This blog began in December 2003 as I was moving from San Diego, California to Monterrey, Mexico. It originally used the b2/cafelog blogging software, which later became WordPress. Today this blog is hosted on Dreamhost, runs on WordPress, and uses an altered version of the Divi theme.
I have long been drawn to the concept of “the artisan Internet” and “digital craftsmanship,” a desire to do something well, for its own sake. Craftsmanship takes time, and the craftsman must acquire fluency with his tools. What follows is a list of tools that I use regularly to maintain this site.
Publishing & Design
- MarsEdit — My text editor for all my blog posts, which I still write in hand-coded HTML. Originally developed by Brent Simmons of NetNewsWire fame, it is now in the able hands of Daniel Jalkut. This is software without bells and whistles, but it gets the job done.
- HazeOver — A writer’s greatest enemy is distraction. HazeOver is one of two apps I use to block out distractions while I write. It simply allows you to choose a single application, and it blacks out the rest of your screen.
- MenuEclipse2 — Like HazeOver, this simple app darkens your menubar to ensure you’re not distracted.
- Day One —Some of my blog posts begin as journal entries. I make an effort to write every day in Day One, even if just a few sentences.