Why a website in this day and age?

Alright, so you've seen my site, maybe read a page or two, but you might be wondering, Why does this person even bother with a website? What's in it for him?

And it's true. I maintain my website for entirely self-interested reasons! I'm laying out what I know about obscure and niche topics that interest me, and hope that I maybe kindle some amount of appreciation for these topics in others. Or even better, draw the attention of people who share similar interests! They might introduce me to new perspectives, recommend cool stuff I could potentially be into, or help fill in any gaps in my knowledge! And of course, my links page is really just a way to keep my bookmarks organized. Maybe that's another thing my website does for me: it gives me a place to dump stuff from my brain in an orderly fashion so I can fill it with other stuff. When I'm prowling for Disney-themed Boch porcelain, for example, I use my own website as a reference guide!

Along the way, I get to dabble with CSS and HTML in ways I don't typically get to in more professional environments. A lovely handcrafted site is a nice change of pace from all the bootstrapped templates there! Like my site's recent redesign, which uses modern day CSS to emulate old-fashioned design. Or my focus on accessibility, something that often gets overlooked in non-consumer-facing corporate settings.

And then I joined some communities of personal web hobbyists, like the 32-Bit Café, where we all sneakily form a warm and welcoming environment for novices. That's how we get them, you know? Hook, line, and sinker. They'll start publishing their own websites about whatever interests them, and we get to enjoy reading what they write. 😈

That's my evil conspiracy. To make the internet fun and interesting (again)! And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!

Okay, I hear some of you asking, but why not a YouTube channel? Videos are finished products. If I make a mistake or want to add more info later on, I can't really do that easily. Plus, the whole process of filming, editing, and finding the least terrible take to use sounds quite daunting to me. I prefer the flexibility and control that a website gives me.

And a Substack or Medium blog? Or posts on Reddit?, you may ask. Those are all time-based. I want the information I present here to be timeless, and subject to change as my understanding deepens. And honestly? I'd be pretty limited in my ability to actually express myself in such locked-down systems.

So, that's the scoop on why I'm here — to make the internet a fun and interesting place for me, and for everyone. If you haven't already, please consider joining me in this journey!