My mastodon account
Gregory Hammond

Blog

Welcome to my eclectic corner of the internet! Here, you’ll find meticulously researched, various length, and expertly edited posts on a wide range of topics that pique my curiosity. From cutting-edge technology to whimsical wonders, I cover it all.

Admittedly, I’ve shifted away from discussing the specifics of my work—like WordPress, customer service, and web development—and now focus more on whatever piques my interest. However, from time to time, I still delve into those areas.

I aim for a mix of researched and personal opinon across my posts. Some posts will only have have personal thoughts, others will be pure research, and many will include both.

My posting schedule? Usually it's once a month, at most, twice. There's never a set day or time when posts come out.

While I aim for evergreen content, let’s be real: sometimes I’m more ‘seasonal special’ than ‘timeless classic’.

Plus, I’ve got an RSS feed for those who like their updates delivered straight to them to enjoy at their own time. Not everything I post here is shared on social media — so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any posts. I know that sounds a ton like a YouTuber, but here there’s no pressure or time crunch.

If you’re financially stable and enjoy what I’ve shared, consider treating me to a metaphorical beverage.

The following thoughts and experiences are purely my own and bear no resemblance to the opinions of my past, present, or future employers (or clients). But hey, if they want (or you) to hire me for my quirky musings, I’m available!

