Year: 2015

Makers

Making things is hard. Making things with technology is even harder. Where do you start? What technologies do you use? Who can you trust? In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed dramatic shifts in the rate of technological innovation, and it only appears to be accelerating. Want to create a personal web page? That’s easy. Need a… Continue reading Makers

A Necessary Start

The part of Florida I’m from is remarkably more like Mobile than Miami. From Grandma’s house, it’s a short drive to the Alabama border, the gateway to the Heart of Dixie. Riding in the backseat as kid, with Mom driving, I was always amused by the fact that, as we crossed that border, at some… Continue reading A Necessary Start

Seeing things through

I built my first website in 2005 for a class project. I was an information technology major and my class was tasked with building an “Interactive Resume” (in essence, a personal website). After hacking together my site using a free HTML and CSS template, I could have collected my passing grade and moved on to… Continue reading Seeing things through

Sexuality, Race, & #MyGayPride

I’m not ashamed to admit that I was a homophobic and racist man: not because I’m proud of it, but because I understand that my mindset was a result of systemic marginalization and programming. From the aggressive inner city to the ultra-masculine military, I wasn’t given the best environments to cultivate my understanding of my… Continue reading Sexuality, Race, & #MyGayPride

Cold-Blooded Killer or Mentally Disturbed?

You often hear about mass shootings on the news, but when it happens in your hometown, a small part of you dies. A few nights ago, a small part of me died. It was killed by emotions of anger, sadness, disappointment, a lack of understanding, and unabated rage. As a white man walked into what… Continue reading Cold-Blooded Killer or Mentally Disturbed?

Explaining Baltimore to My Six-Year-Old Son

Editor’s Note: With the latest sickening domestic atrocities spinning incessantly in the 24-hour media cycle, the Baltimore protests almost seem like ancient history. Almost. At the time, we received an essay from a black father and husband about the challenges of discussing the protests―and the racial state of affairs in America―with his two small children.… Continue reading Explaining Baltimore to My Six-Year-Old Son

Men Need Feminism

Whether we want to admit it or not, in the United States, we live in a patriarchal culture (which is also white supremacist and capitalist). This means that masculine behavior is preferred over all others. It means we focus on the experiences of men at the expense of other genders. Patriarchal culture means that we… Continue reading Men Need Feminism