nTwo, and this is very much related: the ways in which American politics is so often unnecessarily cruel to poor people and vagabonds is despicable. (I suppose one could argue this is hardly unique throughout the history of civilization\u2026or maybe it\u2019s just a Tudor thing.) If I suddenly inherited massive wealth, I would put all of it into local library systems, community centers, public restrooms, volunteer wellness facilities, and other non-commercial \u201cthird places\u201d. I am dumbfounded by how rank consumerism and unfettered capitalism has made it nearly impossible to live a dignified life outside of a heartless & relentless transactional system. Our culture is so spiritually ill, so poisoned with an addiction to the pursuit of money, we actually look down on the poor. Like there\u2019s something \u201cwrong\u201d with them, rather than something tragically wrong with us.\n\nListen to me when I say: I have more respect for the beggar on the front steps of the library than I do the rich capitalist who backs inhumane policies which will lead to the closure of said library.\n\nAll of the strength I now have to join protest movements, write endlessly about the dangers of LLM proliferation, and fight back against online watering holes being overrun by fascists, has come from the inner strength I received from my travels. I believe everyone should travel at certain times in their lives. There is nothing which will open your eyes more. And I don\u2019t mean \u201cvacation travel\u201d with a fancy jet and a fancy hotel and a fancy party you got invited to over the span of a few days. I mean more of an aimless, \u201cnothing but what you can carry\u201d sort of travel spanning a meaningful breadth of time. That, my friends, is an education worth more than all the gold in Trump\u2019s ugly penthouse.\n\nSummer: Rescued by a Friend\n\nAs much as I might paint the picture that, as a nomad, I was carefree and without any responsibilities, nothing could be further from the truth. I also am a father, and so on the regular I would have to return to the same general area of Oregon and spend time at a hotel with my kids. And I knew this was eventually unsustainable\u2026as much as I might enjoy my ability to travel around and have adventures, my kids need the kind of stability which comes from knowing each of their divorced parents has got their shit together. As my teen emphatically put it: \u201cDad, you can do all that stuff after you retire!\u201d (And so I shall, without a doubt!)\n\nThus as the spring progressed and I began to make plans for the summer, I started to take the idea of \u201csettling down\u201d seriously once more. I\u2019d already downsized quite a bit so I could fit my remaining stuff into a modest storage unit, but as everyone knows even small apartments for rent in most urban centers on the coasts of the U.S. can cost a pretty penny.\n\nA little ahead of schedule, I was thrown a lifeline: a dear, dear friend of mine had recently gotten engaged, and as a consequence of them and their fiance moving in together into the main floor of a gorgeous old Portland home, a cozy AirBnB-vibes basement apartment (of said home) was suddenly available to rent. Might I be interested?\n\nInterested? Interested?! WHERE DO I SIGN ??? \ud83e\udd2f\n\nOK sure, it was a slightly more introspective decision than that\u2026but not by much. And so, on May 22, 2025, I received the keys to my sweet little castle. Again, I would have preferred this to have happened truly in the summer (as after only three months of glorious nomadism I was hardly ready to hang up my hat), but sometimes you don\u2019t choose timing. Timing chooses you. And I knew this was absolutely the right next move for me.\n\nAll in all, this was a Good Summer. In spite of \\*gestures wildly\\* everything happening the world of technology & politics this year, I was deeply thankful to have landed in a place which felt so me\u2014not just a house but a home. (And very much adjacent to a local community of creative Portlanders whose presence in my life I definitely will never take for granted.)\n\nIt was fun to rethink how I wanted to set up a house, what kind of decor and design to aim for and why. And it was exciting to experience a completely different style of living in Portland: previously I\u2019d only lived near the city center in a very urban environment. Which was exactly what I needed at the time I was there! But now I was in more of a true residential neighborhood, albeit still close to public transit as well as many cute-as-all-get-out \u201cstreetcar corridors\u201d which define the highly-desirable urban fabric of Portland\u2019s east side.\n\nIf you love early 20th century bungalows and all things Arts & Crafts (as I do!), this whole region will make your heart explode. \ud83d\ude0d\n\nFall: Descent to Turbulent Undercurrents\n\nDespite my multiple attempts to course-correct my career as a software engineer throughout the summer of 2025 and find more stable financial footing, it had become clear that the hellish toxic stew of Trumpian politics & Big Tech\u2019s death march into the Cult of AI was destined to thwart any meaningful progress. And so with the winding down of the year and the literal specter of increasing darkness in the outside world, I found myself once again fending off that double-headed monster of depression & fatigue.