2023

2022: my year in review

I took a look back at 2022 and, to my surprise, I got more accomplished than I thought I did.

2022

The joys of home-cooked apps

Home-cooked apps are the kind you make for yourself that solve your own problems. Building and using them is a rewarding experience.

Thinking in rich text

I recently started using a what-you-see-is-what-you-get app for notetaking after using plain text for over a decade. I’m pleasantly surprised by how much more effective my notes have become.

2021

2020

Finishing side projects

Side projects are one of the most fun things about web development. Here I discuss various tips and tricks for getting side projects over the finish line.

2019: My Year in Review

New job, new experiences, and new stuff made. These were the highlights of my year.

2019

Unpopular opinion: switching to WordPress in 2019

After a years long stint as a static site, blakewatson.com returns to being a WordPress site. While I still like static sites, I have a renewed appreciation of WordPress (and a renewed design for this site).

2018

Writing and coding by voice with Talon

Talon is a programmable voice recognition system that helps me code by voice—something that isn’t feasible with macOS’ built-in dictation.

2017

Why I left Facebook

After being an early adopter of Facebook and using it for over a decade, I decided to delete my account. Here’s why.

An ode to web pages

I reminisce about a time when I created websites without all the complexities of modern frameworks, libraries, and tooling.

2016

2016: My year in review

I take a look back at the work I’ve done in 2016, from Mad Genius work to my first app on the Mac App Store.

A decade of Mac

I’ve been using a Mac since 2006. Now I’m taking a look back at what I love about the Mac, then and now.

How to lessen your exposure to Google

I’ll occasionally mention in passing the various alternatives to Google that I use for web browsing, search, and email, but I haven’t talked about it in much detail.

2015

New personal mark

My personal mark improved as I became a better designer and turned my energy toward freelancing. Still, it never felt completely right.

How to get smart quotes in wok

Smart quotes (i.e., “curly quotes”) are a must-have for me. Here’s how to use the Typogrify package to get them automatically in wok, the static-site generator.

Making this site: Going static

Pivoting my site from a freelancer’s pitch to a developer’s journal, I really wanted to get back to basics.

Hard refresh

I still have most of the source code for every design iteration of this site from its beginnings in 2005 to the 2013 design, which stayed in place through the summer of 2015. I managed to put together a graphic that shows the homepage of each iteration.