  1. If I had to keep only one digital subscription Description: The challenge, should you choose it, is to keep only one digital subscription. Which one would you pick and why?
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  2. Why I left Toastmasters Description: Gregory was an active Toastmasters member from 2017 to 2023, holding leadership positions. He left for a variety of reasons.
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  3. My thoughts on slow journalism Description: Journalism as we know it is changing. That change may involve moving to slow journalism, there are advantages and disadvantages to doing so.
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  4. Using JavaScript and Eleventy to display headlines from multiple RSS feeds Description: What if you want to show off the latest blog post from multiple websites that don't offer an API to do so? If you have Eleventy, then you can follow this guide for a starter.
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  5. Mastering Eleventy: Display All Blog Posts from a Category on a Single Page Description: Have the same topic on your 11ty website and want to view them all on one page? Here's how to do so with just one extra file, and no plugins needed.
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  6. Pictures Description: Pictures, photography, photos, whatever you call it, they all describe taking a snapshot in time to be able to see later. The premise of it hasn't changed in a long time, but with everything getting better and cheaper, the how we do it has changed.
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  7. Why I write long-term Description: When you choose to post online, you most likely post about the present. However, there's a group of people who do as if their posts are going to be read for years to come. That's long-term, and here's why I try to fit into that small group.
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  8. No by default Description: We are so used to saying yes. Yes to credit card offers. Yes to accepting cookies. It's time to take that back and say no.
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  9. Webmentions: Please send them, in addition to receiving Description: How do you let another website know you've linked to them? Webmentions is one way, but many websites are only implementing receiving and not sending.
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  10. Anti-social / sound of silence Description: You don’t always have to talk or post on social media. Yet, it seems like there’s always posts online. What should we do in response?
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  11. Why I try to avoid using companies that raised money Description: Companies that raise seed or investor money are ones that you may want to avoid if you value the company being around long-term. Here’s why.
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  12. Never to connect phone numbers: A project Description: In many countries, there are a set of numbers known as fictional numbers. Learn the history of them, why they exist, and what the numbers are for your country.
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  13. Why I Left the Christian Church Description: From attending church weekly, and volunteering. To questioning his faith, which results in leaving Christianity. This is the journey of becoming an atheist.
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  14. Why Website accessibility tests aren't perfect Description: Using an accessibility test on your website doesn’t cover everything, here’s why and what you should do in addition.
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  15. Who I Think Will Likely Acquire Netlify Description: There comes a time when every company that has raised money either sells or stays independent. I believe Netlify at some point will sell to another company, and here's why.
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  16. How a Twitter chat could work on Mastodon? Description: With many people getting off Twitter and go to other platforms, could the chats that originated on Twitter take place on other social media sites like Mastodon?
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  17. Why I believe the 24-hour news cycle still exists Description: TV news stations now runs 24/7, and there are many reasons for it. It does make the station more money, but it also gets someone to tune in longer.
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  18. The Ups and Downs of Using AI in My Content Creation Description: AI is becoming more popular, having used it a number of times, here’s my experience with using it, the good, bad, and what to consider.
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  19. Taking Back Some Of Your Privacy Description: For those that realize that want to take back some of their privacy, or make their life more private. Here’s are some ways to do that.
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  20. WordPress to Eleventy - The Why and How Description: Near the end of October 2024, I made the decision to move my site over to using Eleventy behind the scenes. Here's why I did it, and how I chose Eleventy over everything else.
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  21. Friends come & go Description: While some friends may last a lifetime, there are many that won’t. When they go, you will have to find new friends which can be hard.
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  22. Environmental ETFs aren't what they claim to be Description: Many ETFs are offered that claim to be environmentally friendly, socially responsible, or sustainable, but they hold stocks in companies that are anything but.
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  23. Diversity & diversify your book reading & social media Description: Let’s increase diversity on the books we read and who we follow on social media. Here’s how and why everyone should.
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  24. The “best”… Maybe you don't want it Description: Sometimes the best thing doesn’t fit your needs, and sometimes being the best isn’t the best thing. You don’t need to have or be the best.
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  25. Why I don't think I could be a digital nomad Description: Digital nomad’s look great in photos and online, however it’s not as great as everyone thinks. And there are many reasons why I couldn’t become one.
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  26. Let's go back to having events online Description: Starting in 2023, every event went back to in-person. It didn’t have to, and I think events should go back to online when there are so many positives doing so.
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  27. WeChat: what it offers, and could it exist outside of China? Description: WeChat is something that those outside of China most likely haven’t heard about. It only exists in China. Could a competitor be built for outside of China?
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  28. Your hero may not have been a good person Description: Almost everyone has a hero, you may admire them for many reasons, however have you considered that those close to them wouldn’t consider them a hero.
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  29. Why There Are Many Alternatives To Google Analytics Description: There are many reasons why you may want to switch to a Google Analytics alternative, and there is no harm searching now for an alternative.
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  30. Web Development Is Hard, The Why And Potential Solutions Description: Web development is hard. No starting, promoting courses, or certain tools here. Just the big picture ways of getting unstuck when working.
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  31. Making progress on your goals Description: This is to some degree a reminder to myself, as well, could also help you make progress on your goals.
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  32. Why I Want To Live In A 15-Minute City Description: Imagine being no more than 15 minutes away from anything you need, that’s the premise behind a 15-minute city. There are many positives to it.
