About 10 years ago I sat down with a buddy of mine lamenting the loss of Google Reader; he assured me that the Googles had a plan and that I “shouldn’t need feeds anymore”; get this: They know what kind of news you want and they give it to you. Sound wildly optimistic to you too? I had a nagging feeling that day walking away, knowing that something I used, as essential as a drill or a knife in your home was being ripped away from me simply because Google thought they knew what I wanted better than I did. I’ve held a candle for that software (as have many others) for 10 long years (I did use feedspot for a while to fill the gap). But the funniest thing happened. Since March I’ve been on a series of sidequests (many of which I have yet to detail, but I’m working on it) including setting my new mac mini as a home server, jellyfin, a gym app, a lightweight app I vibecoded for a local business. I’ve built a home automation platform and tied in dozens of sensors and cameras and appliances so I can see from ANYWHERE when my socks are done in the washer (ok, that wasn’t the reason). ...
Noah Kahan - Live and in Concert
7/1/2026 - Great American Ball Park - What an unbelievable show; if you’re interested in the exact playlist as we saw it, you can listen to my version of it here. Noah was a phenomenal act; while we had been trying for a full week to obtain tickets, we just had no luck getting them on Ticketmaster, so day of Julie and I walked up to will call to see if they had anything, fully expecting it was a no. 5 minutes later we were walking out ON TO THE FIELD just feet from the extended stage. Noah played with such energy and what can I say, he really made a fan out of me (been listening like nonstop since). If you like Mumford and OG Black Keys (that kind of raw sound) you would dig him. The more I listened, the more his music grew on me. Rating = VG
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut I don’t have words for how much I hated this book; it made absolutely no sense to me at any point during the drudgery that was the multi-day torture session of plodding through this “book” that in my opinion would have been better left unopened. I can only surmise after all that, that I am NOT the intended audience and therefore it does not resonate with me. I’m sure for someone this was enjoyable, but I just can’t imagine for the life of me, WHO that person would be. ...
All Systems Red - Martha Wells
Every once in a while one of those books hits your perifery in a way that you know there’s something about it that’s pulling you towards it; like gravity and orbit are intertwined. This book was like that for me; did I like it? Yes, if I were to offer a rating, we’re probably in the 6.5-7/10 range. More enjoyable than a stick in the eye. I like the sarcasm, I like the…well…realism if we can call it that. ...
Give something new a go
This is a completely new type of sidequest for me. I’ve started several blogs in my time on this earth, but this one has a grander vision than the others. Previously I’ve talked about the local food scene or cutting the cord, this blog truly has no limits in its imagination. We’ll discuss tech, its impact on Higher Education, we’ll discuss self teaching and pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. Come with me on my sidequests. They should be fun! ...
Why Sidequest?
Every project begins with a question: I wonder if it would be possible to… This is a collection of those Sidequests: small projects, experiments, and ideas—each one complete in itself, but together becoming something larger.