Kottke.org Is 25 Years Old Today and I’m Going to Write About It
I realize how it sounds, but I’m going to say it anyway because it’s the truth. When I first clapped eyes on the World Wide Web, I fell in love. Here’s how I described the experience in a 2016 post about Halt and Catch Fire:
When I tell people about the first time I saw the Web, I sheepishly describe it as love at first sight. Logging on that first time, using an early version of NCSA Mosaic with a network login borrowed from my physics advisor, was the only time in my life I have ever seen something so clearly, been sure of anything so completely. It was a like a thunderclap — “the amazing possibility to be able to go anywhere within something that is magnificent and never-ending” — and I just knew this was for me and that it was going to be huge and important. I know how ridiculous this sounds, but the Web is the true love of my life and ever since I’ve been trying to live inside the feeling I had when I first saw it.
My love for the web has ebbed and flowed in the years since, but mainly it’s persisted — so much so that as of today, I’ve been writing kottke.org for 25 years. A little context for just how long that is: kottke.org is older than Google. 25 years is more than half of my life, spanning four decades (the 90s, 00s, 10s, and 20s) and around 40,000 posts — almost cartoonishly long for a medium optimized for impermanence. What follows is my (relatively brief) attempt to explain where kottke.org came from and why it’s still going.
It’s an absurd understatement to say that the web has changed a lot in the nearly 30 years since I experienced that “thunderbolt that completely changed my life” — it’s now a massive, overwhelmingly corporate entity that encompasses and organizes an ever-growing share of human information and activity. As a web designer in the 90s and early 00s, I helped companies figure out how to use the web for business, but the core of my own personal experience of the web has always been self-expression and making websites for individual humans to read & experience.
I started making personal websites shortly after discovering the web, first using Notepad and then a program called HTML Assistant. My first site had an audience of exactly one — it lived on a 3.5” floppy disk and was mostly a jazzed-up version of my bookmarks file that I carried back and forth from my dorm room to the physics lab. When I was finally able to finagle public server access, I launched a site called “some web space” (all lowercase, because 90s)1 that included a hand-drawn graphic of swiss cheese and a bunch of links related to Pulp Fiction. This is me right around that time:
That tiny baby Jason loved cheese, Quentin Tarantino, and the World Wide Web, bless his little heart.
Anyway, the sites I built then were terrible at first, but I was obsessed and slowly they improved. some web space turned into a site called 0sil8, which became a playground of sorts for my experiments in writing and design. Every few weeks/months, I’d create a new “episode” to put up on 0sil8 and gradually I gained an online following and became part of a community of folks who were likewise experimenting with the web.
Around this time, more and more of what I was reading online were diaries and these things called weblogs.2 The updates on weblogs & diaries were smaller but more frequent than on other personal sites — their velocity felt different, exhilarating. But by the time I actually got interested enough to start my own weblog, there were so many of them — hundreds! maybe thousands! — that I thought I was too late, that no one would be interested. I forged ahead anyway and on March 14, 1998, I started the weblog that would soon become kottke.org. It was called Notes and here’s what it looked like:
I’m not gonna go through the whole history of the site, but it eventually took off in a way that I didn’t anticipate. Since 2005, kottke.org has been my full-time job and supports my family. I’ve met so many people from all over the world through my work here, including many life-long friends and my (now ex-) wife. I’ve spoken at conferences and travelled the world. I got to be on TV. I launched a membership program (which you should totally join if you haven’t already) that has given the site an incredible boost as it powers through its third decade.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of kottke.org, I wrote this:
I’ve been reading back through the early archives (which I wouldn’t recommend), and it feels like excavating down through layers of sediment, tracing the growth & evolution of the web, a media format, and most of all, a person. On March 14, 1998, I was 24 years old and dumb as a brick. Oh sure, I’d had lots of book learning and was quick with ideas, but I knew shockingly little about actual real life. I was a cynical and cocky know-it-all. Some of my older posts are genuinely cringeworthy to read now: poorly written, cluelessly privileged, and even mean spirited. I’m ashamed to have written some of them.
But had I not written all those posts, good and bad, I wouldn’t be who I am today, which, hopefully, is a somewhat wiser person vectoring towards a better version of himself. What the site has become in its best moments — a slightly highfalutin description from the about page: “[kottke.org] covers the essential people, inventions, performances, and ideas that increase the collective adjacent possible of humanity” — has given me a chance to “try on” hundreds of thousands of ideas, put myself into the shoes of all kinds of different thinkers & creators, meet some wonderful people (some of whom I’m lucky enough to call my friends), and engage with some of the best readers on the web (that’s you!), who regularly challenge me on and improve my understanding of countless topics and viewpoints.
I had a personal realization recently: kottke.org isn’t so much a thing I’m making but a process I’m going through. A journey. A journey towards knowledge, discovery, empathy, connection, and a better way of seeing the world. Along the way, I’ve found myself and all of you. I feel so so so lucky to have had this opportunity.
That all still rings incredibly true and I cannot improve upon it as an explanation of why I’m still here doing this moderately anachronistic thing. Thank you all so much for reading. ♥
P.S. You can read my thoughts on past anniversaries and view some previous site designs here: 10 years, 18-ish years, 20 years, and 24 years.
P.P.S. I wrote a separate post about this yesterday, but if you find value in what I do here, I’d appreciate if you’d support the site by purchasing a membership. And to everyone who has supported the site over the years, thank you so much!
P.P.P.S. Last one: I’m gonna write more about this later today, but I’ve turned ordering back on for Kottke Hypertext Tees for the next 24 hours or so. Go get ‘em!
P.P.P.P.S. Ha, I’ve thought of one more thing: I’ve turned comments on for this post! kottke.org used to allow comments on every post, but it’s been almost 8 years since the last time they were on. I figured it would be fun to try them out today. No idea if they’re even going to work or how long they will be available, but let’s try it out. If you’d like to share how long you’ve been reading the site or leave any memories or observations, feel free. My inbox is open as well. Ok, that’s really all for now! Thank you!
Update: A bunch of comments got hung up in a spam filter in my CMS that I didn’t even know was active. They should be all through now…sorry about that!
Fun fact: when kottke.org started, I wrote everything in lowercase. At some later point, I switched to mixed-case and went back through the old entries and edited them to use mixed-case too.↩
Peter Merholz wouldn’t coin the word “blog” until sometime in early 1999; they were known as weblogs before then.↩
Reader comments
José FilipeMar 14, 2023 at 10:19AM
That picture is awesome! Do you still stay in the same position when you're at your desk?
Thank you for an extraordinary site Jason *****
gMar 14, 2023 at 10:19AM
Hey hey, here been following you for over 20 years!
Congratulations on your dedication and making this a labor of love.
yay!
Andy BaioMar 14, 2023 at 10:21AM
Happy 25th! After all these years, Kottke.org remains at the top of my must-reads, the first thing I look at every day in my feed reader. You’re a shining light of the independent web and I’m happy to be a patron.
Ilan HalfiMar 14, 2023 at 10:22AM
Thank you for everything you've put into this site, Jason. I'm not sure when I started reading you, but maybe circa 2008. Whenever I share links with friends and co-workers, I go through your page instead of directly to the actual thing, and I make sure to mention (if they're brand new to you) that yours is my favorite website. I'm not sure if "favorite website" is still a thing for most people, but I'm grateful to have one.
Thank you, and keep truckin.
Rick ScullyMar 14, 2023 at 10:23AM
Congratulations on this milestone. I think I first found your site by way of your early presence on MetaFilter where I joined in 2001. Been following along via RSS for years. Hope you still find this project rewarding and you are refreshed after your sabbatical. Hello from Tunbridge, Vermont.
NepMar 14, 2023 at 10:25AM
I was always so impressed by the best of the web, from its beginnings to now. What human make and share with others, freely, what they could come up with. Your site has been a part of that, consistently. Definitely Site of the Day worthy. :-)
ChrisMar 14, 2023 at 10:26AM
Thanks! I love your site, and finding the often random, always interesting links you've introduced to me. I've been here for a while (I'd guess around 15 years) as a place to let someone else find the cool and interesting on the web and you've led me to many of my other favorite sites. Thanks!
RyanMar 14, 2023 at 10:27AM
I remember your first attempt at crowdfunding where you asked folks to send you a dollar or two to get some fast food or something. Or am I imagining that?
I hope you got a good meal out of that!
CODMar 14, 2023 at 10:28AM
I launched my first website on 12/31/95 ( story at https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/odonnellweb-is-20.html). I got my first WWW job in March 96 - with a web design shop named Homecom Communications, based in ATL. I don't remember exactly when I ran into Kottke.org - but I'm pretty sure it was in the previous century. My son is older today than I was when I pushed that first site up via ftp on NYE 1995. Congrats on the milestone!
Tim TruxellMar 14, 2023 at 10:28AM
Quite a milestone! Kottke.org has been daily reading for me for 20 of those 25 years. (So I was a little late to the game.)
I'm just going to take this opportunity to say thank you for all you've done over the years and all the interesting links you've shared. The web would be a lesser place without Kottke.org in it.
MichaelMar 14, 2023 at 10:32AM
Thanks for the site, and for the weekly reading material it has provided me since I found it in the late 90's.
patrickMar 14, 2023 at 10:36AM
thank you, been a fan of the site for so long now!
Jakub PuterkaMar 14, 2023 at 10:40AM
I have been reading daily for about 15 years, always through an RSS reader. First the google one (I cannot even remember its name!), now Feedly.
Congrats on the anniversary and thanks.
KatherineMar 14, 2023 at 10:42AM
I can't overstate the impact this site has had on me. I was a teenager sharing my life on one of those weblogs circa 1999 and HAD to find the source of the tiny font everyone was using in their designs (all JPGs made in early Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro, of course). Here since Silkscreen, and I've been enjoying this particular view of our wide web ever since. I can't thank you enough for sharing it all with us.
David WertheimerMar 14, 2023 at 10:43AM
Congratulations on 25 years! It's been fun riding along with you all this time.
John DunleavyMar 14, 2023 at 10:44AM
Absolutely the best weblog out here! Congrats, and here's to another 25!
David JacobsMar 14, 2023 at 10:45AM
Beautiful post, thanks for all the links!
JaredMar 14, 2023 at 10:46AM
I'm not 100% sure how long I've been reading your site, but my memory is that I started reading about the same time I found waxy, defectiveyeti, and cockeyed, so tail end of college 20 years ago. You all inspired me to add a home-rolled blog to my long-since-defunct website (may it rest in peace on archive.org). Above you make a very fair distinction between friends and readers, but having been reading for so long I feel like I've gotten to know you well enough to say that you are the kind of person I would definitely call a friend. I'm grateful you've shared so much of who you are (albeit indirectly) over the years.
Kimberly Mar 14, 2023 at 10:51AM
Happy anniversary, Jason! Is the font on that Notes entry Tahoma or Verdana? I'm having some big early blogging nostalgia looking at it.
I love what you say about the kottke.org being a process. I got the web only a little while before you started kottke.org. I was 14 or 15 and I'll be 42 this year. Since I first opened up Netscape (after my dad, who ran IT for Duke Law School, told me that Prodigy and AOL were a waste of my time and the web is where it's at), the web has been a key piece of my identity development and construction.