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  33. Alternatives to Awesome Motive's products Description: With Awesome Motive owning so many WordPress tools, it can be hard to avoid using them. Here's multiple alternatives to each product, including some you may not realized are owned by Awesome Motive.
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  34. My app default's for November 2023 Description: What app do you use? With so many apps, it's hard to know what exists and is good. Here's what I use, along with links to what other people use.
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  35. How I would build a better ticketing website Description: When you buy tickets online you need to use a ticketing website, these websites haven’t gotten better over time. Yet, there are ways to make it better.
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  36. Potential danger of using your real name online? Description: Most people use their real name when having an online account. However, there many be some dangers you come across by using your real name.
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  37. My realistic, not training guide to walking 5 km Description: Want to walk, run, or exercise to 5 km (or beyond), this guide covers the non training aspect of it, realistically.
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  38. Using an emotional journal changed how I emotionally react Description: We all have a wide range of emotions, and sometimes these emotions come up unexpectedly. I've realized since writing an emotion journal, there has been less unexpected.
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  39. 14 years of this website Description: This website has existed for 14 years so I decided to take some time to remember what the site was and how it became what it is today.
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  40. Why I've changed website hosts (aka why I left Cloudways and why you may want to as well) Description: I was with Cloudways for over 4 years and now I’ve moved to a different hosting company. There are many reasons why.
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  41. Why Movies Should Be Made For The Home Description: Movies are played in the theatre for a short length of time, then it goes into the home. Why is it not as good? There are many ways that they can be improved.
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  42. 100th Day To Offload! Description: I completed the 100 days to offload challenge, it took me longer than a year but it encouraged me to just write content on my personal blog.
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  43. Should you leave an affiliate program Description: There are many affiliate programs you can join. There may be a time when you think you should leave one, and here’s some advice to consider before doing so.
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  44. My experience going viral on Mastodon Description: Going viral is a big deal for many people and they can’t keep up with everything. Here’s my experience going viral on Mastodon / the fediverse.
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  45. What Is Success? Description: Success is a very loose definition, and it can change often. Can your style of communication help you with that?
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  46. Personal Blogging was Never Dead, It Has Changed Description: Having a personal blog has changed so much through the years. Some people are calling it dead, it’s just different from what you are used to.
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  47. Why points doesn't equal to saved money Description: Looking to save money? Points won’t save you money, it gets you to buy what the company wants and doesn’t give you money for it.
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  48. Why I probably won't run a Mastodon instance Description: With many projects you can choose to host and run your own, but there are reasons you may not want to run your own.
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  49. Getting Started With Accessibility - Presented at WordPress Accessibility Day 2022 Description: Want to make your website more accessibility? This getting started with accessibility guide will help make any website more accessible.
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  50. How feedback helps you become a better speaker Description: When you are a speaker you never really know how you did unless you get feedback. That feedback can help you become a better speaker.
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  51. Where does your contact form results go? Description: With a website contact form, the results don’t just have to be sent by email, they can go to any number of places. You have to find one that works for you.
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  52. What working in customer service has taught me so far Description: Talking to customer service and working as customer service is very different and here’s what I wish every person who worked with customer service knew.
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  53. Is Privacy Dead Description: It may seem like people don’t care about their privacy, with so much being posted on social media, but privacy more alive and well than ever before.
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  54. Highs and Lows Description: Life has high points and low points of life, it’s not the same for everyone, and it can quickly change. What can do you with those high and lows?
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  55. Video essays could also be blog posts Description: Video essays are great, they cover one thing in great detail. They don’t just need to be a video anymore, they can be more, including a blog post.
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  56. Goodbye Twitter posting Description: With Elon Musk buying Twitter it’s time for me to stop posting on Twitter. I’ll be more active on Mastodon.
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  57. What are you doing for others? Description: Our culture is me first and we forget about those we don’t know. What are you doing for others? It doesn’t have to be a lot, just one small gesture can help.
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  58. Don't say something is simple Description: What you may think of being simple, or easy to do, may not come easy to someone else. I know, I've done it before.
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  59. How I've cut back on social media Description: Social media can be addicting, and you can spend far more time than you want on it. What about anti-social media, or cutting back the time you spend on it.
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  60. Should you use 2 dns providers on your website? Description: Is multiple better? Should you not just use one dns provider for your website? This will explain why some sites don’t but why you should.
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  61. eBook or physical book? I've read more with eBooks Description: There are many ways to get a book now, including eBooks and physical books. I have found I’ve read more with eBooks and here’s why.
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  62. What did I learn while doing #NaBloPoMo in November 2021? Description: National Blog Posting Month was in November 2021. What did I learn while taking part? You will have to read and find out.
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  63. Why Piracy Sites Have Hollywood Movies Description: Piracy sites are seeing movies quicker and quicker, there’s reasons why this way is so popular, not just because it’s cheaper.
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  64. My thoughts on Loom Description: Loom is being used more and more, but I don’t like it and companies should provide more alternatives to it.