\n\nI truly wish I could end my Year in Review on a positive note. And yes, it\u2019s accurate to say a number of things are going pretty well. I had a lot of renewed success in open source the second half of the year, culminating in back-to-back releases of Ruby web framework Bridgetown 2.0 and 2.1. I feel like my photography this year took a significant leap forward in quality, and I look forward to pushing further into travel photography in 2026 (and of course, you have to travel in order to do travel photography heh heh \ud83d\ude0f). I wrote a whole hell of a lot this year, juggling multiple publications & newsletters better than I ever have in the past.\n\nWhile all of that creative output is personally rewarding, I can\u2019t claim I benefited financially from it much at all. Which, again, isn\u2019t the primary reason I publish\u2026never has been. But as someone who would like to diversify and make a steady partial income from content creation, it\u2019s frustrating.\n\nClosing out the year as winter begins once more and a New Year daws, I wonder what the future holds for me. It\u2019s not a feeling of dread, per se. Dread implies I can envision what evils might befall me. And that\u2019s the thing: I really can\u2019t. My mind\u2019s a blank. I\u2019ve never felt so uncertain about my career, even while wishing wholeheartedly that I could continue it (I\u2019m very content being a professional freelance programmer, even though I don\u2019t want that to be my only hustle). I\u2019ve never had such a conflicting feeling about what might happen in technology & politics in 2026.\n\nThis isn\u2019t a \u201cpredictions\u201d post. I\u2019ll save that for the next one. But I am predicting an overarching theme, and unfortunately it\u2019s not a pleasant one: collapse. Or perhaps more accurately: apocalypse.\n\nMay you be reminded that an apocalypse doesn\u2019t have to be fully doom and gloom. Good things can come out of apocalypses. The end of one age can precipitate the beginning of another. So the implosion of the MAGA movement, the bottom falling out of AI, and the record scratch moment for sales of hulking EVs\u2026these events will be very discomforting for some but ultimately beneficial to all. OK, I\u2019d better save the rest for my predictions list\u2026\n\nWinter 2025\u20132026: There and Back Again\n\nAnd now it\u2019s wintertime, one year after my consternation about where and how I was going to live. I need no longer worry about where and how I\u2019m going to live. (Where and how I\u2019m going to make an honest day\u2019s living\u2026still up for debate!)\n\nI went into this year wondering if I was about to make a terrible, terrible mistake: throwing everything I still own into a single room-size storage unit, loading some must-haves into my crossover, and venturing forth into points unknown. Turns out, that was among the very best decisions I have ever made in my entire life. Then I wondered what would become of me if I did want to settle down again. And that decision was made by the universe on my behalf, via circumstances I never could have engineered on my own.\n\nSo in that regard, though this year brought with it many obstacles, 2025 also gave me a greatly renewed sense of\u2014for lack of a better word\u2014faith. I have a lot of faith in synchronicity, in friends, in amazing people I meet near and far, and perhaps most importantly in my self. And what more could you ask for as you celebrate the holidays with the family you love and the communities you care about. \ud83d\udd4e\ud83c\udf84\n\nSee you on the flip side\u2026\n\n\n\n  \n\n    \n      #lifehacks"
    },
    "name": "A Year in Four Seasons: 2025 Was One Hell of a Ride",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "46845298",
    "_source": "2783"
}

Aaron Parecki aaronparecki.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-20T12:14:01-08:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2025/12/20/13/",
    "category": [
        "triplex"
    ],
    "photo": [
        "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/dd55fad1b3ea0fda76e0520710f001b30db765f64c0863d9fe1bc092c037a6f4.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Finally got the power supply for the motorized shades installed! I mapped out most of the wires, at least enough to know which ones need to be powered. I didn't bother getting out the ladder to trace the 6 that are super high up tho."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "46841611",
    "_source": "16"
}

Aaron Parecki aaronparecki.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-12-19T15:07:38-08:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2025/12/19/9/",
    "category": [
        "365"
    ],
    "photo": [
        "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/6d9468650ab1827569030e7bc92f756af56bc06f4b341348e0b2e4d249b14a85.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Spent the day frantically trying to wrap up a bunch of work projects before people turn in to pumpkins over the next two weeks. Here's a photo of the bunny that lives in the yard."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "46841612",
    "_source": "16"
}