Here's to 25 more years or as many as you would like, if that's too many.
Alan BellowsMar 14, 2023 at 10:53AM
One quarter of a century. One must not sneeze at it.
BrianMar 14, 2023 at 10:53AM
Been following you for years and just recently became a member. Thanks for all you do in making the web that much more fun to be on. Grateful for all the cool stuff you find and share.
SeanMar 14, 2023 at 10:57AM
Jason, congrats on 25! I've probably only been around for about half of it, but Kottke is a daily stop. Glad to be patron of your work. Here's to another 25!
AndyMar 14, 2023 at 11:00AM
Congrats Jason. Been following you from the start, so this feels like a seriously big milestone for all of us (cuz we’re old). You’re a household name around here and me and my wife talk about finding cool things on Kottke. It’s inspirational to see you being able to do this when very few people say ways to make Web 1.0 “work” like you. Thanks again for all the fish.
DaniëlMar 14, 2023 at 11:04AM
Congratulations, Jason! :)
ChristinaMar 14, 2023 at 11:06AM
I've been reading your site since before we had our first kids about 3 weeks apart in 1997. Thanks for all the edification and entertainment.
ChristinaMar 14, 2023 at 11:07AM
Make that kids born in 2004!
EricMar 14, 2023 at 11:08AM
I found your site in 1999. I was a senior in high school, and utterly obsessed with the internet. Your description of your first experience with the web resonated with me big time.
And I've been an almost daily reader since then. I've been reading Kottke.org for more than half of my life at this point. It's synonymous with the web for me.
While things like social media and reddit have made it easier to find and consume interesting content on the internet, there is nothing that can replace a single human being curating and sharing what he finds interesting with the world.
I'm so grateful for you, Jason. Thanks for being a meaningful part of my life.
WardMar 14, 2023 at 11:08AM
Since comments are on, I will comment (rather than toot or tweet) my congratulations.
David Madison Mar 14, 2023 at 11:12AM
Congratulations on this anniversary! Your site enriches my life, I look forward to seeing the latest every day, and happily support your work via membership…keep it going!
WilbertMar 14, 2023 at 11:13AM
Thanks Jason and congratulations! Kottke remains a beacon of positivity and beautiful things. Keep it up!
jnonfictionMar 14, 2023 at 11:15AM
I visit and read every day, and I'm a member. Kottke.org is as integral to my sense of routine and stability as breakfast cereal or brushing my teeth. Thank you for continuing to find a way to move forward.
KimberlyMar 14, 2023 at 11:16AM
Congratulations! You were one of my original group of reads along with Megnut and Mighty Girl! How could I not leave a comment?
I built my first personal homepage was built in '94 or '95 and started up the blog (blogger, then wordpress) 20 years ago! The web continues to be a magical place -- we just have to look a little harder to find it now. Thanks for all of your links!
DeannaMar 14, 2023 at 11:17AM
Comments! Just like old times. Congrats on an impressive milestone! It deserves to be celebrated!
I somehow stumbled onto 0sil8 what feels like a lifetime ago. I was probably in high school and you were in college. It kinda felt like having this older brother who was a few steps ahead sharing all this cool stuff that I felt was waiting for me on the other side of high school and beyond. I have continued to stick around through the many iterations of your sites. The neonish green version was always my favorite. I went on to work in a profession that has nothing to do with computers or tech (academics and medicine, ha!), but I think that’s just a testament to how universal good writing and content is. I’ve always enjoyed your links to cool and interesting stuff, and your media diets are always filled with interesting recs. I still continue to read a number of sites found through you, cupofjo in particular.
Keep up the fantastic work. We are all continuously evolving and it’s been a joy to go on that journey with you.
Nick FitzsimonsMar 14, 2023 at 11:20AM
Congratulations! I've been visiting (usually via RSS) for at least twenty years, and your feed is still sitting prominently in my "check often" folder in NetNewsWire. Thanks for all the great links over the decades, and here's to many more!
Cathode RayMar 14, 2023 at 11:23AM
This is one of my—perhaps the—preeminent reads on the web. It's always been wonderful.
javipasMar 14, 2023 at 11:24AM
Congratulations! That's quite an achievement :) Thank you for helping us discover tons of interesting things on this amazing WWW that captured you from the beginning. As a fellow blogger (mine was born in 2005 and is still on, I'm proud so you must be delighted with yours), I think know how this is a really special milestone.
Keep the great job!
andrewMar 14, 2023 at 11:24AM
your site has been a huge part of my life — it got me excited about computers, which led me to ux. my then-girlfriend and i used to race to see who could send each other your new posts faster, and now i show your videos to my two kids.
your work has made our lives immeasurably richer and more wonderful. thank you for all of it!
mculMar 14, 2023 at 11:26AM
Congrats on 25 years! I really love your work. Kottke.org a cornerstone of my daily reading and media consumption.
LisaMar 14, 2023 at 11:26AM
I may have stumbled on you from A Cup of Joe, so many years ago. I love your content and writing. Your personality comes through in wonderful ways. I read you every day and feel richer for it.
Congrats!!
Caroline LMar 14, 2023 at 11:29AM
Congratulations on 25 years! This is my favorite site. I found you via Cup of Jo several years ago, maybe 8? - I noticed that my favorite links on Fridays were often “via kottke.org”. I read daily on Feedly and often share links with family and friends. You share so much interesting content. You seem like a nice, down-to-earth guy and it’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you for all of your hard work on this site!
IsaacMar 14, 2023 at 11:32AM
Congrats on 25. I've been reading since 2003-2004. There are likely so many of us who miss the early web and the feelings of possibility. As we get older and life takes us down roads with fewer and fewer branches, I'm grateful to be on the journey with you and the somehow tangible-yet-intangible feeling of being a part of a community via your website.
kdawsonMar 14, 2023 at 11:33AM
Pretty sure I've been reading you since the days of jjg and peterme and before jwz had a nightclub. Here's to as many more years as you want to keep curating this oasis of old-Web civilization.
DanMar 14, 2023 at 11:35AM
Been following you since 0sil8 days! Your site and Andyart (remember that?) were the beacons of design inspired me to make a career building for the web. Thanks Jason!
XavierMar 14, 2023 at 11:36AM
Thank you Jason for all these years of good links and enhancing my conversation at parties!
My own blog turned 20 last month, and while the first posts are probably just as cringe-worthy as you describe, it's build-up over the years is nowhere near what you've achieved with this .org of yours.
thorinMar 14, 2023 at 11:39AM
I have nothing relevant or interesting to add, but "comments on" on kottke.org is an historic occasion and I want to carve my name in the desk.
LoganMar 14, 2023 at 11:40AM
I've been a Kottke junkie since 2007, I think. Your blog has been my main source of news for all these years. The information shared here, IMO, is legitimately life-enriching and meaningful versus the information shared by so many other, "louder" sources. For the time being, I'm in a more financially stable place, and I'm so glad I can start paying you for your work. Maybe in the future, I'll be able to pay you back for the decade plus worth of engagement and connection to the wider world you generously provided to me for free. Many, very humble thank yous.
JamesJMMar 14, 2023 at 11:41AM
Long time reader, sometimes commenter- congrats on the big 25!
It often feels like we’re on this journey with you, your writing is makes the whole inter web become a comfy place, just outside your window.
MichaelMar 14, 2023 at 11:47AM
(Long time, first time.) I’m reminded of a quote (that I may even have heard here):
I’ve been here reading since whenever the site was green, and wanted to thank you for being a positive, near-daily presence in my life. Your reflection on your own evolution makes me think that you are not just a big part of my taste, but also my person. So thank you for your persistence. Here’s hoping for 25 more—cheers.
Donna LoweMar 14, 2023 at 11:48AM
I can't remember exactly when I started following kottke.org (probably the early 2000s) but it has always been one of my most trusted and enjoyable ways of experiencing the internet. Congratulations on 25 years and here's to many more!
ChristopherMar 14, 2023 at 11:59AM
Now please post a fresh photo of yourself in the same pose with a current computer.
Thanks for making such a lovely website.
AlainaMar 14, 2023 at 12:08PM
Congratulations, friend! Thank you for sharing your journey with us and keeping the magic of the early web alive.
Michael BesterMar 14, 2023 at 12:19PM
Jason, thank you for continuing to do what you do. In all these years of change and churn of the experience of being online, Kottke.org has always been a reliable, wonderfully interesting, and refreshing port of call. Its ongoing presence and vitality is a reminder that if one knows where to look, as you do, pockets of the web continue to be a weird and fascinating reflection of humanity. Thank you, man.
JonathanMar 14, 2023 at 12:20PM
Reader for many many years.
Supporter/paying member for the last several years.
Your common sense approach to things covid-19 pandemic related was a breath of fresh air.
Keep on with the good work, Jason!
PS: the comments are fun, maybe have a open comments thread for all or just members monthly or weekly or whatever interval works for you.
Adrian McEwenMar 14, 2023 at 12:21PM
Congratulations!
I don't remember when I started reading the site, but the earliest reference to it from my blog is July 31 2003, so it seems at least 20 years. (That reference describes some 20 questions parlour game site as "a cool AI system". Plus ca change :-)
DaNelMar 14, 2023 at 12:22PM
Wow! Still such a cool story. You still find such interesting, obscure fodder and I find myself sharing your posts more frequently than most. While I have enjoyed your work from the earliest of times and now, I have not been a member. I shall remedy that situation shortly. Keep doing what you do! See you at the next physics reunion!
NeilMar 14, 2023 at 12:23PM
Thank you for everything over all these years. I started reading in about 2002, when I was working for Macromedia (RIP), and through all the other changes the web has gone through your site has remained somewhat of a constant. Congrats on 25 years!
ChrisMar 14, 2023 at 12:23PM
Ooh, comments. This is anachronistic. (I love the look up feature in Safari!) Thanks for all the years of links, commentary, emotion and empathy. My thrice-daily check-in continues.
Mark MurrayMar 14, 2023 at 12:24PM
Thanks for all the great links and stories, especially photo related. A lot of them have been shared with teachers and students over the years. We are glad the sabbatical was restful but we are also glad to see you back.
ErikMar 14, 2023 at 12:27PM
Congratulations! It wasn't until you mentioned Osil8 that I recalled reading that site back when I was myself an interface (and Flash!) developer. Since then kottke has been daily reading. Your content and content curation also helped raise my kids: I would religiously click "watch later" on any videos you would post as they are invariably interesting and entertaining and would spend the evening watching with my twins. Thank you!
MarkusMar 14, 2023 at 12:31PM
Whenever I get sick and tired of the internet I remember your site and the fact that there are still websites that can spark joy. Thank you for this, and for all of the years.
Nate VackMar 14, 2023 at 12:33PM
Congratulations! Your blog is the single place on the internet where I'm most likely to read something that teaches me something or just brings me joy.
Thank you!
Christopher JobsonMar 14, 2023 at 12:35PM
Hey Jason, longtime reader, first time commenter. Kottke.org slipped into my feed at least around 2000, I know this because on 9/11 when CNN crashed I started refreshing you instead.
