My first article is up, featuring a song: Commas
Dark backgrounds at first blush seem to be a healthy option for your eyes. They emit less light and there must be at least some theoretical basis that stimulating your optic nerves before bed will keep your brain from performing important functions to prepare your body for sleep.
But this practice and its discourse have distracted us from other possibilities: of why the reason we started this debate in the first place is responsibile for not only our failing eyesight, but also for our general failing health. We seek darker screens so we may use them at night, which is - I'd like to believe - a far more obvious reason for our lack of good sleep.
As the meme goes: ask me how I know. Still, I think it is important for my own well-being that I do not provide a dark version of the website; I need to get to bed at some point. I do think that part of treating yourself well must include not leaving the door to bad behavior open. Substance abuse groups agree with me here.
Anyway that's why I hate black screens.
I've added some color and some design to the site. One of the principal problems with the internet today is overengineering, but a bit of modest design can go a long way. For instance: it's painful to look at the default stark black text on white background. And who can argue against warm temperatures? They make a room cozy; they can make a website cozy. And so warm it is.
The next thing I did was program a small JavaScript-based template. It's good to have a bit of consistency between pages. You can check it out in ./template.js. It's nothing fancy. I've commented out a few links that will eventually get added in as I build out content.
Speaking of content, I think I'll eventually produce something. I'm just having fun designing the site itself that I haven't prioritized any raison d'etre for the site.
I want to try to be a little selective about the material that shows up on this site; it's so easy to post bilge. I'm doing it now! But I have plenty of material; I have my job. But I don't want to make a mathematics website. In fact I don't know if I want to post anything about math on here. Something about putting content from my day job on my personal website seems frankly... je ne sais quoi. Maybe if the math is particularly cool.
No matter; since there are literally no stakes here (or anywhere?) I feel okay taking my time getting the content worked out.
There is something really marvellous about the revival of static HTML websites. I can't help but feel a bit giddy, knowing that what's to come is going to be... well, it will be real.
I don't suppose this will be some great takeoff like social media, although it would be nice if I turn out to be wrong. The power of expression on an HTML website is virtually limitless; we knew this in the 90s, and I would love to see it make a comeback.
So what is this website going to be, anyway? I hesitate to call it a blog, but I would like to write down my thoughts here. "A nonwriting writer is a monster courting insanity," after all. And I've courted enough insanity that I should probably seek to do something about that. So I guess it's a blog. Or a journal.
In many ways I'm better equipped to make a website than I was in '99. Since then I went through my entire childhood, got a degree in computer science and had a successful career as a web engineer. Moreover, I don't make websites anymore, so I have something to talk about beyond the nuances of the newest JavaScript libraries. I may still talk about them, but don't count on it. Instead, I want to talk about things I enjoy: music, art, games. I may publish my poetry here -- I know I'll publish my poetry here.
There's plenty of work here that needs to be done, so expect more in the near future. It's not much of a promise, but maybe by underpromising I hope I can convince you that there will be something of merit here soon. If nothing else, I'd love if you could have a nice day by being here.
