How do you restart blogging? By writing a post.
One format which seemed approachable and I enjoy reading is that of a collection of links (e.g. Ian Betteridge's Ten Blue Links, but there are 100s of others out there). My own spin on this is just to share some stuff I like and which you might like too. Some are very topical and some are older than me. I hope you enjoy them!
A post
Last year I left Meta after almost 7 years at the company and this week a former colleague shared an article someone wrote about why they left. There are many differences between Britta's experiences and mine: we came to the company from different backgrounds, worked in different parts of the company, in different countries, and at different stages in our career.
However, the fact then that this post resonated so strongly with me, and the former colleague who shared it, shows how well it captures the vibe shift that happened across all of Meta and, to an extent, big tech more broadly. I appreciate the frankness of the post as well as the open acknowledgement of why that is possible.
"This marks my retirement from Meta — and from tech in general [...] This by the way is the reason I can speak more candidly now, because I no longer depend on my reputation in the industry."
Britta
A blog
Talking about the vibe shift in tech brings me to Anil Dash who has been putting out some great posts like "How the hell are you supposed to have a career in tech in 2026?" and "How to know if that job will crush your soul". He also makes a fitting recommendation for the first post on my new blog given how long his blog has been going (since 1999) and how long he's been an influence on me (a long time but not quite that long).
Anil Dash
A place
I read quite a lot of blogs and it's not uncommon for them to recommend articles or writers, but it's less common for them to recommend places. I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that much of the internet feels quite placeless. It's a good thing that you could be reading this from anywhere in the world, but it also means you might not care about the coffee shop down the road. All that being said, I am someone who loves exploring and loves the way different places can transport how you feel inside. Hopefully hearing about these places can still be interesting whether you're just down the road or on the other side of the planet.
I grew up in London and have spent the bulk of my adult life living in London so... many places I like are in London. When I thought about what London means to me, the Science Museum was something that naturally came to mind. The joy of growing up with a free museum like the Science Museum as a curious child is something I am always grateful for.
As an adult I may visit less but I still love the Lates series and they've recently redone their Space Gallery which is brilliant and includes both the Apollo 10 Command Module (featuring real scorch marks from re-entry) and the more modern Soyuz descent module TMA-19M and parachute (used by British astronaut Tim Peake).
A comic
One of the things I love about the internet is the range of creativity you can find and, since I was a teenager, a key part of that for me is webcomics. I'm kicking things off though by sharing "webcomic name" from Alex Norris which started in 2016. The comic has somehow managed to stay fresh and funny while only having one punch line, repeated with every comic.
A book
Shon Faye is a great writer. "Love in Exile" is easy to read, insightful, and relatable. The book explores topics like love, relationships, addiction, and religion in a way that could easily fall into cliché, without doing so. As someone who also grew up Christian, in the closet, went to Oxbridge, and is in their 30s, it very much had my number. Having read and loved her first book, "The Transgender Issue", this book was on my to-read list from the moment it was announced.
Shon Faye
As mentioned above, this is my first post on the blog. Please drop a comment below: I'm always looking for feedback or you can share things you like which I might like too.
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