I've mentioned this to you privately but feels like a good time to share it publicly. There are a dozen factors that lead me to launch Colossal in 2010, but in hindsight it would have never happened without your site as a guiding model. It was (and still is!) the single most influential source of inspiration in terms of culture, structure and tone, and I never would have had the guts to even try if I hadn't seen you leading the way.
If Kottke.org changed the course of my life, the ripple effect becomes incalculable. And I'm just one measly reader!
Myself and everyone here at Colossal is eternally grateful for your work, and we're thrilled you've committed to another 25 years.
NorlindaMar 14, 2023 at 12:39PM
Reading your blog at the start of my work day has been a 20+year morning ritual, up to the point the day feels incomplete without it. Congrats Jason!
M LinMar 14, 2023 at 12:39PM
I miss the days of hand coding html to create a static page for every weblog entry, but then again I don't. Grats on the anniversary and here's to many more years of evolution.
NickMar 14, 2023 at 12:45PM
Congratulations! I've been following your website since 2002, and reading nearly everything since about 2004 (when I figured out RSS). Here's to many more years!
OliverMar 14, 2023 at 12:47PM
Congratulations, and thank you for remaining such an essential part of the web.
Kottke has lived in my Safari Favorites – alongside NYT, MacSurfer (RIP) and Daring Fireball – since at least 2002.
Nick!Mar 14, 2023 at 12:48PM
I think I’ve been reading for 20 years now. No idea how I found your site, but I’m always so thankful to have discovered this delightful corner of the web.
NeilMar 14, 2023 at 12:48PM
Wow, comments! Now we're cooking with Web 2.0. I have a lot of nostalgia for them olden days when SXSW was a place to meet other bloggers, and the closest thing we had to Twitter was T9 and SMS. It's rare for anything to last this long, and getting to see it (and you) grow and evolve has provided some much-needed ballast over the years. Congratulations, and here's to 25 more.
SteveMar 14, 2023 at 12:49PM
Cheers to 25 years!
MatthewMar 14, 2023 at 12:50PM
So glad you are still going strong! The web would not be the same without you. Heartfelt congratulations on the anniversary!
AndiMar 14, 2023 at 12:52PM
Congrats on 25 years! Been here for at least 15 of them. Thank you for finding interesting things for us for so long.
JoshMar 14, 2023 at 12:56PM
Been reading since..2004 maybe? I believe I came in through the boinboing or waxy side door. Yours is the only blog from back then I’ve kept up with. It’s been great having you as a part of my life. Thanks
YolandaMar 14, 2023 at 12:58PM
Happy quarter century! It’s a big deal doing anything for years, let alone your entire adulthood. I have followed you for a long time, since before this became your full time job. My kid and your oldest were born a day a part. I’m 47 and met me spouse on a BBS. I know a life before the Internet. But I also know how profoundly my life was change by, and inextricably connected to, it. Your writing, your sharing, and your links have definitely been a part of that.
MacDaraMar 14, 2023 at 12:59PM
Hi Jason! You once emailed me to say you liked the design of my blog (which I’d totally ripped off Barry Frost, I have to admit). You were already a blogging superstar and you didn’t need to do that for a minnow like me, so I’ve always appreciated that. My still keep up my blog, even if it’s mostly an archive for my utterances elsewhere on the web. And I still keep up with yours (with my RSS reader, naturally). Call me a lurker for life, I suppose!
Taylor SilvaMar 14, 2023 at 1:00PM
Newer reader compared to most. Started reading daily 3-4 years ago. No other website I go to is quite like yours. It feels fresh but has a similar vibe to older blogs as well. This space feels very unique in our modern web. I always look forward to your media diet posts as I usually end up picking up a few new things to watch from your lists. Thank you for this site Jason!
NoelMar 14, 2023 at 1:02PM
Like many on here, I've been reading for over twenty years and have made the site an essential part of my daily routine. It's been a relationship that's always felt casual but in retrospect has been extremely valuable and meaningful. I've followed through the redesigns, the different interests and obsessions, the oblique references to personal goings-ons and the introduction of memberships (I finally, finally joined). Congratulations on 25 years and thank you for being a kindred spirit with those of us out there looking for something insightful, interesting, different, curious, intelligent and just plain fun.
You've made difference in my life and the lives of many others. Be proud, you deserve it.
MartinMar 14, 2023 at 1:03PM
Love you and your blog Jason. I'm just a random guy who started reading you when I was 14 and now I'm 36. You inspired me then and now. Thank you.
joonasnMar 14, 2023 at 1:06PM
I think I found kottke.org sometime around 2000 or just a bit earlier. My own first touch with the internet was with BBSes around 1993-1994 and WWW around 1995-1996. I also fell in love with HTML and pixels and would teach myself how to make webpages pretty much right there and then. It was also my job for years, still is a part of it sometimes, and my blog just turned 15 years old last month! Congrats Jason and thanks for everything!
AlexisMar 14, 2023 at 1:08PM
Long time daily reader thru Feedly (and google reader, rip). I appreciate all you've shared, and doing a search on kottke in my Gmail inbox reveals some gems I've shared with others over the years. Cheers to however many more years you want to keep going!
clarkMar 14, 2023 at 1:10PM
I remember meeting you in the bowels of TBMA wayyyy back in the day. Was already following you then and still going now. Congrats!
PeterMar 14, 2023 at 1:28PM
Many congratulations Jason! Many years ago I used to follow hundreds of blogs and now I only follow two – yours and John Gruber's. So it was a pleasure to hear you interviewed on his podcast the other day. Long may you both reign as leaders in the blogosphere! And thank you for continuing to write here at kottke.org.
AdamMar 14, 2023 at 1:30PM
Reading since c.2005/6, mostly through RSS using Bloglines, then Google Reader and now Feedly. It's been a ride following along, I remember when you first asked for reader donations in one campaign to provide you with a year of income! And it worked! Your curated links have kept me interested all this time!
RichardMar 14, 2023 at 1:31PM
Jason, I've been following since osil8. I remember stumbling onto the web and finding an inspiring community of designers and bloggers, sites like Derek's Fray and Halcyon's cocky bastard and so many others. Now I think yours is the only personal blog I have bookmarked. Anyway, thanks for the 25 (!) years of entertainment, information, interesting links, and an enduring constancy on the ephemeral internet. Also, long live silkscreen!
ChrisMar 14, 2023 at 1:32PM
Congrats from Germany. I can’t count how many wonderful things you have pointed me towards during these years. Thanks & cheers to the next 25!
kelseyMar 14, 2023 at 1:33PM
commenting in all lowercase to honor those early days when our weblogs were coded and written in all lowercase. thank you for 25 years of pointing out the mile markers and highlights of the world wide web, carrying a thread between those early days to what the internet is now, and being brave enough to take risks along the way. looking forward to more discovery, more learning, and more aging (together)!
JennyMar 14, 2023 at 1:34PM
Whenever I tell my friend "oh, I saw this amazing thing today", their first and only response is "from Kottke??". I've been reading since 2008 and am so grateful for this lovely respite on the internet that has entertained me and helped me learn and grow. I wish I had more $ to support the way I would like. Thank you for all of your work and for keeping this space for us!
edmzMar 14, 2023 at 1:37PM
There is a little dumb tradition I do which is to open my browser and type each letter of the alphabet to see which domain pops up first in the autocomplete suggestions. It's my own personal popularity index. Well, you've been my letter K for as long as I remember. Congratulations!
JonMar 14, 2023 at 1:42PM
I've been reading since 2008! And I've visited the site at least once, and often multiple times, every day since. You've built a real source of kindness and joy here. It is simply my favorite place on the internet. Thank you for everything, and happy 25 years!
LaurieMar 14, 2023 at 1:43PM
If I had to choose just a handful of sites I could visit, yours would be included. I've followed you for years and years. You once linked to a blog post I wrote about my week in a psychward, and I was so excited to see myself on kottke.org! My husband recently asked me what "kottke.org" meant on our Visa statement. It means a whole lot.
nateMar 14, 2023 at 1:44PM
Love reading these comments! so many people share my story and my most enduring daily visit. keep going!
SaraMar 14, 2023 at 1:47PM
I've been reading since at least spring 2000, when the site had the yellow gradient logo in the corner and I was a freshman in college...I'm 42 now! I can't even remember how I found you...maybe from Camworld or Powazek!?!? Cheers to 25 years, and thank you for providing fine hypertext products.
MarcMar 14, 2023 at 1:50PM
Congrats on 25 years! What an accomplishment! I've been reading for at least 15 years, I believe, and I'm always so interested in not only the links you post but your commentary as well. It's always so thoughtful and engaging. I had a similar story when I first saw the web probably around 1996-1997 or so? IIRC, Netscape had an "edit this page" button and it would allow you to basically edit the webpage locally and see your changes immediately. Of course this didn't save back to the server, but the fact that I could change things HOOKED me. I'm now a full time web developer and have been developing practically ever since that time. Keep up the great work!
KerryMar 14, 2023 at 1:51PM
I'm glad you turned on the comments. I've enjoyed your site for ages and appreciate your work!
DylanMar 14, 2023 at 1:52PM
Congrats and thank you, Jason! Kottke.org has been my primary lens into the magic of the web for decades. So grateful for all you do here!
AimeeMar 14, 2023 at 1:52PM
Thanks for Sharing! I’ve enjoyed reading your blog over the years, and I’m glad you’re still doing it. Good luck in the future.
JenniMar 14, 2023 at 1:53PM
Congrats Jason. Your site has always consistently been a place for cool stuff on the internet. Thanks for all your thoughtfulness and sharing things that wowed you in the world. (And thanks again for letting me be a tiny part of it for The Noughties list years ago!)
NatMar 14, 2023 at 1:53PM
This site has been a daily read for me since 2000-ish, and I plan to be here for the next 25 years, too. Thank you!
TonyMar 14, 2023 at 1:56PM
Wow, congratulations. I hope the work in these days since your leave has felt meaningful and supportive. I've been a long-time reader and love the work that you do here. You're a presence for good on this world wide web, and I hope that we continue to see you for a long time.
EnriqueMar 14, 2023 at 1:57PM
Bravo! You're a cornerstone of this new medium. Your curation has guided me (and everyone I forward links to) with insight, empathy, and curiosity. I look forward to it every day.
BarryMar 14, 2023 at 1:58PM
Thank you so much for everything.
Pascal LalibertéMar 14, 2023 at 2:00PM
k-o-t-return
Multiple times a day, this keyboard combo has been flying off my fingers.
For a distraction, for consolation, for a fresh take on the news, for science, for art, for freedom, to commune with another curious mind, for reading what matters, for something deep, for slowing down, for feeling like it's okay to be sensitive and truthful.
Thanks Jason. Your site's the best.
carolynMar 14, 2023 at 2:02PM
I discovered Kottke.org by way of Joanna Goddard's Cup of Jo and I'm thrilled you're both still here/at it. My two favorite reads every week.
DanMar 14, 2023 at 2:05PM
You’ve created something really cool and made a big impact on the web and on my life. Congratulations and thanks!
EliseMar 14, 2023 at 2:11PM
Not sure exactly when I started reading, but I know I was reading in 2010 for sure! I also probably stumbled here from a Cup of Jo link. Thank you for continuing to blog here. Your work matters.
