# New to brennan.day? Start Here.

945 words
ORIGINAL: https://brennan.day/start-here/

Welcome!

Welcome to brennan.day, an independent corner of the web where I write about technology, culture, and the craft of writing itself. This site is a mix of personal essays, technical tutorials, IndieWeb advocacy, and reflections on what it means to build and create outside of platform capitalism.

I'm Brennan Kenneth Brown (he/they), a Queer Métis author and web developer based in Calgary, Alberta. I've been writing online since 2014, and this site represents my commitment to the IndieWeb. Owning my content, controlling my digital presence, and building for the long web. You can learn more about what I'm working on now, explore my values, or dive into the technical details of how this site works.

If you're new here, this page is for you!

## What I Usually Write About

### Writing & Creativity

Essays on the writing process, publishing, and the practical realities of being a working writer. I write about what it actually takes to maintain a creative practice, from my blogging workflow to reflections on craft and community.

### Technology & Digital Culture

Deep dives into the IndieWeb, digital minimalism, web development, and the ethics of technology. I care deeply about accessibility, digital autonomy, and building technology that respects people rather than extracts from them.

### Cultural Commentary

Literary criticism, social justice, Indigenous perspectives, and philosophical musings on everything from Adventure Time to climate crisis to the nature of community.

### Technical Work

Tutorials on Eleventy, JavaScript, and building for the open web. I publish detailed guides for developers who want to build their own independent sites.

## Recommended Readings

These are some of the most-read and highest-performing articles from the site. If you're looking for a starting point, these pieces represent the range of my writing.

IndieWeb

### WEBMASTER@ a manifesto for everyone

My most recent and most important piece on the IndieWeb: a call to reclaim the title of webmaster and build your own corner of the internet.

Featured manifesto

IndieWeb

### omg.lol is the Internet We Need Right Now

A love letter to a community-focused service that embodies what the internet should be. If you care about the IndieWeb, start here.

7.6K views • 4.3K reads

Cultural Commentary

### The Pandemic Never Ended, We Only Pretend It Did

One of the site's most-visited pieces, examining how we've collectively chosen to pretend COVID-19 disappeared while disabled and immunocompromised people remain forgotten.

4.5K views • Most popular

Technology

### Lighthouse Labs Trained 40,000 Devs. Then AI Showed Up.

An investigation into how coding bootcamps are grappling with the AI disruption, and what it means for tech education.

3.5K views • Journalism

Technical

### The Curious Case of the Triton Malware Fork

A technical deep dive into discovering a suspicious malware fork on GitHub, balancing accessibility with technical detail.

3.8K views • Technical Write-up

Writing Craft

### My Blogging Workflow

An honest look at how I maintain a consistent writing practice, from ideation to publishing to syndication. Nearly a post a day for 4 months straight.

Behind the scenes

IndieWeb

### Building an IndieAuth Comment System

A technical guide for developers who want to implement IndieWeb features on their own sites. Complete with code examples and implementation details.

Technical Tutorial

Lyric Essay

### CLOWN BURNOUT

Clown white doesn't come off in one pass. A lyric essay on whiteface and Auguste, the clown egg registry, the Indigenous medicine of laughter, and the tyranny of irony.

Personal favourite

### Browse by Topic

Looking for something specific? Here are the most frequently used tags on this site:

#personal-essay #technical #indieweb #digital-culture #community #writing-process #cultural-criticism #politics #media-criticism #philosophy

For a more curated path through my writing, explore the collections page, which is organized into themed groupings pulling together essays across the full arc of the blog. You can also explore the full tag list to find more.

## Support Independent Writing

I made this site because I believe in a good Internet, one driven by people instead of surveillance capitalism or venture funding. All writing and projects on this site are free with no trackers, cookies, or advertising, and will always remain that way. All writing on this site is authored me with no editorial oversight, sponsorship conflicts of interest, or generative AI.

When you support independent creators like me, you're building the alternative to the unjust, skewed economy dominating our lives.

### Monthly Support

Join the Toonie Club for just $2 CAD/month. Simple, sustainable support through Ko-fi or GitHub Sponsors.

### Share & Engage

Share articles you enjoy, comment on posts, or sign the guestbook. Engagement matters as much as financial support.

### Star Projects

Support my open-source work on GitHub. Stars help projects gain visibility and encourage continued development.

### Collaborate

Get in touch about guest posts, podcast appearances, or speaking opportunities. Let's build together.

Learn more about why support matters and explore all the ways you can contribute on the support page.

## Where to Go Next

• Browse recent posts: My homepage always has the latest writing.
• Explore the archive: Every post, organized chronologically.
• Browse by collection: The easiest way to find posts on a theme, from the IndieWeb to cultural criticism.
• Read the about page: Learn more about who I am and what I do.
• Browse all pages: Complete list of my slash pages.
• Check out my projects: Open-source work, themes, and tools.
• Sign the guestbook: Leave a note and say hello!
• Subscribe via RSS (latest 50): Light and fast, works in any reader.
• Subscribe via RSS (full archive): Every post, if your reader can handle the size.

Thanks for being here. I hope you find something that resonates.