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  65. I don't want your stock options Description: Many job’s offer stock options, but that’s not something I’m interested in and I don’t want when I work for a company.
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  66. Should you join in Convertkit's grow your audience challenge? Description: Kit (formerly known as Converkit) put out a challenge to grow your audience using their platform. While it seems good from looking, there's many things to keep in mind before you sign up.
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  67. Adding a blogroll to your WordPress site with no plugins required Description: Blogroll’s are making a come back and many websites are saying you should use a plugin to make them. You don’t need that.
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  68. Are the Olympics worth it? Description: With the Olympics being talked about every two years, we have to think if it's worth it to run the games anymore. And what places in the world want to still host it?
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  69. Don't respond if I give you a negative or no reply to your cold email Description: Cold emails. Some people love them and some hate them. But what if you get a negative response to your cold email, what should you do. Don’t reply.
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  70. How to show off JavaScript Fetch API Object results on page Description: Using JavaScript Fetch API to get an object? Want to show it on a website? This guide will tell you how.
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  71. The WordPress Acquisition Market Description: WordPress plugins & themes are made often but then what happens to them. They get shut down, stay independent, or get acquired.
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  72. Did I fail 100DaysToOffload? Description: 100DaysToOffload was meant to have 100 blog posts in a year. I didn’t do that, so did I fail the challenge?
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  73. Yikes at the recent changes at Basecamp Description: Every business is allowed to make decisions and changes at their company, but when announce it publicly it allows people to see it and goes “Yikes”.
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  74. Highlights are only what you see Description: What you see posted online and especially on social media are just the highlights from that person. It isn’t exactly what are doing all day, every day.
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  75. How is Clubhouse making money? Description: Clubhouse is getting popular, but how do they plan to make money? If it’s free then you’re the product.
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  76. Why we only read information we agree with Description: We all tend to read or follow people we agree with, why is that? It’s called confirmation bias.
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  77. Is a disclosure required at the top or bottom Description: You may be required to put a disclosure, or it may be optional. But where should that go?
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  78. Github made a mistake firing someone, now what? Description: Github fired an employee after they said something in the company messenger, many employees disagreed with the firing. Now the company wants to hire them back.
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  79. What do early risers not understand about night owls? Description: Early risers sometimes get mad at night owls. But there are many things morning birds don’t understand about night owls.
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  80. What news broadcasters were required to do on September 11th 2001 Description: November 11th 2001 and the days after were interesting days on tv. What did some tv stations do? And what were they required to do?
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  81. What happened to the top 12 most funded Kickstarter projects? Description: After some Kickstarter projects raise so much money, what happens to them years down the road?
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  82. Why I don't think Toastmasters should just be 'pass' for every speech Description: Toastmasters is an environment many things can happen, and pass every single speech is one of them. I think a member shouldn’t pass every speech they give.
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  83. Why I'm going to try and finish reading 1 book in 2021 Description: Stop forcing yourself to read a huge number of books each year. Start with 1 and see where it goes from there.
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  84. Binging TV vs One Episode A Week Description: There are many ways to watch TV nowadays, but which is better, binging the entire season or watching one episode a week? There are pros & cons to each.
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  85. Why 'The Sound of Music' Isn't A Christmas Movie Description: Some people consider The Sound of Music to be a Christmas (or holiday) movie. I don’t.
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  86. Why local web developers aren't cheap Description: Web developers who are local to you aren’t cheap, there are many reasons why they aren’t. Here are some reasons why they aren’t cheap.
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  87. All This Noise Description: There is so much noise in our life, we don’t even realize it. What can be do about it? You first have to learn to hear it.
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  88. Quibi's paltry downloads aren't just due to COVID-19, it's more than that. Description: Quibi blamed COVID for their shutdown, but after research I see it's more than that.
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  89. Why I Stopped Using Cloudflare On This Website Description: This site was using Cloudflare for a good couple of years and the site is no longer using Cloudflare. Here’s many reasons why you should do the same.
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  90. Everything should be closed on election day Description: For many election day is a regular day, but what if everything was closed so everyone got the chance to vote?
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  91. What if there was no internet during a lockdown Description: An lockdown means more people are spending time online, but what if there was no internet during a lockdown period.
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  92. Maybe You Shouldn't Self-Host Description: Self-hosting is something many people are doing and you may want to self-host as well. There are some reasons why you maybe shouldn’t self-host.
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  93. What is a journalist's job? Description: A journalist could be many different things, but what really is their job?
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  94. Why I don't self-host my email Description: Many people say to host your own email, but here are the reasons why I don’t self-host my own email.
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  95. If I could redo my college experience Description: There can be many things we want to redo or change as part of our life. College is one of those times when I wish I had done certain things differently.
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  96. Postlab by Hedge is basically git but for Mac OS Description: There tend to be alternatives to what already exists, Postlab is one of them and Git is what was first.
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  97. Why do we go on social media? Description: Social media is something so many people are on, and use. So why we do we go on social media in the first place?
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  98. How much does it cost to run this blog? Description: Some websites / blog are cheap to run and some are expensive to run. Here is a list of how much it costs me to run this site and it breaks it down for you.
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  99. Why I'm posting like everything is normal (when it's not normal) Description: Some say you shouldn’t post like everything is normal, when it’s not. But there are many reasons why you should (or just not post at all).
