Expressively publishing on the open web since 1996.
Entranced by Portland, Oregon since 2017.
It's become a tradition for me to spend time over the holidays on a trip up the Columbia River Gorge. No matter what the weather conditions may be (and I sure got lucky this time!), there's a stillness and a calm I feel whenever I'm here which is truly rejuvenating.
The #openweb has conquered all some.
But here’s the thing which nobody (*) does directly on the web: video. Video was eaten by YouTube.
YouTube has conquered all. Yes for short form, also TikTok and Instagram. For streaming, also Twitch. But I’m primarily highlighting longer, typically pre-recorded, 16:9 videos. That market is owned by YouTube, no question about it.
And that’s extremely odd when you think about it. What other online medium is so completely dominated by a single platform? It’s so all-encompassing that people will literally describe their profession by the platform’s name: I am a YouTuber. Nobody says “I’m a Facebooker” or “I’m a Twitcher” or “I’m a Spotifier”. But they will gladly promote the fact they are a YouTuber. And even though people’s “blog posts” are indeed part of the open web proper, people’s #vlog episodes are virtually always found at a single destination. Gee that sucks!
I have come to the conclusion that YouTube poses an existential threat to the open web and to our broader society far and away more than any other corporate silo. And it’s not just me—creators on YouTube themselves are increasingly upset with the #enshittification of the platform and the awful moderation policies which seem to punish “wokeness” while rewarding truly bad actors who spew misinformation and hatred.
Does anyone sincerely believe YouTube is getting…better? Or has it been steadily decaying for years? (Yes.) Speaking for myself personally, I find having to engage with YouTube in any way borderline oppressive. I already use it at little as possible directly, and prefer to subscribe to channels through Feedbin. But trying to use a third-party frontend like Invidious is nearly impossible now, and even embedded video playback through Feedbin has gotten spotty. And even having switched off YouTube history entirely so I don’t get that horrible algorithmic front page, I’m still forced to look at a “related videos” sidebar which almost always has one or two videos which are clearly alt-right ragebait or general nonsense peddled by “influencers”. It makes me sick, and I mean that quite literally.
We need to do something about this. And by we, I’m starting with me. I’m going to do something about it. I don’t have anything to announce at this time, but I can tell you honestly: when I contemplate the future of the open web, there’s nothing that’s lighting a fire under me more than how to solve the video problem and wean ourselves off of complete dominance by YouTube. We can’t ignore this any longer. If you’re a fan of RSS, if you’re a fan of ActivityPub, if you’re a fan of blogging and of podcasting, you absolutely can’t ignore the elephant in the room.
Video killed the open web star? Not if I can help it!
* We’re starting to see—and I’ve talked about this before—the rise of creator-friendly indie video subscription platforms. My favorite one is Nebula, and I watch a lot of shows on there. But it’s still a drop in the bucket. We need 10000% more of that.
You can rarely go wrong visiting the tallest mountain in Oregon and a true jewel of the Cascades: Mt. Hood. This time, I visited in August 2023, taking the ski lifts up the slope from Timberline Lodge and then hiking back down while enjoying the epic views. Then I dropped by Trillium Lake for the first time. Wow! This location was definitely worth the hype. Gotta go back…
For Father's Day, the kids "treated" me to a wonderful excursion to Lan Su Chinese Garden, a treasure of downtown Portland which exhibits one of the most authentic gardens outside of China itself. Enjoy the magnificent sights!
Experience the beautiful vistas of downtown Portland, the Willamette River Waterfront, and the Cultural District as we ride scooters around the city.
Wow, it really snowed in Portland this February. Like, a lot! Join me on a dreamy stroll through the Winter Wonderland at Portland's South Waterfront.
For my daughter's birthday, we had a blast eating pancakes at Cheryl's downtown, shopping at Pioneer Place, visiting Keller Fountain Park, and exploring the stunning Japanese Garden at Washington Park. What a fun day in Portland, Oregon!
You know that giant lake near Seattle? No, I'm not talking about Lake Washington. I'm talking about Lake Sammamish! Yeah, that other one further to the right on the map. Turns out it's pretty awesome!
I thought I was taking an Amtrak train from Portland to Seattle, like I had done before. I was wrong…the train was delayed and they threw me on a bus instead! Not cool…BUT it did still get me to Seattle in a reasonable timeframe. From there I headed off to work at WeWork, visit the Seattle Waterfront, and meet up with my bro. Next day Shayne and I got to see some stunning views of Snoqualmie Falls, as well as visit a beautiful country lake in the town of Kent, WA.
I had a FANTASTIC time boating out on the river…my first time even after having lived here for several years! Also don't miss the gorgeous sunset views the kids and I got to see overlooking Portland's South Waterfront. Breathtaking!
Portland boasts many fine bridges which span the Willamette River, and Tilikum Crossing is no exception. Named after the local Chinook word for people, and opened to the public in 2015, Tilikum Crossing was the first new bridge built in the region since 1973’s Fremont Bridge, and it’s notable for being the first major American bridge to be designed for public transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians—but not automobiles.
Welcome back to my YouTube channel! Kickstarting the next vlog series…a casual record of my life in Portland, Oregon on a regular basis and finding a path forward after a very difficult last two years. In the back half of the episode, I explore the Molalla River Recreation Area!
Howdy! Welcome to part TWO of a two-part vlog of our summer vacay up in Seattle. Many grand vistas and lots of fun exploration to be had!
The official debut of my kids on Essential Life! 🥳👏 (also apologies for some of the shaky footage here and there…they were also my cinematography assistants! 😉) This is part ONE of a two-part vlog of our summer vacay up in Seattle. We were tickled pink with our GORGEOUS hotel room and got to see many incredible sights along the way. Enjoy!
I'm back baby! 😎 First new vlog in a whole year! And with a new camera in tow shooting 4K…life just doesn't get any better than that. 😉 Stay tuned for a brand new episode every week! 🙌