March 2026

I’m finding it hard to keep the lid on the sadness bucket. In conversations, stuff just pops out when it shouldn’t and I catch myself starting to go off about some injustice and… I hate it.

It’s hard to be in the world right now. It’s hard to witness suffering and malice and the cruelty of the powerful, and feel powerless to do anything and not just think, “yeah, the ascetics were on to something.”

But then someone, on a work call no less, says it’s OK, and they have a sadness bucket too and some of the stuff in mine is in theirs and it’s not really either of ours to carry because we didn’t cause it. All we can do is be there, and that’s enough.

Sometimes all it takes is remembering that we aren’t witnessing the madness alone, that other people see it and get it and hate it, to make it a little easier to witness, and maybe the ascetics were selfish assholes for hiding away from it all (or they weren’t and I don’t know what I’m talking about which is very possible) and I should go live in the woods because sometimes people are better than alright.

You make a good point, Atlassian, maybe I won't unsubscribe. (I love dark mode email screw ups a lot)

🎶
Hey, I just met you
And you're a big whale
But here's the Pequod
So call me Ishmael

I think I need to spend less time online and more time in person with people. Good thing I have my first library time this weekend, and then a bunch of stuff next week.

Hugging necks and cracking jokes, that’s what I need. Yeah.

You know what's great? @kleptones's A Night at the Hip Hopera. It was the first full mashup album I'd heard and it blew my little mind. It's SO good, it doesn't feel like mashups. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/ojWWNpFY8QQ?si=KjplhA4SxlbpsmDe

I can't believe I've never heard this before. My favorite Prodigy song AND Public Enemy? Auditory caffeine: https://youtu.be/2Y7tJOH_dh0?si=DdIAJ60_1VByer27

Oh hey, it's the International Day of Awesomeness! This is year 18, and I can't believe it's still a thing (mostly thanks to it making it on to a bunch of those calendars of "hey, what happens on this day?" days). It started, like a lot of things, as a conversation in a meeting that turned into a conversation on twitter that turned into a website that turned into me dying my hair at SxSW Interactive 2008, and then me being interviewed about it for media around the world. Well, I hope it keeps going, and I hope you perform a feat of awesomeness today that makes you feel great. https://dayofawesomeness.com/ #idoa

Story of loveliness for you all because you've been so well behaved recently.

I dated an Italian guy for about 3 months six years ago, and my mum decided it was time to start learning Italian.

The relationship didn't last but my mum never stopped learning Italian by herself in retirement. She's never had a teacher or been to a class; she's taught herself from apps and lots of books I've thrown at her.

She speaks Italian with the strongest English accent you've ever heard. There's no doubt to anyone that she is not a native speaker.

So last week she went to Turin for a couple of days, and she came back *buzzing*. She's been to Italy before and spoken Italian but this time was different.

She was having conversations in Italian with everyone about everything. Basic conversations but she was doing it and loving it.

In one restaurant the waiter couldn't possibly believe that she was an English person speaking this language. English?! English people only speak English! What the actual?! He was so overjoyed at her efforts that he kept bringing her all sorts of free food and limoncello until she asked him to stop.

When I spoke to her a couple of days ago she said it's so weird that you sit at home and learn this language but it doesn't mean anything. It's all nonsense. But then you go to a different country and say the nonsense words and people actually understand you!

I've always loved learning languages and this just warmed my cold, dead heart a wee bit.
#LanguageLearning #Italian #languages

This just in: cashews are tasty. Sorry if this is shocking in this already tumultuous time, but seriously, unless you're allergic to them, put some of them in your face - they're great!

It’s time for the Let’s Cry With Keith finale. You might know the show as The Great Pottery Throwdown, but that’s just a side effect.

would you still spend time with computers if you didn't have to?

please share for a more well-rounded response.

I apologize to your eyes for my Sunday morning redesign... I explain the madness here: https://lawver.net/2026/03/a-very-comic-book-redesign/

Also, this is what happens when I wake up early and everyone else sleeps WAY in.

My coffee must be extra coffeeing today because... a blog redesign is happening and it's 70's comic book themed and it's a LOT. I apologize ahead of time (I think I'm ALMOST done).

A reminder on International Women's Day that trans women are women, and that true feminism is intersectional.

#internationalwomensday #transwomenarewomen #intersectionalfeminism

I win! It’s good!

I’m making dinner tonight and my wife said this morning, “you’re either at an 11 with dinner or you just throw a bunch of stuff in the Instant Pot and pray.”

I’m trying for a 5.5 tonight but couldn’t pick a cuisine so we’re having curry roasted cauliflower, lime and garlic Cuban pork chops, and dark soy sautéed mushrooms.

Pray for me.

Except for a short foray into Eurovision songs, I’ve been listening to Widowspeak all day. So good. They have a sound and it works.

The best chance the UK has in Eurovision since Sam Ryder? Will the UK win? No. The UK will never win Eurovision. Ever. But this song is the best entry they've had since Sam Ryder in 2022 (which I just listened to and it holds up): https://youtu.be/niMKvJ-Itq8

How do I know when I need to trim my eyebrows or nose hair? When I show up to a video call early and have to look at myself. My webcam's resolution is TOO DAMN HIGH.

You know what? Giving good prompt PR reviews is super valuable. If someone on your team is good at them, shout 'em out. If you really want to help your team get good at shipping, get good at keeping on top of PR reviews.

All arguments about LLMs and AI, especially here, are tedious at this point, on all sides. Great points all around, bravo to y'all, but the sarcasm and dripping contempt are counter-productive and everyone's so entrenched - who are you trying to convince?

Dear Slack, the last thing I need from you is more red dots for the same gawddam thing in more places. I don't need more notifications from you. I need less. Stop.

My son and I just watched The Best Man Show on Dropout and it’s such a brilliant idea for a show, executed so well. It’s great. We laughed so damn hard. Thanks for bringing it to us, @samreich!

Wet Leg would be annoying if they weren't so damn good. But nope, they're catchy as hell: https://youtu.be/AzUHNjKMeV4?si=giu_WxbCrPN7_4B8

I kind of miss traveling for work. Not all of it, but some of it.

Does anyone know how to get Pete Hegseth to invite us to the Signal group? I think this might work.

Quick, someone tell Trump that this is where his crypto bribes live. He definitely cares more about those than people; maybe he’ll stop bombing things. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/amazons-cloud-unit-reports-fire-after-objects-hit-uae-data-center-2026-03-01/