JCMar 14, 2023 at 2:13PM
Congrats, that is quite an achievement! So blogs is dad, is how it is, but I still find your curation valuable and intelligent. So thanks for that.
Mike FourcherMar 14, 2023 at 2:15PM
I distinctly remember discovering Kottke.org in Spring of 2001, with my new Apple TiBook. Your site made me rethink what was possible, and even today makes we wonder what else I should be doing better with the web.
KatharineMar 14, 2023 at 2:16PM
I'm pretty sure I've been following along since 2005, and I think I might've found you through BBSpot (but I'm a lot less sure about that part). It was in an effort to find some fun and nerdy things to talk about with the guy I was quasi-dating at the time. My relationship with Kottke has lasted much longer than that one did.
Thanks for all the cool and quality content you've shared over the years. My favorite design of the site remains the yellowy-lime (limon?) with the rainbow spectrum bar.
pamela daleyMar 14, 2023 at 2:16PM
I had to think...25 years is SO LONG! I got on the web as soon as it happened as a way to start a business. I discovered you when things had calmed down enough for me to have fun rather than code or repair code - around 2008. I felt so privileged to read your thoughtful, fun posts - so different from everybody else even then. It was and still is a balm. Then you mentioned me in a post about Who Is Still reading Blogs? in 2018 and I told EVERYBODY (most who wondered what the hell I was so proud of). Thanx so much, Jason.
Jesse O’Neill-Oine Mar 14, 2023 at 2:18PM
Do you still remember Gorgar?!?
Jeff MacklinMar 14, 2023 at 2:19PM
long time reader, and really, Kottke is the only weblog i've stayed with all this time. Others have come and gone. thanks for all you do.
Michelle Mar 14, 2023 at 2:21PM
Congratulations! Hard to believe I've been reading you for so long (since probably around 2000 or so, when I graduated college and moved to San Francisco). Thank you for decades of thought-provoking glimpses into art, science, and the best of humans.
ChrisMar 14, 2023 at 2:26PM
Jason. Thank you for being a part of my day, each and every day for the last 20+ years. I look forward to visiting your site each morning. I understand your ebbing and flowing love of the WWW over the years. I think we all have experienced that.
One of my claims to fame is working at a museum, where from 2006-2010 I was focused on technology, and being one of the first museums using YouTube. You were key to this by mentioning a video we created around ballpoint pen artist Il Lee (very blurry by today's standards) on your site. I spent the evening watching the YouTube watch count increasing 10K over 10K all night long. It was amazing! You were very influential and I very much appreciated that. Congratulations on your 25th!
Paul FordMar 14, 2023 at 2:26PM
Total admiration.
Swampy HawkinsMar 14, 2023 at 2:28PM
kottke.org rules! Permanently bookmarked and recommended to everyone. And that setup in your early 90s photo is an ergonomic masterpiece. Thanks for all the enjoyment over the years.
Thom WongMar 14, 2023 at 2:28PM
Started reading around 2004 and have checked in daily ever since (sabbatical aside). Thanks for introducing me to so many cool and important things. Highlight - when you recently named my partner's White Noise poster as one of your favourites.
MikeMar 14, 2023 at 2:29PM
The crying at work tag is one of my favorite places on the internet. Thank you.
Kyle HaleMar 14, 2023 at 2:33PM
I've been a kottke fan so long I don't remember when I was not (it was probably around my own fits-and-starts journey into blogging around 2001 or so?), and in a not at all unhealthy parasocial way, your interests, tastes, and lifeview parallel my own so much I consider you a close and personal friend. I'm not even ashamed to admit I've found myself more than once thinking, "I bet Kottke would like this" after seeing something cool or strange out in reality.
Here's to 25 - hell, 50 - more years of you sharing with us! Thanks for everything you do.
CeeMar 14, 2023 at 2:42PM
Thank you for the many years of interesting observations and insights. Your links never fail me. I always know something good is waiting when I go to your site. It’s a daily habit and one that enhances my life. Congratulations.
TerryMar 14, 2023 at 2:45PM
Congratulations Jason, I have always enjoyed your site and it's a joy to see how far you've come. Here's to many more years of wisdom and insight from you! Thanks, Terry
Bob HaleyMar 14, 2023 at 2:50PM
Wow. Congratulations on a quarter century of putting ideas out into the world. You've certainly made an impact in my life. So many interesting posts that sent me down rabbit holes of illumination. Your point of view at various points matched my own so closely that it was borderline creepy.
I think I started following the blog around 2000-2001 based on a recommendation from...I really wish I knew what first sent me to this node on the web. I was hooked almost immediately and reviewed all the past posts. Checking in on the site is now a weekdaily ritual.
Anyway, much love to you. I hope you continue to find happiness doing your thing.
Laura MMar 14, 2023 at 2:51PM
Thank you so much for your amazing work over the years. I'm not sure when I started reading, but it's been a long time, and this has consistently been my favorite blog, and the only one I visit daily.
SusanneMar 14, 2023 at 2:51PM
Congratulations and thank you from a German reader, who found you around 2007.
Mike RastielloMar 14, 2023 at 2:55PM
I can't remember when I first started reading your blog, but it was between 2006 and 2008 after seeing links on the early days of Twitter.
I tried using the Way Back Machine to find the site's design that I remember and identify with Kottke.org, but I have read mostly via RSS, so that wasn't working either. The first record I have in my Gmail of a Kottke.org link was a link I posted to Google Buzz in 2010, which is a service I also barely remember.
Thank you for years of entertainment and education!
AprilMar 14, 2023 at 3:02PM
I can clearly remember looking forward to checking your site every day in 2000. I might have found you a bit before that. So, at least 23 years and I still look forward to your posts! Thank you! You unlocked the web for me at a time when I was just discovering it, and most of what/who I read regularly for the last two plus decades, I can trace right back to this place. Forever grateful and hope you keep on going!
Hanan LMar 14, 2023 at 3:04PM
Another daily reader of 23 years or so here.
Congratulation on your survival and longevity.
SamMar 14, 2023 at 3:06PM
I've been following Kottke.org since I was in high school, so for just about 20 years, but my favorite Kottke memory is when I was working the cash register at Shake Shack in maybe 2006 and recognized you when you ordered from me (I think from the very picture in this post).
A real "meeting your hero" moment for young Sam and hopefully not too awkward for you!
NicolasMar 14, 2023 at 3:07PM
Thank you for this website; there should be hundreds like this but there isn't, which makes it even more precious. To the next 25 years!
JDVMar 14, 2023 at 3:07PM
kottke.org is my longest relationship on the internet, ha. I just can't quit you! Been reading consistently since 2002. Thanks for all the links.
MichaelMar 14, 2023 at 3:08PM
I've been reading you for so long that the day you chose to link to something I wrote felt like I had been plucked from obscurity and briefly knighted. Congrats on the anniversary, and thanks for sacrificing your time and yourself to introduce all of us to so many compelling stories and ideas.
AndyMar 14, 2023 at 3:11PM
Just thank you. Your site has been one of the few consistently good things in my life for a long long long time. To the next 25. Whether that includes the site (or not)!
AlisonMar 14, 2023 at 3:13PM
Daily reader for decades. Your posts are most likely to be shared by me. You cover so much ground. I'm delighted by our common interests, especially the ones I didn't know I had until you posted about them.
Wade HutchisonMar 14, 2023 at 3:25PM
Great job, Jason - keep up the good work!
StefanMar 14, 2023 at 3:27PM
Happy 25th blogiversary! Apart from that one e-mail address I got in 1999, kottke.org is my oldest continuity on the internet, having discovered it around 2007 (I think). Today it's still a source of so much delight and discovery. It's a bit like one's favourite neighborhood café: Always a joy to visit and to recommend, though every recommendation comes with a little bit of heart-throbbing: Is the other person also going to enjoy it as much as myself? Can I be friends with them if they don't like it? How could they not love it? Thank you for making this a special place, and for keeping it unique and indeed a place for very fine hypertext products.
Robert JanMar 14, 2023 at 3:33PM
Amazing to see how much dedication and positivity you inspire in all your readers Jason! Love what you've been doing for a long time now, hope you continue for as long as you can...
Keith BrownMar 14, 2023 at 3:35PM
Congrats, Jason! I remember reading kottke.org way back when we all built our personal sites with Greymatter in, say, 1994-ish?
I'm very happy this has continued, both for you and for us.
KeithMar 14, 2023 at 3:35PM
I’ve grown up with you. 20 ish years and counting.
Thanks Jason!
Hugo GarcíaMar 14, 2023 at 3:41PM
Congratulations on the anniversary. I've only started visiting the site about six years ago but it very quickly became a daily part of my life. Thank you for your wonderful, insightful writing and for introducing me to so many cool and fascinating things on the internet.
Matthew MilanMar 14, 2023 at 3:43PM
It’s been awesome to follow your writing over the years. You’ve been a place for me go and connect with the spirit of the internet (cue Rush), free from all of the cruft and detritus that’s built up over the last 25 years.
Kottke.org is like the Mad River Glen of the Web (which I think you’ll appreciate) - a clear reminder of why this whole thing mattered in the first place.
Looking forward to your 50th Anniversary post!
DamonMar 14, 2023 at 3:43PM
I'm not sure when I first came to Kottke.org... I think it might have been around the time you switched off comments, because I don't remember ever commenting here before. I was at least privileged to read the comment section for the airplane on the conveyer belt puzzle. It was a fascinating debate, but people got a little snippy!
Anyway, since I first started reading, I have barely missed a day, because your content is always ... [chef's kiss]. Thank you so much for all you do.
ElizabethMar 14, 2023 at 3:47PM
Thanks so much for all your sharing of thoughtful, interesting, inspiring, entertaining, educational and just weird stuff. My favourite website, no competition, for 17 years.
Adam AlexanderMar 14, 2023 at 3:49PM
Congrats and thank you from the 90% of the web that is lurkers anonymous. A bowl of kottke, waxy and fireball has been my champion breakfast for as long as I remember since the noughties. You have introduced us to so. Much. Cool. Shit.
SimonMar 14, 2023 at 3:50PM
I think I started reading around 2000, and I've never stopped. Kottke.org is certainly the only website I visited daily back then that I still do today. I think a lot these days about the early web and everything I loved about it - kottke.org is a link back to those days for me. From what I've read of the other comments, I don't think I'm alone. Thanks Jason for everything you do.
JosephMar 14, 2023 at 3:51PM
I had to hunt down my first Winamp skin on a site called "DeviantArt" to measure (at least) how long I've been reading your weblog — because I knew it made use of your Silkscreen font. Well, that was 2001. It's a very long time! And I'm delighted to have been a paying member from the first opportunity.
Genuine congratulations, Jason. This site is a remarkable document of an endlessly curious mind.
ChrisMar 14, 2023 at 4:00PM
I think I’ve been reading the site for at least 10 years - I must have been 16 or 17 then. Your site has been one of the most constant features in my life for the last 10 years and I still look forward to reading the site each day!!! Here’s to 25 more!
JacomienMar 14, 2023 at 4:01PM
Congrats and thanks! You’re one of a kind, keep up the good work!
