cliff-notes
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Platform Dependency: What happens if the platform changes its algorithm, shutters its services, or bans your account? In 2024 alone, over 60% of creators reported revenue losses due to algorithm changes.
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Monetization Barriers: Platforms often take a significant cut of your earnings. For instance, YouTube takes up to 45% of ad revenue, and Instagram’s monetization options are pay-to-play.
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Data Ownership: The data you’re generating—your audience insights, contact lists, and engagement metrics—belongs to the platform, not you. They profit from it while you’re left in the dark.
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Censorship and Restrictions: Platforms can impose restrictions on what you publish, often limiting creativity and expression. If your content doesn’t align with their guidelines, it can be removed or suppressed.
- I’m amazed at how much work is involved in having a light & dark theme(I can see why folks just have a dark theme only).
- Blown away with how powerful CSS is, you throw a little HTML in and the rest is all CSS and it can just do amazing things.
- I need to take some JS classes.
- 205 flights
- 154,355 miles traveled, which equals 18 days and 1 hour spent sitting in an aluminum tube.
- 6.2x around the Earth
- 0.6x to the Moon (I wouldn't pass up a chance to go to our moon)
- 0.0007x to Mars (I don't want to go to Mars; I'll let the Billionaires have all that glory)
- 40 airports
- 1 airline
- Shortest Flight was 174 miles PSP - LAS
- Longest Flight was 1,767 miles CMH - LAS
- 20+ books, a wide variety of genres, and if the book is noteworthy, blog about it. I’m considering an outline like Key Points, Personal Impact, and Action Items.
- Stay healthy; eat even better, train more, reduce stress, smile more, and look at the bright side. (in your fifties, your check engine light comes on, and the sins of youth come back to haunt you.)
- Start some sort of music outlet. Pick an instrument and take some lessons.
- Save. Save. Save. Retirement is just around the corner.
- Keep searching for that perfect (adequate, best you can, clumsy, awkward) Work/Life balance.
- Find a new second monitor. I’m using a Studio Display as the main display, and I have a now very old 30" Apple Cinema Display that still surprises me that it still works. It’s around 17 years old. Doing a lot of tutorials and video/photo editing, the second monitor is priceless.
- Read and support more small independent news sources like 404 Media and the numerous independent journalists on Substack. There is a wave of exodus of talent from major news outlets now that they can make a living writing on Substack, Beehiiv, Ghost, etc. That freedom to say what you want when you want has got to be refreshing. We are experiencing significant changes in mainstream media, and I believe 2025 will be a very tumultuous year.
Where do you stop with this stuff, I could futz with this post for weeks. It’s gotta end somewhere. This is the end. Here is to an Amazing 2025. (please, please, please, don’t let America self-implode; it’s only December, and they are already off to a rocky start… I need to add: read less politics under 2025 Goals.)
🔗 Clash: Power, Greed, and the Fight for a Fair Future (Joan Westenberg / joanwestenberg.com)
You’re not reading this by accident. You’re reading it because you feel it in your bones — the growing pressure, the mounting tension, the sense that something has to break. You’re right. The system is reaching its limits. The question isn’t whether it changes, but how — and who controls that change.
When the processing fee is starting to rival your electricity fee…
Next month, I’ll start selling more than I use, building up a credit for the 115+ degrees F Summer that is coming.
Thank you, sunshine. #solar
Digital Sovereignty - Own Your Content Reason Number 429
I used to write/publish photo stories at Exposure.co. It’s a nice website, and it’s a great place to see other people’s work, but it locks your content and locks you into paying every year to have access to your content. I’ve had a good engagement over there. I only have four stories there, but they each have 33,000+ views, which is a lot for my work. With that being said, I don’t do the things that I do for views, clicks, or money.
I’ve been moving my digital life to cliff538.com and have downloaded my data for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Today, I focused on Exposure. How much does it cost a year? Can I download my stories? Do I want this anymore? Keep or delete.
Over the years at Exposure I’ve been paying $99/year, the lowest tier now is $149/year. I decided to export my content and move it to cliff538.com. Well, guess what, you can’t. The only export option is a PDF, only if you pay for Pro Plus, which is $319/year. If I want to export PDFs of my photo stories, I’ll have to upgrade my account, download the PDFs, and close my account. But, they throw in some nice warnings; if your stories are over a specific size, you have to be on the business plan at $999/year to export your PDFs. Two, they warn you that the PDFs may not even look good due to pagination issues and that they are working on it.
PDF exports don’t help me much because I need to build a web page to recreate my photo stories. This makes me unhappy and reinforces why I’m making this move. Own your content, control where it is, and have full backups. Don’t be locked into price increases, a lack of export options, or business failures.
So what to do? Well, I’m stuck; luckily, there are only four medium-sized stories. I have all the photos; I used Obsidian Web Clipper to clip the pages, which gives me the text between the pictures. Reimagining the stories into web pages for my blog will be time-consuming, but the beauty is that it will be the last time. I’ll control how it looks and where it lives.
