My Evening Reads
I follow a lot of websites. In Keeping Up with Current Events, I list the handful I use to start my day. These get regular updates and help me stay up on current events. I also follow a lot of websites run by independent writers and small shops. These cover many of the same topics, but due to their size, they do not get updated as often. The unique perspective they bring to the table, though, makes for some of the most interesting reading I do. To round out my earlier post, I want to share this list with you today.
Out of the many sites on this list, I can expect to see new content on less than a quarter per day, a handful of others in a week, and the rest on an inconsistent basis. Rather than check each one, I keep up with them using their RSS feeds. In brief, think of an RSS feed as a single file containing a list of all the articles on a website. On April 9th, 2019, for example, the feed for my blog would have looked like this:
- 2019/04/09 14:26:08: Secure, Private File Sharing (https://zacs.site/blog/secure-private-file-sharing.html)
- 2019/04/09 14:13:33: Before, Now, and in the Future (https://zacs.site/blog/before-now-and-future.html)
- 2019/04/08 12:05:49: The Last Four Years (https://zacs.site/blog/the-last-four-years.html)
- 2019/04/06 11:12:52: Simple, not Easy (https://zacs.site/blog/simple-not-easy.html)
Whenever a new post goes live, that list gets updated. After posting Proxy Innovation on April 10th, my feed would have changed. Take note of the new entry at the top:
- 2019/04/10 12:28:18: Proxy Innovation (https://zacs.site/blog/proxy-innovation.html)
- 2019/04/09 14:26:08: Secure, Private File Sharing (https://zacs.site/blog/secure-private-file-sharing.html)
- 2019/04/09 14:13:33: Before, Now, and in the Future (https://zacs.site/blog/before-now-and-future.html)
- 2019/04/08 12:05:49: The Last Four Years (https://zacs.site/blog/the-last-four-years.html)
- 2019/04/06 11:12:52: Simple, not Easy (https://zacs.site/blog/simple-not-easy.html)
RSS readers watch RSS feeds for changes like that. On April 10th, my reader would have shown me a new article called Proxy Innovation. My app of choice, News Explorer, keeps track of feeds for over forty sites. Any time one of those lists changes, when a new post goes live, News Explorer delivers it to my phone. Just like my morning reads, most of the time this yields a handful of articles, one or two of which find their way here, and the rest of which I read for my own edification. Although drawing from many sources, their inconsistent posting schedule means I skim less than 200 titles per day. I break these sites up into groups below, in no particular order, along with a brief note on each.
Adventure #
Recall that I defined “adventuring” as “the vehicles you use to get the gear you pack to the places you want to go.” To break this section up, I divided the sites here into those three categories.
The vehicles you use... #
- http://twoifoverland.com/ - Bethany and Martin Burzynski had Global Expedition Vehicles build their RV atop an M1083 chassis in 2016. Their site inspired me to start building my own rig, and informed a lot of the decisions I made as I started that process.
- https://blissordie.com - Lilly and Darrel Davis have lived in an RV based on the M1078 chassis since April of 2018. I found their website soon after Two If Overland. Bliss Or Die has a lot of great information for anyone thinking of getting into this space, although it appears defunct.
- https://www.overlandpeanut.com/blog/ - Around the same time I found Bliss Or Die, I found Overland Peanut, too. Christina Aalto and Brian Marsh also bought their M1078 in 2018, and write about the conversion process on their site and on Instagram.
- https://liveworkwander.com - Stepping out of the world of large-scale expedition rigs, Jessica and Jorge adventure in a 70 series LandCruiser. Their journey to this rig made for a great story, and now that they have it, they continue to do all sorts of cool things and post great articles at Live Work Wander.
- https://expeditionportal.com/ - The staff behind Expedition Portal churn out some of the best overlanding content on the Internet. If it involves vehicular travel, they cover it — and they cover it well. If you want to get serious about overlanding, start here.
- http://www.drivingline.com/ - I have a problem with most car magazines: they focus on sports cars and racing, neither of which interest me. DrivingLine does a good job of balancing that coverage out with industry news and off-road vehicles and gear. This helps me keep up with current events in the auto industry, and checks the box for adventure-related topics, too.
