The other day, my podcasting partner pulled up a silly little article I’d written several years back when Google had announced it was shutting down Google Play Music (for those that don’t know what I’m talking about, this drama is well-documented in the Android blogs as one of those things that Google mercilessly murdered). I forgot that I had ideas for this website. I’d convinced myself I could build traction and create my own little media empire by seeding it with SEO-type articles. But the truth is that I hate writing that stuff. It doesn’t speak to me, and the only reason I can make it ever sound fun for other outlets is because my spending money depends on it. What a tangled web we weave as writers trying to find validation through monetary compensation!
The “media empire” I’m referencing already exists. You can read me on Gizmodo and social media like Threads and BlueSky, as well as here at Flo Feed, which runs on WordPress. I have an active Discord where you can chat with my friends and me. Sometimes I’m on Instagram, but I’d rather you follow me on TikTok because that place is less rage-baity for me, believe it or not (I learned how to tame the algorithm). I have a podcast called Material on the Relay FM network—I’ve hosted several podcasts in the last decade, including All About Android (if you miss it, check out Android Faithful), Gizmodo’s short-lived Gadgettes (its ashes are on the mantel next to my cat’s urn), and the even shorter-lived Honestly, Tech, which I stopped doing for several reasons.
The way I see it, what’s missing from my media empire is me. You’ll get some of me in my articles, but only as much as an editor or publication allows. Even when I wrote about Beverly Hills, 90210, my all-time favorite show and periodic comfort snack, I had to snip parts of myself out of it to stay true to the thesis. (For the record, the “me” part in there was a tangent about how awful everyone treated Kelly and her lesbian friend Allison. They almost died in a fire together!)
My friends inspire me to take responsibility for my creativity and delve into the unknown. I’m referencing friends like Jason Howell, who just recently launched a new podcast and has been kicking ass since being laid off by TWiT at the beginning of the year, or my friend Henry Casey, who is exploring his voice at his website. I love the way Ant Pruitt writes to us in his weekly newsletter. My friend Kat, whom I met through podcasting, is why I wrote anything. She started a writer’s accountability group, and at the end of the day, I need someone to put me on several timers before I can write something. Writing for the internet trained me to be this way. Making time to write blogs and essays will hopefully extract more of my inner voice so that I can have something for myself—Godspeed to me, and thanks for being here.
Here are a few of my favorite things lately:
- This eye cream from Bubble Skincare – it’s affordable as far as eye creams go
- Turner Classic Movies – I’ll blog about this soon. I’m a cinephile now (I’ve always been), and I’m on a mission to watch every movie ever set and filmed in San Francisco before 2000
- While everyone is gagging over the unedited album from a supposed tortured poet, I am still working through the entire Bebe Rexha catalog after seeing snippets of her live performance at Coachella last weekend
- This moisturizer from Peach Slices – smells like I’m smearing summer on my face
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