(long time reader from across the Atlantic, always curious to check my rss reader for kottke.org updates in the morning)
Chris GlassMar 14, 2023 at 4:02PM
Thank you for making a bright place to visit all these years.
SamMar 14, 2023 at 4:03PM
It is so tempting to hide a fake link to a shady sounding offshore boner pill e-store, but happy birthday. Now go check out www4.alwaysstronggggz.xyz and use code kittke25 .... Just kidding.
Michael SippeyMar 14, 2023 at 4:04PM
Goddammit this is a great website. Always has been.
Eating the WorldMar 14, 2023 at 4:12PM
Congratulations on this milestone achievement! We readers appreciate all of the knowledge (and links) you have shared over the years. I have been reading for at least 15 years, and you helped inspire me to start my own (still-running) blog in 2007.
PhilMar 14, 2023 at 4:13PM
You have been a significant part of my life. Thank you.
alexMar 14, 2023 at 4:17PM
I remember finding BBS's back in 1986 and talking to people online who lived very far away, were geeky like me and talked about so many random/amazing things that I wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise. Then I remember 'meet-ups' in London with these strangers who became friends and then thinking after, 'I never want this 'thing' to go away!' And it didn't.
I ended up weblogging in 1995 for similar reasons to you and meeting people online (I think I found you in 2000(!)) then early SXSW days and I just have so many good memories of the early days and then all the ebbs + flows over time so I really feel this post and appreciate everything you shared in it.
So glad you blazed this path, have somehow figured out how to keep going through the ebbs + flows, and shared all the things because they (and you) make such a difference. I'd say here's to another 25 but I don't want to jinx it!
Koobee KidsMar 14, 2023 at 4:18PM
Wow, what a journey! Interesting to follow along for sure. I first started a blog in 2002, but didn't keep at it. What a great length of time. Thanks for all the hypertexts :)
Naz HamidMar 14, 2023 at 4:22PM
They consistency is key to longevity, and this life's work is testament to that. My favorite version may still be the yellow tables-within-tables one, but the content has always been great.
Lance Arthur Mar 14, 2023 at 4:24PM
Congratulations on 25. Personally I hate the web. Having worked on it professionally I lost all my initial love and interest in it, like so many other things. But this isn’t about my trials and tribulations, so happy anniversary and I hope you are able to keep it up. Don’t lose the faith.
LozdogHotdogMar 14, 2023 at 4:24PM
This is my favourite website and often the first thing I do in the morning is read the latest posts over a coffee. I live in Australia so all the posts are neatly lined up in my RSS feed waiting for me. What a joy. I used to subscribe but then ran into financial troubles and this has reinvigorated me to start subscribing again.
Allen KnutsonMar 14, 2023 at 4:25PM
Long (decades) time reader and first time commenter!
As someone who still fires up a browser and accidentally types in "memepool" I express my appreciation that you're still (or again) around!
John WilsonMar 14, 2023 at 4:26PM
I mentioned it on Mastodon, but I wanted to point out that when I started reading your site in 1998, the apartment I lived in had the exact same wood paneling.
MacRae LintonMar 14, 2023 at 4:31PM
Jason! Thank you so much for this website. You have introduced me to many wonderful things and your taste is infectious. Just last month I saw Nick Hakim live, would never have heard of him if not for your media diet posts which I adore.
Greg StollMar 14, 2023 at 4:33PM
Thanks for everything Jason, been following for a while :-)
Nick VanceMar 14, 2023 at 4:38PM
We all have said and done things in our youth that have aged poorly. Don't loose too much sleep over that stuff, just focus on being better today and tomorrow!
Keep up the great work and here's to another 25!
AnouskaMar 14, 2023 at 4:40PM
I've been a reader for 10 of those years. Your blog has long been one of my favourite corners of the internet. Congratulations on the milestone! Consistency is one of the most underrated virtues.
JohnMar 14, 2023 at 4:40PM
The way you described your early days on the web really resonated with me, and align with my own experience. I too started blogging in 1998, somehow quickly found an audience, and spent about a decade publishing all kinds of stupid stuff with no filter. I scrubbed most of it from the web years later, and still occasionally post to on my personal blog today, but it'll never be a daily thing like it was back then. I yearn for those "early" days on the web and your post made me feel very nostalgic.
JustinMar 14, 2023 at 5:00PM
Like many others, I want to chime in and say thanks on one of the few posts allowing comments (!). You consistently find the most interesting links and ideas I have in my RSS feed. Here's to another 25!
Adam PMar 14, 2023 at 5:01PM
Been reading since 2004 when I was in first year of university in Canada. It has been a daily habit coming to your page via bookmark and then eventually just typing in ko in my address bar and having it autocomplete, since I visit so regularly.
While I would like to say that I gravitated to you because I share your point of view and taste, you have certainly shaped my interests and introduced me to so many things!
While there are other places to find links to interesting things, your site has always been the #1 place for me to go to because of the thoughtful curation. Thank you for all that you do, and I hope you continue for a long, long time.
AndrewMar 14, 2023 at 5:02PM
Discovering the site my first year in college circa 2000/2001, it's still somewhat astounds me how impactful this site has been on me. It is one of a small handful of sites that I check daily and I am always excited to see whatever appears. The name Kottke is regularly tossed around between my wife and I as a source of news, opinion, curiosities, and art. I'm ever appreciative of what you have done and I look forward to the next 25 years.
CoryMar 14, 2023 at 5:08PM
Happy 25th! Long-time reader, since 2000! but far more regularly now as I have truly enjoyed observing your writing become more inclusive, compassionate and self-aware.
AgnabMar 14, 2023 at 5:11PM
I first heard about this site when you would do segments on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn (or was it still TSOYA back then?) and have been coming here regularly ever since. I love finding neat things on the internet, but I've never been able to engage with social media, and so this site holds great value for me. Congratulations to you, and thanks very much for all the links.
RichardMar 14, 2023 at 5:12PM
Congratulations on 25 years. Kottke.org is one of the few online places that seems to live up to the 90s-era promise of the Web. The internet has become home to a lot of other things since then (some great, some not so much). But kottke.org really feels like the WWW.
JohnMar 14, 2023 at 5:22PM
Thanks for everything, Jason, and congrats!
Joe HettlerMar 14, 2023 at 5:37PM
Since I’ll probably never happen to pass you on the street in person, I’ll just describe how I imagine that going here:
*knuckle bump*
“Cool blog, man.”
AllisonMar 14, 2023 at 5:44PM
Congratulations on the 25 years! I've been reading since ~2008, always through RSS. I first heard about the site through my older brother, and to this day we continue to share and discuss the content you post. I'm always excited when a new post pops up and look forward to the future of Kottke!
AnnMar 14, 2023 at 5:52PM
I'm another one who's had you in my feed readers for as long as I've a feed reader. Thanks for the interesting things you pick up to show us.
hat_eaterMar 14, 2023 at 5:53PM
What a marvelous time to live in. I've been visiting kottke.org regularly for just over a decade, but started with a 300 baud landline modem dialing into BBS. So I know what I'm saying when I say this place is the pinnacle of the internet. And get off my lawn. Here's hoping we meet at the golden jubilee!
Luke DavisMar 14, 2023 at 5:54PM
Happy anniversary. This site has been one of the biggest inspiration for my own blogs over the last few years and it's so cool to see it going after all these years!
Matt KostermanMar 14, 2023 at 5:54PM
Congrats on the anniversary! Keep up the great work. I really missed the site when you were on sabbatical. I've been reading since around 2001/2002. I ran a digital photo lab and some of my Mac consultants turned me on to you and Daring Fireball. Can't remember if you participated in Layer Tennis?
Kudos from a fellow Cheddarhead!
Stephen PontesMar 14, 2023 at 5:58PM
Happy 25th! Long time reader here too - I feel like I remember discovering you around the same time I discovered Daring Fireball. Must have been 15-16 years ago now.
Thanks for all the aggregation and commentary, you've been a part of my daily routine now for the aforementioned 15-16 years and I've been able to share out so many wonderful articles to family and friends from this great source. Keep up the good work and looking forward to the next 25 years!
Josh GeeMar 14, 2023 at 5:59PM
Thanks for all the memories. I've learned a ton and met some cool folks via this blog.
Jonathan DobresMar 14, 2023 at 6:02PM
Jason, I've been reading your site since the early eye-searing yellow-green days. Every once in a great while, someone less online than me will ask what's good on the internet. This site is always my first recommendation, with its seemingly infinite supply of thought provoking, fun, artsy, science-y, wonderful content. Please keep up the good work!
Another ChrisMar 14, 2023 at 6:04PM
Congratulations on such a huge milestone! Thank you (and your guests) for bringing us the finest hypertext products. Your writing and curation expands minds and fills heart—it’s a joy to be a reader here. I look forward to enjoying Kottke.org for as you enjoy publishing it.
RémiMar 14, 2023 at 6:09PM
OMG comments!
Thank you so much Jason. Every time my RSS reader shows a kottke update, I know I'm about to discover something unexpected. You are making the Web much more pleasant every day. Thank you.
Drew McManusMar 14, 2023 at 6:12PM
I don't know when the first time I read the site was, but I'm sure it was damn close to 25 years ago and I know I have read it ever since. We've exchanged emails a few times over the years, and I have always appreciated our shared tastes for what is interesting on (and about) the web. Thanks, Jason!
Guy DickinsonMar 14, 2023 at 6:13PM
I remember three things from the late 90s that changed how I saw the world; Wired, Microserfs, and Kottke.
There’s only one of those I still read regularly.
Happy anniversary, and thank you.
Keith SutherlandMar 14, 2023 at 6:17PM
Congratulations on the anniversary! I've been following for at least 19, maybe even 20 of the years (basically my entire adult life), and I've always loved the window on the world you've shown me. Becoming a supporter was a no-brainier when you opened that up; long may the site continue!
Stephen VossMar 14, 2023 at 6:27PM
What a run! Listening to you and Gruber talk brought on such a wave of nostalgia for that earlier web and all those great blogs with their idiosyncratic designs and distinct voices.
So grateful for all of the work you do, your great taste is why I'm proud to be a Kottke.org member and keep coming back.
David HornMar 14, 2023 at 6:42PM
Hey Jason. I reckon I've been here since about 2003 - when I moved to Ireland from NYC and got starting building websites of my own. I love it here and appreciate all the thought, effort, consideration and care that goes in to creating something like this. Keep on keeping on.
DanMar 14, 2023 at 6:50PM
I've been a regular reader for a long time, and an occasional reader since the beginning. Always great to see what fascinating things you bring into view.
Your recent visit with Gruber on his podcast was a trip down memory lane for me. I'm a contemporary, and had my own little website running on my Mac at Drexel U. in October 1994 (using MacHTTP), but never really thought of myself as a writer, so didn't keep that going.
I'm glad there are engaging writers like you out there keeping the spirit of that era alive. I'm a bit hopeful that some of that spirit is returning, with some of the recent awareness of the flaws of centralized platforms versus open protocols.
Here's to another 25 (if that works for you)!
RalphMar 14, 2023 at 7:04PM
Hey Jason. Congratulations on a quarter century. Not sure when I started reading you, but kottke.org and RSS (and your evangelism of it) completely changed the way I use the web and I thank you. I'm 72 yrs old and still read your thoughts whenever you share them (in feedly now instead of Google Reader). All the best to you and keep doing this as long as it pleases you.