...to get the gear you pack... #
I like gear. I like reading about it, trying cool new things, and finding the best tools for the job. This has cost me a lot of money in the past, so I stick to reading now. These sites help me do that. Some have a narrow focus — on ultralight backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, for example; others focus on a much broader swath of the industry. These are some of the best sites for gear news on the internet.
- https://www.carryology.com - I like backpacks, I own a lot of them, and Carryology helps me keep up with the best the industry has to offer.
- https://packconfig.com - The folks over at Pack Config bring an interesting mix of gear reviews, recommendations, and in-depth testing to the table, alongside curated “pocket dumps” that showcase the cool gear their readers carry. These posts in particular have lead to some interesting finds for me.
- http://www.exploringoverland.com/ - Exploring Overland’s Overland Tech & Travel blog focuses more on the types of gear overlanders use. Look here for a mix of gear an individual would use on a day trip, and things like portable fridges.
- https://www.itstactical.com - I have mixed feelings on ITS Tactical. The blog came about as a way to promote the store, so I understand why it highlights giveaways and serial posts with little lasting value. That sort of content drives pageviews, which turn into revenue. That comes at the cost of burying valuable content, though. I have found some phenomenal information on this site. The recent two-part series on overland communications comes to mind, where Derek Gill explained the challenges of staying in touch in extreme environments and how he overcame them. If you feel up to sifting through a lot of junk to get to some real gems, I cannot recommend the site enough. See also ITS Tactical on YouTube.
- https://www.yompnotes.com/ - This site seldom sees new posts, but Neil Stevens writes good reviews and does some great work customizing his loadouts. I have great affinity for the DIY gear maker.
...to the places you want to go. #
- https://misadventuresmag.com/category/read/ - The writers at Misadventures Magazine post some good gear reviews, but even better, they talk about going places and the less tangible side of adventuring. The all-female staff focuses on gear for women, and brings a different perspective to this space that I enjoy.
- https://huckberry.com/journal - Andy Forch and Richard Greiner said it best, so I will let their words do the talking: They created Huckberry in 2010 for guys who lived in the city but lived for the outdoors — to give guys gear for today, and inspiration for tomorrow. They manage the former with an awesome, curated store, and the latter with the Huckberry Journal. I got lucky enough to stumble across this site a few years ago, and have followed it ever since.
- https://cabinporn.com/ - I remember the night I discovered Cabin Porn. I spent hours on the site. Although post volume has gone down in recent years, the same great content that sucked me in so many years ago still appears thrtrtoday. I love a good cabin in the woods.
- https://www.outsideonline.com/ - By far the biggest site on this list, Outside Online posts a lot of new content each day. I still subscribe to the RSS feed, though, instead of lumping it in with my morning reads, because I don’t want to miss a thing. Outside Online covers everything from repairing a broken zipper in the wilderness to packing for an overland adventure. I do not enjoy the political side of the site, but everyone seems to love that third rail these days.
YouTube Channels #
I also follow a few YouTube channels in the adventure space. I choose to do this through RSS as well, so that I never miss a new video. I subscribe to other channels, those that I care less about, on YouTube.
- Expedition Overland on YouTube - The folks that got me into overlanding in the first place, I cannot say enough good things about Expedition Overland. They inspired me to get a 4Runner and start my grand adventure a few years ago, and they do the same even today. If you have any interest in overlanding, check this channel out.
- Mountain State Overland on YouTube - Mountain State Overland also played an important role in getting me into adventuring. They post a lot of great videos, too, and go on some awesome adventures on the East Coast. I hope to cover a lot of the same routes someday.
- The Tactical Defender on YouTube - To his credit, Tim also does some nice gear reviews: he takes everything out, puts it through its paces in the woods, and gives his viewers an honest assessment. That said, I just enjoy hearing him talk. I watch the occasional gear review, but for the most part, I stick around for the rambling videos he records while hiking.
- Triple Aught Design on YouTube - Triple Aught Design gets many things right, but even more pretty close. I have yet to go on an adventure without the phenomenal Force 10 AC Cargo Pant, for example, but the also awesome Triton AC Short has fit me like spandex since I started deadlifting over 500 pounds. Their backpacks have some great features, but lack the capacity for more than a day trip. I follow the company’s YouTube channel because it has demonstrated an ability to make cool things, and I believe it will make them better in time.