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  100. "Many suggestions are unworkable or simply impossible" says Pastor Rick Warren Description: Church pastors should not comment on any public officials phases for reopening. Rick Warren is one bad example.
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  101. Why people don't respond when you ask for a backlink (or a link to your site) Description: Backlinks are the subject of many emails, here’s why many people don’t respond to backlink request emails. Also includes how to get backlinks without asking.
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  102. Subscription Surplus. Description: There are too many subscriptions services that we are all using. It’s a huge surplus that we don’t need that many.
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  103. Is having a smartwatch worth the annoyances? Sometimes it is. Description: Some people love having a smartwatch and some find it an annoyance. Which is it. It depends on many factors.
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  104. What Has It Been Like Being Locked Down For 67 Days (Due To COVID-19) in Ontario, Canada Description: COVID-19 locked down every part of the world. Here's what it was like Ontario, Canada, with archived links so you can see what reported.
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  105. Why I stopped paying attention to Gary Vaynerchuk Description: When someone is posting daily videos to YouTube, as well as posting to social media multiple times a day, people pay attention to them. Here's why I stopped caring what he was doing online.
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  106. Why online courses work for some people Description: Courses usually have two options, in a classroom or online. Some people prefer one over the other. Here's why I believe online courses for some people, and not for others.
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  107. What have live concerts come to? Description: Live concerts have changed over the years, it's now a place where fewer people want to attend.
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  108. The best WordPress caching plugin is the one that works for you Description: With so many Wordpress caching plugins, it can be takes tons of time and research to try and find the right now. There's isn't a perfect one, it's the one that works for you right now.
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  109. Decentralization - why it's more important than ever before Description: It's time for everyone to stop relying on one company for everything. Move away from them, and not just to another company in the same country, but on the other side of the world.
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  110. Why Zoom buying Keybase is both a good and bad thing Description: Zoom has acquired Keybase, which could be a good thing, or a bad thing. There are things Zoom needs to change, but it may have been bad for Keybase.
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  111. Why Cloudflare's dashboard numbers don't match those from Matomo dashboard Description: If you have both Matomo and Cloudflare on your website, you'll see the numbers don't match up. You may think it's weird and something you need to fix, but there's multiple reasons why the numbers aren't equal.
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  112. It costs money to run a business (even if it doesn't make any money) Description: Businesses can't operate for free, there are many costs that are associated with it.
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  113. Finding time to read books Description: How often do you read a book? We all read stuff online, but when do you find time to read a book?
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  114. Why some sites don't link to sources or other sites Description: Many websites link to other websites within a post, however there are some that don't and they stand out when they don't. Here's why I believe some don't.
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  115. Why I have both Spotify and local music files Description: With so many music streaming services, many people don't see a need to have local music files. Here's why I do both.
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  116. Everyone has a bias Description: We all have different viewpoints and think differently. That's called a bias. There's isn't any unbiased source of information and we have to learn to find and read all the viewpoints.
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  117. Why do we get distracted? Description: More than ever, it's easy to get distracted from what we set out to do. Why this that, and why is it easier to do so? That's what I set out to answer.
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  118. How to get grid-template-columns to be responsive Description: When you use CSS grid on a website, it can be difficult to have the vertical columns line up how you want. This is how you make it look good on any website.
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  119. Why Brands Latched Onto #RIPeanut Description: Planters the company, decided to launch an ad campaign that got other brands talking about it. Here's why I believe they did so.
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  120. 3 lessons from being in business for 3 years Description: I've had a business for 3 years, here 3 lessons I've learned and want to share.
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  121. What is considered private information nowadays? Description: We freely give many companies and people our information, is it because we want to feel special or because we don't realize there's another choice.
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  122. The Investors Will Soon Be Coming Back Description: When companies get investors, it's a big deal, yet many forget that the investors hope to make multiple times their money back, and there are many ways for them to do so.
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  123. Why I Support #TakeAKnee and Will Never Support the NFL Description: Colin Kaepernick was brave during one national anthem in 2016, and while many don't support Kaepernick's decision, I think it was the right thing to do.
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  124. Why I Don't Pay Attention To Apple Events Anymore Description: Apple has an event at least once a year, with many people attending both in-person and watching online. I've decided to stop paying attention to the events, when it could have all just been one email.
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  125. Why I Don't Like That Microsoft Has Acquired GitHub Description: Microsoft owns yet another company, it's time to find an alternative to Github.
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  126. Why Apple Won't Do Research Into Phone Usage On Young People Description: Kids and young people are using phones more now than ever before. While some big investors say Apple should do something about it, it's parent's responsibility to take action.
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  127. Why I Don't Provide My Phone Number In My Email Signature Description: There are many ways to get in contact with someone, email and phone being two common ones. Some people include both of those details in their email signature, here's why I don't.
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  128. Quietness Is A Wonderful Thing Description: When was the last time you and the space around you were quiet? It's a weird feeling the first time you do it, and it can cause your brain to either go into thinking overdrive, or quiet down.
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  129. Don't get tricked into your bank's payment protector / credit card insurance Description: With many credit cards comes payment protection, also known as insurance. But you don't actually want it.
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