The paramedic thinks I’m clever ’cause I play guitar– I think she’s clever ’cause she stops people dying One of my favorite songs. That’s Avant Gardener by Courtney Barnett, which is on my mixtape 2021 faux pho foe. I first heard on Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (1976). Anaphylactictin’ and super hypochondriac– Should’ve stayed in...

My aunties have told time and again of what my grandfather said in the 70s, visiting Hawaii, pointing at 1 name among the 2,403 at the Pearl Harbor memorial. “That guy still owes me money.” They say they told him to shush. My grandmother was aghast. They relate the story with deep affection. He also...

On December 13th and 14th of 2025 the third San Diego IndieWeb Camp will occur! The information is on the events.indieweb.org website. The last two: 2023 and 2024 have been great fun. It’s a two-day affair: Day 1 is about brainstorming and Day 2 is more about creation. The nature of what gets made depends...

I was out in the water yesterday while they were putting up and decorating the Christmas tree in funky Ocean Beach and as usual it leans a bit; in the background, waves crash into the (retired, long story) pier. Thanks Ocean Beach Community Foundation for arboreal joy! it leans a bit decorating with a cherry...

To be honest, I’m really enjoying the waves in the past week. I said the other day: Many sessions result in rides that are better than any wave I’ve ever ridden. I’m not using the word “best.” I had a person ask me if I meant “best” with that awkward phrase. I don’t. “Best” has...

Things quite hard right now. The sea remains a balm. Good things are afoot. And afield? Onward.

I participated in an event this weekend about writing. It was a great conversation with a terrific set of people. The notes taken during the event are available on the IndieWeb wiki. It had me thinking about posts where maybe I describe a distance in miles and feel compelled to share it also in kilometers....

View as a reel. or on Instagram or TikTok

I swear, this site is alive. If you are reading this site using RSS you don’t get every update. If you follow me on BlueSky or Mastodon, you get some. Pages which have been updated lately: Slashes — I updated the list of standard slash pages I have Colophon — I had a colophon in...

I’ve been reading Doc Searls blogging for decades. He’s a straight shooter and a thoughtful writer. Was. Is. Will be. For however long. Leavings: So I’ll be devoting more of my bloggings to surfacing valuable lessons and stories left in my care by those now gone, and to making clearer what I’m bringing to generations...

From a few weeks ago, after the death of VP Dick Cheney. Dick Cheney Departs The World He Made At its heart, American conservatism is a fantasy. It’s a vision of a world too evil to be saved or cared about, and fearsome enough to justify any and every impulse toward cruelty and violence that...

Homebrew Website Club/Eastern at 6pm EST on Wednesday. We talk websites and such over Zoom, if you have questions about personal websites, webdev stuff and suchlike you’re welcome to join, folks tend to get something useful + chitchat. There are a fair number of regulars but I often learn new stuff and when I have...

Hi Joe Crawford, We’ll soon enable automatic dubbing on your channel. This means that YouTube will automatically generate translated audio tracks in different languages, making your content accessible to more viewers. No action is needed — we’ll enable this on your channel in the coming weeks. Once enabled, when you upload a new video, we’ll...

Alex said in their prompt for IndieWeb Blog Carnival: Let’s talk about cycles and fluctuations and give our world just a little more grace. Yes! I said the other day in some melancholy: I feel sad there will be rain as it may keep me out of the ocean as freshwater drains pollutants down to...

The month is half over. Go read Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud and post that fact to yr website and let me know and I’ll add it to the #IndieWeb Book Club page. It’s in libraries! It’s online! Go! Read! Post!

At the end of the 20th century a kid who demanded to watch Disney’s The Little Mermaid could watch it. On VHS cassettes and later on DVD, eventually in the back of a car or on a tablet. Kids watched, and re-watched those films. And they still do. I have watched the sitcom 30 Rock...

angry skies, glassy conditions the view from the water and this is me I went to Ocean Beach Today. A storm, and rain, coming to San Diego. I am more adept at riding a breaking wave with my body than ever. The waves were good today. And I had fun. I feel sad there will...

Subject: Image Complaint Notification Date: October 28th, 2025 Good day Joe Crawford, Please be advised that a report has been submitted to us concerning a DMCA takedown notice pertaining to one of the images posted on your Flickr account. This notice claims that the image displays the unlicensed use of a registered trademark , which...

A response, at the last minute, to IndieWeb Carnival: On Ego The first time I really remember my ego screwing me was when in high school. My response to Colors in August 2025 included that story. A teenager who was told for years he was good at drawing was confronted by a criticism. That teen–me–shut...

Zachary Kai restarted the IndieWeb Book Club in October 2025. The book in question was The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. I am in strong alignment with the ideas in this book. Creativity is the birthright of absolutely every human being. It is not the exclusive tool of Beyoncé and grade-schoolers and Itzhak Perlman. I...

A surfer said to me on Friday: “Finally!” I asked… “Finally?” “Winter’s Here” he said. Big waves, closeouts. Fun.

It was big. Surfers could not get out. Waves too big and crashy. Windy. Not appealing to surfers because there’s no wave lip to ride, the waves just crash over into whitewater. I saw another bodysurfer out. I love being out in big chaotic surf. Keeps me on my toes.