- Homesteadonomics on YouTube - I came to Homesteadonomics on YouTube by way of a nine part series in which Joe built a camper from scratch. He had me impressed. I follow his channel to learn as much as I can about building before it comes time to begin my next project.
DIY #
I love building things. When I faced buying a storage system for my 4Runner, I chose to build my own. I have grand plans for future projects, and these websites give me even more ideas. Even more important, though, seeing experts practice their craft teaches me to improve mine.
- Low-Tech Magazine - I work with and build complex, technical tools all day every day, so I know just how fragile these systems can be; Low-Tech Magazine highlights proven, time-tested, and simple solutions to problems that remain challenging even today. I find these writeups at once fascinating and instructive.
Finance #
I have some bold financial goals. These two sites helped inform them, and they help keep me on track, too. Sam, who writes Financial Samurai, and Dominic, who writes Gen Y Finance Guy, both come from a background in finance. Sam’s hard work and shrewd moves allowed him to achieve financial independence at a young age, and Dominic is well on his way to doing the same. I hope to follow in their footsteps.
- https://www.financialsamurai.com - Financial Samurai
- http://www.genyfinanceguy.com - Gen Y Finance Guy
National Security #
I struggled long and hard to find good, non-partisan writing on politics and current events, but that work paid off. These websites produce some of the best analysis in this space.
- https://www.lawfareblog.com/ - Lawfare publishes some of the best analysis of current events and the geopolitical landscape on the Internet. Its writers post thoughtful, well-written, and well-researched work. I cannot say enough good things about Lawfare. I also recommend The Lawfare Podcast as well, for an audio program with the same exceptional quality as the organization’s written work.
- https://foreignpolicy.com/ - Aside from some subtleties that make me think a few authors lean Left, Foreign Policy comes in a close second behind Lawfare for its in-depth analysis and thought-provoking writing.
- https://warontherocks.com/ - The trait I appreciate most about War on the Rocks, which covers national security topics, is the depth of knowledge its authors bring to bear in their articles. They do an excellent job of citing relevant reading related to the complex topics they cover. I routinely open a short article that sends me down a rabbit hole and ends with me reading tens or hundreds of pages.
- https://tnsr.org/ - The journal counterpart to War on the Rocks, the Texas National Security Review focuses on long-form articles it makes available in a quarterly publication.
- https://americanaffairsjournal.org/ - The American Affairs Journal is a quarterly publication with great, in-depth pieces on public policy.
- https://smallwarsjournal.com/ - Small Wars Journal covers current events and national security topics.
- https://taskandpurpose.com/ - Task & Purpose also covers national security topics.
- http://coyoteblog.com - At Coyote Blog, Warren Meyer brings to the table an analytical perspective critical of both sides.
Development #
I would not call myself a good programmer. I know enough to do some damage, but the better I get, the more room for growth I see. These writers seldom talk about the basics, but rather the interesting edge cases, tricks, and lessons they have encountered or learned in their careers as developers. They teach me new things all the time, or just cover interesting tech-related topics.
- https://www.hanselman.com/blog/ - Scott Hanselman covers writing and development at a high level, for the most part, but gets down into the weeds on occasion. He has a wealth of knowledge to share on all fronts.
- https://bitsofco.de/ - At bitsofcode, Ire Aderinokun writes about front-end development. I have seen a lot of people brush HTML, CSS, and JavaScript off as solved problems, in an age where lazy browser rendering and fast internet connections have masked the importance of smart design. That tide has started to change, though, and Ire’s tips have helped me stay in front of this trend.
- https://davidwalsh.name - I have some strong feelings about the design of David Walsh’s blog, and much more positive ones about the great articles he posts there. David writes focuses on front-end development, but also covers languages and technologies on the back end as well.
- https://apenwarr.ca/log - The author dives deep on all sorts of developer- and tech-related topics, and does a great job of explaining even the most complex ones.
- https://martinheinz.dev/ - A developer for IBM, Martin Heinz talks about a lot of topics I find interesting, including Python development.
- https://kevq.uk - Kev Quirk writes about tech and development.
- http://jvns.ca/ - Julia Evans is a remarkably smart developer; I follow her to become a better one.
- https://www.rdegges.com - Randall Degges writes about primarily about development on this lifestyle blog.