David GallagherMar 14, 2023 at 7:14PM
Who let all these people in here??
Congrats Jason! Long live the indie web sxsw circa 2001 spirit.
CathyMar 14, 2023 at 7:18PM
Congrats on 25 years - I’ve been a reader since 2000. Kottke has easily survived every rss reader / blog purge in the last 23 years. Still as big a fan as I was the first day I started reading.
TravisMar 14, 2023 at 7:44PM
Kottke has been consistently and reliably great for all these years. I've been checkin' in for more than twenty of those, ever since I started working on the web too, inspired in the same way you were. Thanks so much and enjoy the occasion!
Nick BergusMar 14, 2023 at 7:50PM
I can’t remember when I started reading your work, but I’m often surprised how long it’s been reading when I start to work it out. I’m guessing it’s been since the mid-2000s. Your work has always hit a sweet spot for me.
Several years ago, I was the subject of a post and it gave me insight into how much your site drives conversation on the web, as I followed along as the story was picked up by increasing prominent news outlets (Buzzfeed, Adweek, cnet, Forbes) and, eventually, the New York Times.
Congratulations on reaching 25 years, Jason.
Jordan Mar 14, 2023 at 8:01PM
The number of comments is astounding… all expressing the same (deserved) gratitude.
Many mahalos.
Looking forward to many more posts.
PeggyMar 14, 2023 at 8:31PM
I've had a membership since 2017 and I've been reading since at least 2010, based on the oldest emails where I shared links to your blog. Congratulations on the milestone, and may there be many more to come!
CafedaveMar 14, 2023 at 8:31PM
Congratulations on the anniversary. I remember reading the osil8 stories when I was still an undergrad last century; great insights into what online storytelling might look like all that time ago. Thanks for all the links and ideas over the years.
jgsMar 14, 2023 at 8:35PM
Thank you for keeping a little bit of the delightful headiness of the early web aflame here for all these years. It seems to get harder to do every day, but the work you're doing helps keep that part of my brain ticking along, regardless.
Alicia Mar 14, 2023 at 8:58PM
Congratulations! I’m guessing I found you around 2001? Thanks for being one of the few constants in my life - always engaging, sometimes leaving me pondering for a few days, but hopefully keeping my brain working!
TsikuMar 14, 2023 at 9:06PM
Congratulations on your big milestone! I began reading ~2000 and I felt the same wonder and excitement about the Internet at that time. Thank you for all of the fascinating links and stories over the years.
RosieMar 14, 2023 at 9:07PM
Reading through the comments is quite extraordinary- and must be even more so for you! I have been reading your site from Australia and for awhile the UK - almost daily for - I think - 18 years. Incredible to think. It’s my longest commitment. Heartiest congratulations and many thanks for a near lifetime of interest and joy from this patron
JoelMar 14, 2023 at 9:12PM
Congratulations Jason! You’ve been in my daily web links since the mid 2000’s. Most of those other daily sites have fallen away. Thank you for keeping at it and keeping me informed about things I wasn’t always aware I wanted to know about.
Mathew IngramMar 14, 2023 at 9:48PM
Congrats, Jason — what a journey! I've been reading you for about 20 of those years, and Andy Baio is right when he says you are a shining light of the independent web. Thanks for all you do
Eric SingleyMar 14, 2023 at 9:58PM
I've been reading kottke.org since at least March 2001, but for at least a year before that. I know that with some precision because that is when I wrote my college honors thesis on "Weblogs" and how they can be used to bring people together. As part of my rigorous research, I contacted "possibly the most famous Weblogger", Jason Kottke, to get his take on the medium. Very kindly, you replied. To my question then of why you wrote, you said: "I wanted to give my brain something to do other than remember what I need to get at the grocery store this evening. I used to write a lot in college, basically because I had to. After school, I stopped writing, instead focusing on other interests. Realizing I missed it, I started my Weblog to keep my writing skills in good shape. I'm still writing it, almost three years later, for pretty much the same reason."
Rereading the thesis now, it isn't what I would call...good. But, it got one thing right: blogs have enabled me to feel connected with so many great people over the decades (decades!), and you are at the top of that list. Your writing has not only entertained and informed me over the years, but it has made me feel like I'm connected to and even part of a larger community. Thank you for that. Keep on Webloggin'!
NicolasMar 14, 2023 at 10:13PM
Wow. The quality of these comments and the length of the scroll bar are such a testament to this website and the silent community you've cultivated over these 25 years. A huge congratulations.
I've been reading for perhaps half that time, maybe a bit more. It might be my favorite place on the internet, perhaps the only place I go for that beautiful mix of curiosity, criticality, and wonder. Throughout the many stages of my life—including my current one in NYC, for the last 9 years (I still wonder where you may have lived when I walk the streets of the West Village)—your posts have informed, comforted, and inspired me. Thank you.
ChrysostomMar 14, 2023 at 10:25PM
Congrats and thanks for a quarter century, Jason.
JoshMar 14, 2023 at 10:56PM
I don't know how long I've been reading, maybe 10 or 15 years, but I still find things to enjoy every time I land here. It's one of only three bookmarks I look at regularly. I'm sure there's an RSS feed, but I figure that I am better off only looking at the site when I have the time to get lost on the internet. I always follow back to the last place I left off and end up with new tabs and bookmarks.
I am glad to be a subscriber, and in case you're wondering, my #1 reason for subscribing is because I hate ads anywhere and every time. I'm glad to pay for a lack of ads, even if the lack of advertisers was the motivation on your end.
Thank you for the site.
AdrianMar 14, 2023 at 11:07PM
Thanks for thinking in public all these years. What a feast!
Paul JMar 14, 2023 at 11:10PM
Yes! Like so many comments above, you’ve travelled with me daily, desk job to desk job for many years. From the early 2000s in the Bay Area during my 20s to my central Virginia time now raising a family of my 40s. I still regularly find myself searching for past links about washing skillets with soap or islands where people use cardinal points in place of left and right to share with others. Your time spent sharing these many discoveries and connecting us is so appreciated and loved. Thank you. You will always have a friend in Cville.
Jordan McQueen Mar 14, 2023 at 11:30PM
Keep it up! I’ve been running my website since a similar age, for about 10 years now (I’m much younger) and I can only hope to go through the same process. I completely relate to the “earlier posts and cringeworthy” sentiment.
Seth SchoenMar 14, 2023 at 11:32PM
I'm not sure I know exactly who you are (if that's even a meaningful concept), but I've definitely seen people linking to your writing over and over through most of those twenty-five years, and I've enjoyed a number of your articles and "fine hypertext products". Congratulations, and best wishes for the next twenty-five years!
best dayMar 14, 2023 at 11:37PM
what are you gonna do on March 22 for the 25th anniversary of one of your best days ever
Andrew GwozdziewyczMar 14, 2023 at 11:39PM
Stellar. Simply stellar. Not sure how you’ve done it so long, but I am glad you have and still are. Thank you, and congratulations!
Steve RoyMar 14, 2023 at 11:40PM
Being able to post a comment on Kottke.org feels like an honour in its own right!
And what an occasion. Congratulations on 25 years, but above all, thank you! In 1999 we purchased a blue iMac and it is soon after that I started sharing interesting posts from Kottke.org with my wife. Over the years we've emailed, texted, and talked about so many things we discovered on here. Some became dinner table topics. All in all, your work has made the web such a more personal, human, artistic, and interesting place. As corporate as the web has become, Kottke.org has always been for me a reminder of the what the web can be. And it has enriched my family's life. So thank you.
Jeff MorrisMar 14, 2023 at 11:40PM
Congratulations, Jason! Thank you for all that you have shared, I have learned about so many things from you and have you to thank for introducing me to my favorite author, David Foster Wallace. Here's to 25 more.
John LampardMar 14, 2023 at 11:58PM
Congrats on 25 years :) Been reading along on and off since someone told me about 0sil8 in the late 90s.
Jim LongoMar 15, 2023 at 12:05AM
Came here on some recommendation 10 or 15 years ago.
You just keep me hangin' on.
Thanks for all the great work.
ChristinaMar 15, 2023 at 12:10AM
It appears that I’m late to this party, and what a party it is! I came with stacks of congrats, admiration, gratitude and love to offer and it’s no surprise that I’m only one of so many. You’re a good egg, Jason, and we’re all lucky to ‘know’ you. Thanks for 25 years of sharing the very best stuff.
Cortland KleinMar 15, 2023 at 12:22AM
Congratulations! Enjoy the next 25 years!
Joel FarrisMar 15, 2023 at 12:26AM
Your work means a lot to me and to a lot of people. Sharing bits of yourself and your way of seeing things with so many of us is such a strange and wonderful situation.
TimMar 15, 2023 at 12:32AM
Congratulations Jason. Love your work, all the way from Melbourne, AU
monicaMar 15, 2023 at 12:33AM
congratulations, Jason, and thank you!
Danny O'BrienMar 15, 2023 at 12:42AM
Here's to 25 more years and more of Kottke fine products
KateMar 15, 2023 at 12:43AM
I have been following this site since an old buddy sent me a link in an email from July 2005. You used to have more New York content back then. Anyway, I thank you, you rock.
Liam KeaneMar 15, 2023 at 12:47AM
Congratulations Jason. I think I've been regularly reading since at least 2005. Your words here make me nostalgic as well.
SteveMar 15, 2023 at 12:49AM
Just have to say, I first read your blog about 18 years ago; literally half my life ago. It was one of my first bookmarked blogs, and I thought this whole phenomenon – people writing about stuff, creating links to interesting things, having thoughts and insights – was exciting as hell.
Thanks for all the great posts and, frankly, for being a part of internet history (at least from my corner of the internet).
nebMar 15, 2023 at 12:49AM
Congrats, Jason! It is pretty incredible to have been here from the get-go, no? Looking forward to the 50th anniversary post.
Aaron CohenMar 15, 2023 at 1:00AM
What a great achievement, congratulations on 25 years! Kottke.org has always been my favorite website and I have no idea how I discovered it.
Jake KrohnMar 15, 2023 at 1:02AM
Osil8 and yellow boxes kottke.org were staples of my college existence, and muscle memory still brings me to your site nearly every day. Thank you for all that you've done and continue to do.
brianMar 15, 2023 at 1:10AM
Thanks for sharing your corner of the interwebs with us, all these years in. I'm glad to have been along for the ride for decades — plural!
Here's to many more years ahead ... we'll be riding shotgun for as long as you care to drive.
/brian
Joe RodgersMar 15, 2023 at 1:11AM
Been following you for a long time! Still enjoy it daily and have pointed many others here. Thank you!
Gen KanaiMar 15, 2023 at 1:24AM
Thank you Jason!
ReedMar 15, 2023 at 1:27AM
I love this site so much. It was a huge inspiration for me to get into web design back in 2006, which lead directly to an extremely fulfilling career in software engineering. This is my favorite website on the whole internet. Thank you Jason! Fine hypertext products indeed.
Paul StamatiouMar 15, 2023 at 1:28AM
Been loving following along over the years, keep doing what you're doing!