I thought about just deleting it but the stories really do have meaning for me. They are from a different time in my life. I wouldnt write the stories the same way today or use the same pictures (some of the HDR makes me cringe) but back then I did, and sometimes it’s good to see where you came from.
Note: below, you will read A.I. taking a crack at giving you reasons and risks. It’s polished, clean, and well done, but it feels soulless and generic, like reading a technical manual. I may be a lousy writer, but at least it’s real; it tells my story. I’m leaving the A.I. stuff just because it’s good info, a little novel, and maybe just a little bit for posterity.
(warning A.I. written text below)
The Risks of Relying on Third-Party Platforms
If you’re publishing your work exclusively on platforms like Instagram, Medium, or Facebook, you’re playing by someone else’s rules. While these platforms provide convenience and exposure, they come with significant risks:
The Benefits of Owning Your Platform
By running your blog or website, you remove the middleman and take full control of your content and audience. Here’s what you gain: 1. **Full Creative Control**: Publish what you want, how you want, without fear of censorship. 2. **Data Ownership**: Collect and control your audience data directly, enabling better relationships and monetization strategies. 3. **Longevity**: Platforms come and go, but your self-hosted blog can remain online indefinitely, ensuring your creations outlive any trend or corporate decision. 4. **Custom Branding**: Unlike third-party platforms, your blog reflects your unique identity, free from distracting ads or conflicting branding.Debunking the Technical Barrier Myth
Many creators hesitate to start their blog because they fear it’s too technical or expensive. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Modern tools like WordPress, Hugo, and Micro.blog make self-hosting more accessible than ever. Here’s a simple roadmap to get started: 1. **Buy a Domain**: Use a registrar like Hover.com to purchase a custom domain for as little as $10/year. 2. **Choose a Hosting Platform**: Services like SiteGround, Micro.blog, or Netlify offer affordable options. 3. **Start Writing**: With pre-built templates and easy-to-use tools, you can be up and running in a matter of hours.The Numbers Don’t Lie
The shift toward self-hosting is gaining momentum: - **45% of creators** plan to invest in self-hosted platforms by 2026. - **70% of internet users** express concerns about how platforms handle their data. - **Domain registrations for personal websites** rose by 30% in 2023.Call to Action: Own Your Digital Future
Owning your content isn’t just about control; it’s about building a digital future that belongs to you. Stop renting your ideas on platforms that profit from your creativity. Start your own blog today, and take the first step toward true creative independence.Here are some resources to get started:
Your creations deserve a permanent home. Give them one.
Do you know if this has been the case for a while or if it’s just due to the popularity boom? @numericcitizen
The funniest things pop into your head; Do you remember buying nails by the pound… they’d be in a big box with that claw hook device to scoop them out into a brown paper bag. You’d weigh them on the hanging scale that was always close by, and write the weight on the bag. Good memories. #scratch-pad
Looking for thoughts, concerns and ideas in relation to deleting yourself off a social service. Delete your whole account? Delete all your posts and keep account alive to preserve and prevent your user name being used?
Not that anybody is clamoring to use cliff538 but I’ve had it for 35+ years I’ve always made accounts just to preserve the username. Something to even worry about?
Progress! Added a “cliff538 Photography” page with links to photo sets (only one set as of now), But I like the way @manton has built this in. You can adjust the photo sets with custom CSS, and the large viewer is really nice. The only set right now is Land Yachts, if you don’t know what a Land Yacht is, check it out.
One of my favorite things to do is that little window of time after you finish a book and that exploration of your To-Read pile to find that next book… I enjoy it so much, It can take several days to make the pick. #simplethings
Working on my blog:
Does this ever bring back memories! My first one was the Honda 110.
Growing up, we rode three-wheelers every day all year long. Over the years, we had the Honda 110, 185, 200, 200X, and finally the 250R, which was scary fast. It was a blast riding on frozen lakes in the winter. I will never forget those times.
In shop class, we learned how to rebuild the motors and, of course, put in higher compression pistons to increase horsepower. Oh, and that dreadful youthful phase of liking loud exhaust pipes…
Our local dealer in town always had brand new ones sitting on the showroom floor, we would go in an and dream about saving enough money from working in the Summer fishing that we could get a new one..
Then, in my twenties, going up North to work, nobody had cars; it was all three-wheelers, four-wheelers, and snowmachines. Honda made the most incredibly reliable engines. People would tear those things up over the years, do very maintenance, and they just kept on going year after year.
It was a little sad to watch the three-wheelers phase out and be replaced by the four-wheelers, which were not as fun. I do understand, though. I know the accident rate was high with the three-wheelers, but that was mostly user error, not being properly trained in the limitations and idiosyncrasies of the machine, and riding one way too powerful for your skills. Growing up, with all the riding we all did, nobody was seriously hurt by them, but we had plenty of auto accidents/deaths.
Some final facts from Wikipedia:
Honda’s dominance in the ATC market peaked in 1984, with 370,000 units shipped and a 69% market share. In 1985, Honda offered their most diverse lineup, with ten models available. However, due to safety concerns, production of three-wheelers was voluntarily ceased by all manufacturers by 1987.  These models played a significant role in popularizing ATCs and contributed to the development of the modern ATV industry.
