What I’m Working On Now

I’m experimenting with having a “now” page.

Many thanks to David Sparks for the prompt to do this. Near the end of Mac Power Users episode #785, he and Stephen Hackett described the concept of a “now” page. It’s a decade-old concept, but new to me. They describe it as how you would answer the “what are you up to these days?” question to a friend you haven’t seen in months or years.

So here we are: This is the first edition of my “now” page.

This is what’s on my mind in recent weeks. I’d love to hear what you think.

On Off Social Media

I still have accounts on several of the social media properties (see links at the bottom of this page), but – across the board – they’re not as fun as they used to be. I’m spending less and less time there these days.

Consider this part of a general trend for me to find ways to interact a bit more directly. If you’re nearby, consider this an invitation to say hi and set up an in-person get-together.

Work Projects

• I’m leading the Creator Assertions Working Group (CAWG) through a transition to a joint collaboration project with Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) and Trust Over IP Foundation (ToIP).
• I’m building an open-source SDK for the CAWG identity assertion to help content creators bind their online identities to the content that they create.

Personal / Art

• I’m experimenting with encaustic art in combination with my photography. Nothing I’m ready to share yet, but I expect this to be a fun new part of my artistic life.
• We recently installed a library wall in our house and are loving it.
• I’m almost finished with retrofitting my web sites to use a CDN for still images. If all goes well, you shouldn’t see anything different, but my sites will keep working after Netlify eventually closes their Large Media service.

Reality Check

As part of the web-site retrofit I just mentioned, I’ve spent a lot of time working with photos that I made roughly 15 years ago. And I’ve made a sad realization:

I’m struck by the number of people in those photos who are no longer with us.

Take the photos; record the videos. Make sure you know where they are and you keep them with you as technology evolves. Otherwise, how will you remember the people who are important to you?

And make sure those people know they are important to you, while they’re still with you. It will mean a lot to them.

I fear this age – when we’ve so deeply embraced digital memory-keeping in favor of written journals and printed photographs – will be one of the most inscrutible eras in human history.

Who will know how to read our phones, SD cards, and hard drives in 100 years? Even 10 or 20 years?

Travels

• I’ll be heading to Utah in mid-March for a personal development retreat and a couple of days of road-tripping.
• I’ll be heading to the Bay Area of California for Internet Identity Workshop’s 40th edition in early April. I’ll do a few days of personal travel somewhere on the California coast ahead of the conference.
• I recently visited the “Little America” exclave of Point Roberts, Washington, and will be sharing photos on my travel site when I get a moment to work through them.

What I’m Listening To

• The song Lighthouse by Tara Nome Doyle. Some lyrics that hit close to home:
  • You learned to cut yourself up into bite-sized portions.
  • You put yourself on a leash, follow and repeat, a distant memory of who you used to be.
  • ‘Cause those who matter won’t mind and those who mind don’t matter. (Hello!)
• Podcast episode Out of the Rabbit Hole from Hidden Brain. This episode has influenced my thinking about how we talk to each other across the deep political divides that exist in our country.

Quote I’m Pondering

It is easy to judge. It is more difficult to understand. Understanding requires compassion, patience, and a willingness to believe good hearts sometimes choose poor methods. Through judging we separate. Through understanding, we grow.

I’ve seen this attributed to a few different people. Regardless of who said it or why … the mindset feels relevant in these times.

Hat tip to: Buddhism in English podcast episode “How to judge someone’s character.”

For Sale

I have a PowerMac 6100/66 that was influential in my early days as a developer. It hasn’t been powered on in ages, so it’s probably more useful as a museum piece by now than anything else. If you are interested, let me know in comments or reach out to me privately. Happy to see it go to any home where it will be appreciated.

Now Page Inspirations

• David Sparks
• Stephen Hackett
• Derek Sivers