I have wanted to write a blog for a while. As of the last few months, I've grown fond of reading posts at Hacker News, which often contain links to the personal blogs of other humans on the internet. There's a feeling of itentionality, and connection that I find rewarding and enlightening, just as often as it can be frustrating and upsetting.
One of the sites I came across on HN is "How to make a damn website" by Louie Mantia. There's something infectious to me about the tone of the post. It feels like a friendly tease, a sort of "come on, dummy, if I can do it, you can do it too" jab that lands with perfect intent. The secret to having a blog is to blog. The secret to being an artist is to make art. You only have to do it to be it. The only requirement is that you show up.
This page is simple; it's just raw HTML. But that's okay! Like in Mr. Mantia's excellent post, it can be styled later. It can grow and change. It will grow and change, just as I will grow and change. Such is life. I find it's more fun to lean into it. I don't know what it's going to look like yet. He is right, though -- there is something to be said for the charm of a raw HTML page.
I hope I can maintain this space. I'm giving myself a year to see what I do with it. I'm going to write about projects, and thoughts, and music and computers and love and friends and all sorts of experiences. I'd like to have a gallery for my photographs, maybe. Perhaps a section to post some music? This is my space to get creative. This is just as much about learning how to make a website or a blog, as it is about learning to express myself and put myself out there.
So, this is Qualia Obscura. My home on the internet, wrought with my own two hands and the brain between my ears, pulled like a thread from the aether of the innerworld. The endless potential is a bit frightening, but the endless canvas is very inspiring!
Maybe in the future, you'll be able to talk to me about stuff and things on a platform like Bluesky. Maybe I'll set up email, too. We'll see. All things in due time.