For most of my adult life, friends have told me to relax, so I’m loosening up this newsletter for starters. It no longer appears (*cough*) weekly; it no longer follows its rigid triptych routine (random observations, freshly published stuff, Sunday Funnies); and it no longer puts on the label “newsletter” as it’s really been a kind of diary all along during its five years of existence.
So, yeah, the new year! For that, I’d had a bundle of grandiose ideas for my various presences online, but all that came of it were mild redecorations. There are some content adjustments to my author site Ludotronics and my project site Voidpunk you’d barely notice, but at least my blog between drafts underwent some notable change. I completely overhauled its category system, thoroughly checked for broken links, and made its general appearance more chill* by creating a beachy ambience with sand, sky, water, and coral colors that invites you to relax. (You might start to see a pattern here.) Also, I integrated—for the fourth time now and of course again with proper redirects—all previous posts from my Secret Level just drafts, so I can use the latter once more to try out something new. As for ocular drafts, my Flickr account, there are only a few more casual shots and two smallish new albums with photos from Chemnitz, Germany, where I attended a conference at the end of last year. One of my New Year’s resolutions (most of which are, as usual, merely variations on the traditional “come on, keep going!” theme) is to finally dive into all the analog stuff that’s been piling up around here, from various passed-down cameras (Nikon FA, Rollei 35 SE, 101 film Toptron toy camera, APS film Konica Revio II) to expired film rolls to prints, negatives, and diapositives I should scan, all archaic remnants from a bygone millennium.
Finally, the world in 2026. I don’t feel there’s anything original I could add right now to what’s already being said and written by many smart people who are often directly affected, be it by ongoing wars, geopolitical shifts, technological gambles, or terrorized neighborhoods. Which might change, of course, as soon as I think I’ve got something interesting to say. That 2026 becomes a “quiet” aka inconspicuous year where things soften down so they can be worked out is more than unlikely, but headlines can dream.
See you around,
J.
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* Should you notice green-white stripes peeking through the decor, especially on mobile, that’s your browser desperately clinging to cached CSS styles from the retired background.
So, yeah, the new year! For that, I’d had a bundle of grandiose ideas for my various presences online, but all that came of it were mild redecorations. There are some content adjustments to my author site Ludotronics and my project site Voidpunk you’d barely notice, but at least my blog between drafts underwent some notable change. I completely overhauled its category system, thoroughly checked for broken links, and made its general appearance more chill* by creating a beachy ambience with sand, sky, water, and coral colors that invites you to relax. (You might start to see a pattern here.) Also, I integrated—for the fourth time now and of course again with proper redirects—all previous posts from my Secret Level just drafts, so I can use the latter once more to try out something new. As for ocular drafts, my Flickr account, there are only a few more casual shots and two smallish new albums with photos from Chemnitz, Germany, where I attended a conference at the end of last year. One of my New Year’s resolutions (most of which are, as usual, merely variations on the traditional “come on, keep going!” theme) is to finally dive into all the analog stuff that’s been piling up around here, from various passed-down cameras (Nikon FA, Rollei 35 SE, 101 film Toptron toy camera, APS film Konica Revio II) to expired film rolls to prints, negatives, and diapositives I should scan, all archaic remnants from a bygone millennium.
Finally, the world in 2026. I don’t feel there’s anything original I could add right now to what’s already being said and written by many smart people who are often directly affected, be it by ongoing wars, geopolitical shifts, technological gambles, or terrorized neighborhoods. Which might change, of course, as soon as I think I’ve got something interesting to say. That 2026 becomes a “quiet” aka inconspicuous year where things soften down so they can be worked out is more than unlikely, but headlines can dream.
See you around,
J.
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* Should you notice green-white stripes peeking through the decor, especially on mobile, that’s your browser desperately clinging to cached CSS styles from the retired background.