TomasMar 15, 2023 at 1:41AM
Congratulations! I've been a reader for many years and greatly missed you in your absence. As much as we appreciate your virtual company, stay healthy first and foremost! We'd rather hear a little bit from you now and then than see you burn out and disappear for good. Thank you, Jason!
Heidi BMar 15, 2023 at 1:48AM
What a great string of comments! I was introduced to your site by my now-husband back in the early 00s. Right away I knew this was a place I wanted to be. Admittedly I am a sporadic reader but that's my flaw and has nothing to do with what you publish. In fact I happily pass on info from this site to my friends frequently.
One small thing - I am fairly sure my memory is on and that you posted about Tinyrun way back when. I still buy every t-shirt he releases.
David SingletonMar 15, 2023 at 1:49AM
Hey Jason, been reading the site daily since 2005 and a member since you tried to go ramen profitable. Just want to say it's been such a pleasure following your daily digest of the best stuff on the web. You keep this little corner of the nineties exuberance of novelty online going so consistently, it's inspiring. Love that you are back with vim and vigor from your sabbatical -- keep it up! I'll continue waxing lyrical about all you do to whoever will listen (quite literally -- check out https://blog.singleton.io/posts/better-known/ ) :-) . Here's to another 25 years!
MMar 15, 2023 at 2:21AM
Let's make it another 25 years! Hail Kottke!
Michael AshbridgeMar 15, 2023 at 2:35AM
Knowing about kottke.org in the early 2000s was like having an extra 10 IQ points. That’s still true today. What luck to have found you all those years ago.
Thank you for 25 years of curiosity, kindness and passion!
Dennis HotsonMar 15, 2023 at 2:36AM
Hey mate! Happy anniversary! :-)
ShaunMar 15, 2023 at 2:47AM
I'm getting glassy eyed here. You're the coolest person on the web, and you've made my life so much larger than it could have otherwise been.
Thank you for everything you've done, Jason.
rgMar 15, 2023 at 2:50AM
Weekly, if not daily, reader since sometime between 99 and a 02 hard stop. Like others in the thread, I can only date it through fossicking back through life’s events. You are the internet. The rest is just noise.
AkshayMar 15, 2023 at 2:58AM
Hey Jason, Thank you for kottke.org. I've been a regular visitor for the past 5 years (I think) and I have learned so much from it, which I probably wouldn't have if not for you. I was visiting your site out of habit, even when you were on the sabbatical (don't know if that's a good thing or not).
Thanks for all that you do everyday!
Harry BMar 15, 2023 at 3:10AM
I still clearly remember downloading the silkscreen font and trying to emulate your design style. Your writing style too. In those days it wasn’t obvious how best to express yourself online or how to “be useful”. Thanks.
FeesMar 15, 2023 at 3:44AM
Thank you!
RayMar 15, 2023 at 4:43AM
Thanks for all this, Jason.
DoomsdayMar 15, 2023 at 5:21AM
Happy anniversary, Jason!
Paul KMar 15, 2023 at 5:22AM
Thank you Jason and congrats on 25! Watching the evolution of the web during the roughly 20 years I’ve been reading kottke is mind bending. I found this site in late high school via my brother, and it helped me progress all the way through grad school and the start of my career! It helped me through not needing to take my work so seriously all the time and explore ideas outside my bubble. That continues to this day and it makes a difference. I also remember those days with blogs referencing each other for discovery -- like Tyler Cohen on Marginal Revolution -- and wish we had more of that even though I know that the web is less friendly to that nowadays. Although it is a bit (a lot!) different with creativity and discovery locked into corporate machines and real-time recommendations for the next content dose (for better or worse!), kottke out here as a constant throughout is reassuringly simple reminder that yes, the web does not always have to be that way.
MarikenMar 15, 2023 at 5:41AM
This is my first time reading your site, it’s pretty nice. Looking forward to 40 000 more posts!
Alistair ForbesMar 15, 2023 at 5:49AM
I've been reading your kottke.org almost daily (and checking it through muscle memory even during your sabbatical) since about 2008, and it's wonderful to realize through this comments section that I'm not alone in this.
AndrewMar 15, 2023 at 6:05AM
Congrats, Jason! I’ve been a daily reader for years and proudly a a member. Your voice and interests are a real treat. Thanks for letting us join you on your journey! Cheers!
Emmet ConnollyMar 15, 2023 at 6:12AM
Thank you Jason for keeping alive the flame of what I love about the web for so long. I've been reading for, I'd guess, over 20 years? Still appreciate what you do.
KimMar 15, 2023 at 6:21AM
Congrats and thanks for such a wonderfully curated blog!!
Dan MMar 15, 2023 at 6:23AM
Long time reader, first time writer: thanks for all that you do!
RIP Stellar :(
Alastair HumphreysMar 15, 2023 at 6:34AM
I discovered you in 2006 and have read you most days since then.
On my blog feed, only you and Seth have that sort of longevity.
Here's to the next 25!
(I've been blogging since 2001, so I've loved reading of all the changes that have happened since you started.)
Paolo PalomboMar 15, 2023 at 6:44AM
As many others, long time reader, first time writer, happy to be a member.
I love your site - the style, the topics, the way it feels personal. I am grateful for your work. Here’s to 25 more years!
Matthew GuayMar 15, 2023 at 6:54AM
This, folks, is what you can build when you just keep showing up. Thank you for building one of the truly good parts of the internet!
Pete AshtonMar 15, 2023 at 7:07AM
Happy Birthday Jason's Blog!
I think this is the only web-thing I've consistently ready since 2000 (when I started reading web-things). Long may it continue.
Leo KennisMar 15, 2023 at 7:25AM
I still remember me accessing Kottke.org somewhere around 2002 on a beige Pentium machine running Windows XP, using the Opera browser. Since then, I don't think I skipped Kottke.org for more than a week - either direct via a browser or via the RSS feed. It's amazing how...nice this site has been and still is. And its longevity and tag archive quadruple its awesomeness.
So super please keep working on maintaining the tip top shape of this final remaining bastion of the good 'ol web! It's greatly appreciated!
KostisMar 15, 2023 at 7:39AM
One of the first weblogs I started following and reading on a daily basis. Thank you!
Jared CherupMar 15, 2023 at 7:56AM
You have been an integral part of my web experience for over two decades. You have reinforced everything I love about the web and what it offers in spite of how it's changed in the past decade. Thank you.
Neeraj KrishnanMar 15, 2023 at 8:14AM
Your site is an enduring gift in a "medium optimized for impermanence". Thank you.
jim renaudMar 15, 2023 at 9:13AM
Been following your work since 0sil8 and Kottke has been in my browser folder labeled Daily for all 25 years of this amazing run. I have never once read your site with an RSS reader. I love websites too much. I visit your actual site everyday I’m at my computer. I appreciate the consistency of your work and hope you feel energized and fulfilled to keep it going. I’m a proud supporter of your work! All the best, Jason!
Eric Atkins Mar 15, 2023 at 9:16AM
Dropping in from Alabama to say “excellent work and congrats”. This is one of the stops I made for many years that helped me keep track of webdev and tech. A truly inspirational site.
Joel DueckMar 15, 2023 at 9:23AM
I believe I first found this blog while surfing the web at the library in my late teens. It’s one of the few common threads in my life through my working career (IT, construction, finance, then back to IT), my loss of religion and the flipping of my political beliefs. Always something to come back to and learn more about the world and about people.
At the time I found Kottke, I was reading Ftrain, Zeldman, Mark Pilgrim, Textism, and others. Perhaps a moment of silence for the blogs and their writers that didn’t make it this far, for many different reasons.
I hope that remaining OG bloggers like yourself will continue to find and elevate the next round of online creators who are just getting started.
Charanjit ChanaMar 15, 2023 at 9:41AM
I feel like I came relatively late to the Kottke party, only becoming a more recent reader despite often coming across posts via Daring Fireball among blogs.
This site served as an inspiration for just sharing fun things from around the web, so much so I finally found a formula that works for me (1 thing a week) and I've now been writing and sharing content for the best part of 6 years. I'm in two minds about continuing my streak for as long as I can or abandoing the format for something more casual and ultimately personal.
Listening to last episode of The Talk Show, my current formula was similar to one that was tried by Jason at one point and it was comforting to hear that the struggles are the same with a scheduled approach to writing content. I know I need to get better at planning posts out in advance, but life always has a way of getting in the way.
A huge congratulations to you, Jason on your first 25 years!
TomMar 15, 2023 at 9:59AM
“Sporadic reader” from France here, always a pleasure to read your articles for a while now. Congratulations and long live Kottke.org!
KimMar 15, 2023 at 10:14AM
Have been reading consistently since approximately 2005 and am grateful for you. Thank you.
Stijn VogelsMar 15, 2023 at 10:39AM
Many happy returns. Seems like only yesterday when you posted about Kottke.org being 20 years old. I remember seeing a collection of the different design you went through. Managing a collection that big comes with its own challenges. Reminds me of a vast library system. Categorising everything, tagging per topic, person, country, etc. I know that's a process you've also gone through. Can't wait to see what the next hurdle will be.
Joel SpezeskiMar 15, 2023 at 10:48AM
Congratulations Jason! I’ve been reading your blog since 2002. I had the good fortune to to meet you in person in when you were traveling and invited readers to get in touch. I am extremely grateful for the work that you do. You have shared so many interesting and extraordinary links. Some of those links have become touchstones in my life. Some of them have been inspirations. One entry, just five words in a Quick Links entry, changed my life: “Gratitude, an antidote to dissatisfaction.” Every day when I choose to find things to be thankful for instead of complaining, I really do feel more happy. Thanks!
Alex KornMar 15, 2023 at 10:55AM
Congratulations, Jason!
I've been reading since probably 2008. You've opened my eyes to new viewpoints, filled my mind with wonder and inspiration, and entertained me all along the way.
In addition to serving myself, it's been an honor to get a little window into your life. I can tell this site means the world to you, and I thank you for offering up a tiny bit of yourself here. Being a semi-public person on the internet must be exhausting at times!
I hope for many more years of kottke.org, but more importantly, I hope for all the best for you. Keep it up, whatever "it" morphs into over the years!
Meaghan Mar 15, 2023 at 11:21AM
Congratulations, Jason!! Been a long time reader, and love all the comments. Amazing to think of all these people reading in a big community enjoying and appreciating your work. Here’s to 25 more!
Bruno AMar 15, 2023 at 11:31AM
Great to see there's still a place for this kind of discussion - congrats, and here's looking to 30!
TerryMar 15, 2023 at 11:33AM
What they said.
Thanks for being who you are and doing what you do Jason.
Yew FaiMar 15, 2023 at 11:45AM
Have been a long time fan. Thank you for doing what you do, Jason, and do keep them coming!
JeffMar 15, 2023 at 11:54AM
Congrats, Jason! I still remember the first time I saw your name and learned about blogs: Rebecca Mead's famous New Yorker article, You've Got Blog, in November 2000. I was immediately intrigued and started my own blog a couple of months later (and went on to discover a good circle of friends as part of the gay blogging community). Those were good times - early 2001, you, Matt Haughey & Metafilter, Anil Dash, all those folks... what a great time to be a part of things. To me, you've always been synonymous with blogging - the links you post are a continuing reminder that there's always good stuff out there in the world. And we're only a couple months apart in age, so I've always felt a kind of kinship with you.