Sadly, this is mostly how you find them now:
Ugh! Why can’t I remember to take batteries out of stored electronics, and why do batteries leak? Why haven’t we fixed this by now!?!
The number of good things I’ve lost due to this is just embarrassing.
2024 In Review and 6.2x Around the Earth
Reading
I'm happy with my reading this year. The number of books is not
essential other than reading a lot keeps your attention span sharp. I
have noticed over the years that with social media and everything on the
internet being short, whether it’s videos or articles, my ability to
focus on something deeply for long periods is rusty. Learning to slow
down and reign in the monkey brain is an ongoing exercise. I find the
biggest benefit in meditation, reading books, and limiting social media
and the doom scrolling.
Also, my books-to-read list is way longer
than I have time for, and the more books I can read, the further I can
expose myself to beautiful writing, distant worlds, and deeper human
connections.
The goal every year is always around 15-20 books. This year was 33 reads, with several others abandoned. I used to feel bad about giving up on a book and felt like you should finish it if you started it. No way; there are too many great books out there. Don’t waste your time with something that doesn’t speak to you somehow.
Variety this year was good. That is an important goal every year to not get stuck in a category. There is a vast array of well-written books out there, and I want to expose myself to all I can. A few areas of lacking is Poetry. I've always struggled with it and find it hard to appreciate. Please let me know if you have any good poetry starter books you can recommend. Thank you!
Every year, I waffle back and forth about reading new material or mixing in some favorite books from the past that I would like to re-read. The deciding factor has always been if I can't find enough new material, that's a perfect excuse to pull something from the past. But I've never had a problem finding new material. Alas, the struggle continues.
That brings me to the art of finding new books. I'll discuss more later; I'm working on a blog post about just that.
I was going to pontificate about which books were my favorites and what
I learned, etc. But as you can see by my average rating of 4.7 stars, I
enjoyed them all, LOL. Maybe I need to expand my rating scale some ; )
Honestly, I abandoned multiple books that I couldn't slog through.
So if I finished it, I enjoyed it. 2025 will hopefully bring a mini-book
report on each book next year. It will take discipline. When I started
using Obsidian, the goal was to write about each book when I finished
it. Well, I read 33 books, and I have six book reviews. That shows you
what I'm up against.
Note: There are two books below where the covers did not populate.
1) The Reign of Wolf 21: The Saga of Yellowstone's Legendary Druid
Pack by Rick McIntyre. It's an excellent book, by the way; I can
recommend his whole series.
2) Killing the Witches: The Horror of
Salem, Massachusetts, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard.
Flying
Flighty says:
It was a good year flying, instructing, and checking. I learned a
lot, and hopefully, contributed to making a few pilots stronger and
wiser than they were. Looking forward to another great year of flying and sim work in
2025.
Technology Thoughts
Apple:
The iPad Pro 13" with keyboard is just perfect. The M4 chip and the Retina XDR display at 1000/1600 nits is just beautiful. I’ve had zero performance issues using FCP or editing pictures.
I’ve never used a keyboard with an iPad before and was pretty skeptical. I forced myself to keep it attached for 30 days, and now I can’t imagine using the iPad without it. It’s a perfect built-in stand, and for reading in bed using the iPad in a vertical position, I can use the keyboard as a light-blocking aid. I find myself using the iPad way more at home for writing than the laptop. But, there have been some awkward moments using the laptop after the iPad and trying to touch the screen…
iPhone 16 Pro is worth it just for the big bump in battery life, especially if you’ll shoot a lot of video.
Apple Inteligence, meh. I’m not using it much. As I’ve talked about before, I’m a terrible writer, and I use Grammarly extensively to fix my horrible punctuation, spelling, and structure. Trying to use Apple Intelligence is just not user-friendly, and it doesn’t show you what it has changed; it just shows the whole paragraph rewritten, not what has changed. The one stand-out is using ChatGPT through Siri. One, it’s free and private if you don’t log into your account, and Two, you can log into your account if you have one, and it will log everything in your ChatGPT account for future reference. One nice trick is using ChatGPT through Siri with your voice after you get the response back, you can ask Siri to make a note out of the response so you can refer back to it, or it will disappear. Hopefully, Apple will kick up its adoption speed a notch or two.
Misc:
1. I stopped using Kagi and Google for search. ChatGPT (free version) works amazingly well.
2. Done with Twitter. Done. I did not delete my account, but I have not posted or read for a long time. I’ve found my home at Mastodon.
3. I started a blog!
Goals for 2025
Let’s end with a Carl Sagan Quote for some much-needed perspective.
Pale Blue Dot is a photo of Earth that was taken by the Voyager 1 space probe in 1990 from a distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles) as it was leaving our solar system. This is what Carl Sagan said about the photo:
"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor, and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar,' every 'supreme leader,' every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”~ Carl Sagan