Congrats again!
TimMar 15, 2023 at 11:55AM
Congratulations on 25 years! I'm pretty sure that I saw you in the pickup line at the original Shake Shack around 2006 or 2007. I had been reading for years at that point, but I didn't want to bug you.
Brent GustafsonMar 15, 2023 at 12:02PM
This brings me back to hosting our sites on that shitty computer in our offices, setting up webcams, and playing foosball and Zaxxon in Bruce's office. Oh to be young again. Grats on 25 dude.
Bill AmstutzMar 15, 2023 at 12:03PM
Congratulations, Jason. I have been a long-time reader—at least 15 years. You have turned me on to many exciting things that have improved my life. I thank you.
I will paraphrase the old quote about the Grateful Dead from Bill Graham. "Jason is not the best at what he does, he is the only one who does what he does."
Jeff DaigleMar 15, 2023 at 12:07PM
Your blog/site has been one of my favorite chunks of hypertext for a very long time. Thanks for all the great writing and fascinating links, and thanks for turning comments on to let us share our gratitude and memories.
MattMar 15, 2023 at 12:16PM
Thank you for this labor of love! I love what you curate for us!
C W MossMar 15, 2023 at 12:25PM
A fun and joyous journey. Thank you for all that you've shared, of the internet and of yourself, Jason. Cheers to 25 years!
JWMar 15, 2023 at 12:28PM
Cheers! And keep up the good work!
brandonMar 15, 2023 at 12:32PM
Greatest website ever - home page for every one of my browsers since I discovered it. Please keep it up!
Eric BogsMar 15, 2023 at 12:46PM
Jason -- thanks for the thousands of amazing links and stories and thoughts you've shared with the world over the years. I've been a huge fan since the early days and thank you for all that you've shared!
KskiMar 15, 2023 at 12:48PM
Thanks for being my long time companion in what can be a very solitary existence (freelance web design/dev). I've been a reader since the beginning and it's been great following your journey.
This site is also 100% you, no offense to the guest editors but it's always instantly apparent when you are having some time off (without reading the author name).
A unique site with so much great content.
Congrats on a such a huge anniversary.
All the best.
EugeneMar 15, 2023 at 12:59PM
Congrats, Jason, on the 25 years of Kottke.org!
I think I've been a reader since 2007 or 2008. The body of work on your site has constantly inspired me, and is a testament to what I say is excellent work on the topic of curation. You do it well, perhaps better than anyone else on the Web. Congratulations for all you've done over the years, and thank you.
RMar 15, 2023 at 1:20PM
Had to disable my content blocker just to say hi, thank you, and glad you're still going…
— visitor from 1998-2023.
LukeMar 15, 2023 at 1:37PM
Just wanted to leave a heart felt thank you! I hopped on the Web around the same time you did and still remain fascinated by it and what it could be.
MartinMar 15, 2023 at 1:49PM
Been following since I saw Jason at a conference in 2001 and was prompted to start my own blog (now archived off privately). I check it at least once per day for updates - even during Jason’s time away. Still my favourite blog on the web. Here’s to another 25 years.
Parry Mar 15, 2023 at 2:39PM
Thanks for all the work you’ve done!
You’ve been a positive presence in my life for a decade now.
FrancoisMar 15, 2023 at 3:53PM
Been reading you regularly since 2000 but I remember 0sil8 too. On my website you were one of a dozen or so blogs on my blogroll, with people like Doug Bowman, Dave Shea, Dan Cederholm, Todd Dominey, and Matt Haughey. Some are still blogging strong, like Simon Willison and Phil Gyford. Also half my lifetime, and I'm still in the same line of work (web design) as back then. I blogged for about 5 years and then ran out of steam, so I have enormous respect for you for sticking to it and remaining interesting and relevant. You're a link to the web I love.
Jonathan Zuñiga Mar 15, 2023 at 3:54PM
Congratulations! I think I've been reading you since about 2002. What you post is always great, thank you.
Mike AkersMar 15, 2023 at 4:57PM
Jason, Thank you for writing kottke.org all these years. The links and writings you've shared have expanded my life and lifted me up in difficult times. You've also been an inspiration and proof that the ancient Web 1.0 ways are still viable on the modern net. Here's to many more years of Kottke.org... and when you need to take another sabbatical know that there will be many readers who will patiently wait for you to come back refreshed.
jcburnsMar 15, 2023 at 5:00PM
Congratulations on creating a website where I never expect to see misspellings like "congradulations" or usage screwups where (for example) fewer or less are misused.
And yeah, the content is superb, too!
bsoistMar 15, 2023 at 6:00PM
I've been reading since almost the beginning. The web being the love of your life doesn't sound weird to me at all. :)
ChelseaMar 15, 2023 at 8:13PM
Like so many here, I've been reading you for decades -- for so long that I'm no longer sure how much of my brain is my own, how much is yours. I don't think I originally cared about trick skateboarding? or macro animal pictures? but now they're in there with the rest of the synapses, along with thousands of other ideas and joys you've given me (and my boys! you have second-generation readers!). So thank you, very much.
TimMar 15, 2023 at 8:32PM
Congrats on the big 25. Been a reader for at least a decade. Kottke.org perfectly encapsulates everything that the web promised to be and resists everything bad, so bravo to you for that - you’ve given us all little corner of the www that offers salvation from click bait etc. Everything goes in cycles and when the trend of big corporate social is over, Kottke will be the hottest thing amongst the youth of tomorrow.
Ginger Makela RikerMar 15, 2023 at 8:53PM
What a milestone. I felt the same way about the web. I've enjoyed being one of your avid readers over the past 20 years. Thank you for finding all the cool stuff for us.
xMar 15, 2023 at 10:13PM
Gotta thank dooce for introducing me to your website long long ago!
AdrianMar 16, 2023 at 1:49AM
Been reading your posts for years. Thanks for the contribution to modern culture. You've helped make the web a fun place!
IanMar 16, 2023 at 2:39AM
Congratulations on 25 years! This is my favourite website ever, thank you so much for making it. I learn so much here.
Tim KeoghMar 16, 2023 at 6:31AM
Reader since roughly 2002. Congratulations Jason! I so often identify with what you’ve written about your own life experiences, it gives me such great compersion that you’ve been so successful at this. Here’s to 25 more!
bhell13Mar 16, 2023 at 7:56AM
Congrats Jason!
Been a fan of your fine hypertext products for years and a membership holder since they were available.
I think kottke.org is the website I've recommended to most people since I've been online, even more than Google and I worked at an Internet Cafe in the early 2000s!
Keep up the great work.
Ben TerrettMar 16, 2023 at 8:08AM
Long time reader, first time commenter. Congrats! What a milestone, long may it continue. We need you.
Makena Mar 16, 2023 at 9:30AM
It was another blogger/internet friend who introduced me to Kottke.org, and I’m still grateful, some 20 years later.
Here’s to many more years of what you do, and providing some of the best of the web.
PeteMar 16, 2023 at 9:53AM
I’ve been reading for 20 years and am a paying member extraordinaire and this is the first time I’ve ever interacted with the site and it’s community, truly an exponential time we’re living in! And hello to my fellow kottke-ans!
Matt JonesMar 16, 2023 at 9:55AM
Huge congrats - do you still like cheese?
Ron SeidelMar 16, 2023 at 10:15AM
Jason, I was introduced to your website around 2010.
It's nothing short of a cultural treasure and a true masterpiece on many different levels.
Your taste and curation drew me in, and your clear, concise writing kept me coming back.
You're a hero of mine and I wish you much more continued success!
Keep going, please!
AaronMar 16, 2023 at 10:47AM
Such a beautiful space, a wonderful story and an admirable role model here. Thanks for allowing me to share this process with you for ~13 out of these 25 years, Jason!
OliveMar 16, 2023 at 11:42AM
I can't say I'm sad that so many of my unfiltered thoughts posted blithely on forums have died the death of services going down. I doubt I'd be proud of many of them!
In that sense - kudos for keeping all of yourself online. It's pretty cool, albeit terrifying.
BradMar 16, 2023 at 12:46PM
Jason I recommend you implement an up/down vote system so you can read the best comments and ignore the rest.
JacintaMar 16, 2023 at 12:47PM
25! That's crazy! I started reading at my boring-as-nails reception-desk job some 18-ish years ago... I kinda take for granted the interest-sparking goodness here, the way one takes sunshine for granted, until its cloudy for a week and you're like "damn... I need some rays." Ha! All the best!
SamMar 16, 2023 at 1:15PM
Here since Silkscreen as well! Wow I guess in retrospect it was a little viral for that era. Congratulations on 25 years
StruanMar 16, 2023 at 1:27PM
Thank you.
eric kottkeMar 16, 2023 at 2:43PM
happy birthday
Stefan GrundMar 16, 2023 at 4:09PM
Hey Jason, congratulations on 25 years! I've been reading kottke.org since 2002 and started blogging in 2003, because of you, John Gruber (great podcast btw!) and Andy Baio in 2003 – my blog just turned 20 years old. Kottke.org was the first membership program I supported back in the day and today I'm happily wearing my fine hypertext shirt. Thank you for all the posts, all the links and all the insights. Here's to the next 25!
StavrosMar 16, 2023 at 6:53PM
Happy birthday mate! its so awesome reading your first in touch with the web. It clearly reminds me my first touch back in 1995. A work of a lifetime what you have accomplished here Jason. A true legacy.
Brad BarrishMar 16, 2023 at 11:07PM
Kottke.org is among my desert island sites. I honestly feel like it just wouldn’t be there without you and what you do. I’m a proud member. I would pay even more than I do just to ensure you continue doing what you do. Thank you for everything, Jason!
OmMar 16, 2023 at 11:57PM
Thanks for 25 years. I still remember how magical the internet first seemed to me many years ago, it must have been the mid-90's and a school teacher showed us what the internet was at a technical museum.
I don't think I've ever worked on a single thing for 25 years, and the impact you've had on so many people's lives is astonishing. To many more to come!
j GregoryMar 17, 2023 at 9:28AM
A great twenty-five: thx! All those luscious links just waiting to be clicked, explored, and yet—your links were equal to your smarts, personal sincerity, and vulnerable willingness to be opened. That is a rare find. Heaps of gratitude.
Jeff CoburnMar 17, 2023 at 10:36AM
Happy 25!
I've been round since nearly the beginning. Probably 1999 in my college dorm room reading you and Lance, possibly from a Yahoo! web directory. I remember hammering your site on 9/11, that day proved that indie web was as useful as big media at reporting in real time.
I remember when you went full-time in 2004, and I tracked you down at SXSWi so I could give you my membership money myself. Surely a cringe exchange, but in my mind I was supporting the parts of the web I loved. It's been great watching you, your site, and the scene, grow and grow up. You now live near where I grew up, which is nice to see in your photography. Really glad you are still getting joy and satisfaction from the web. If you are like me, it's probably a struggle some days. 25 Years is amazing, Congrats.
This thread is closed to new comments. Thanks to everyone who responded.