- https://rixx.de/blog/ - Tobias Kunze’s series on the Python standard library got my attention at first, and his concise, thorough explanations kept me around. I look forward to more great content like this in the future.
- https://martinfowler.com - Martin Fowler writes about the software development profession, with a focus on sharing lessons learned throughout his career and suggestions for improving the field.
- https://www.hillelwayne.com - Hillel Wayne also writes about the software development profession, and shares his own lessons and thoughts on improving the field.
Information Security #
- https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/ - Mathew Green covers cryptography some, hence the name, but in more broad strokes writes great stuff on privacy.
- https://decipher.sc - Decipher covers both tech and information security news. It fits the profile for the type of website covered in Keeping Up with Current Events, but due to its low volume I track updates via RSS instead of daily visists.
- https://blog.redteam.pl/feeds/posts/default - The folks at Red Team cybersecurity post great writeups and tutorials for network defenders.
- https://weberblog.net/ - Johannes Weber covers interesting information security topics.
- https://spacetime.dev/ - Awn Umar wrote two fascinating posts on encryption; I stick around hoping for more.
- https://www.splunk.com/blog - The Splunk blogs have several great articles for network defenders.
- https://www.elastic.co/blog/ - Like Splunk, Elastic also does a good job of posting informative articles for network defenders.
- https://elastic.github.io/security-research/ - I also follow the Elastic Security Research blog, which provides even more granular articles on network analysis and defense.
- https://thedfirreport.com - The DFIR Report posts great, in-depth writeups on current malware campaigns.
- https://www.mbsecure.nl/blog/ - Marcus Bakker posts of MB Secure does a lot of interesting work in the information security space, perhaps most impactful of which was his company’s part in the development of the TaHiTI Threat Hunting Methodology.
- https://securityshenaningans.medium.com/ - Security Shenanigans focuses more on the red team side of the house, which the blue team must keep up with in order to remain effective.
- https://svch0st.medium.com/ - Zach’s informative posts provide great tips for threat hunting.
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/ - Cisco’s Talos Intelligence group is a great source of exploit and malware news.
- https://posts.bluraven.io/ - Mehmet Ergene does not post often, but when he does, he writes about interesting detection techniques and other, related topics for network defenders.
- https://blog.erratasec.com/ - The personal blog of Robert Graham, a security researcher, and David Maynor, who also writes for Talos Intelligence. I enjoy their style, they cover a broad range of topics related to cybersecurity, and their articles always get me thinking.
- https://krebsonsecurity.com/ - Every time a list of cybersecurity-related sites comes up, so does Brian Krebs’ blog. A prolific writer and self-educated security researcher, his background in investigative journalism helps him write a different kind of story than most in this space.
- https://www.philvenables.com/ - Phil Venables, CISO at Google Cloud, writes about cybersecurity programs. His advice for their effective operation at the practitioner level, and use at the executive level, is informative.
- https://jackson-t.ca/ - Jackson writes about the offensive and the defensive sides, circumventing and improving defensive controls.
- http://windowsir.blogspot.com/ - Harlan Carvey’s Windows Incident Response blog covers interesting technical topics from high-level threat hunting to low-level forensics
- https://corelight.com/blog - Zeek is one of my favorite tools, and Corelight frequently publishes instructive articles on making better use of this powerhouse of a tool.
Miscellaneous #
This last group of websites does not fit into of the genres above, but over the years I have found some great content here. I like the authors, and I like to keep up with their work.
- https://zenhabits.net - I took a deep dive on mindfulness a few years ago, and only Leo Babauta’s zen habits lasted more than a few weeks. He reminds me to slow down when I get too wrapped up in life.
- http://blairreeves.me - Blair Reeves talks about tech, life, and writing a blog.
- http://www.ericdavis215.com/blog/ - A former Navy SEAL, Eric Davis has some interesting thoughts on life, adventure, and philosophy.
- https://www.justinobeirne.com/ - Justin Obeirne tracks Apple Maps’ progress as the company works to map the entire country. The level of detail in his side-by-side comparisons of each version is exquisite.
- https://secondbreakfast.co - Another lifestyle blog, Will Schreiber writes about tech, current events, and whatever else strikes his fancy.
- http://berthub.eu/articles/ - Bert Hubert has written a lot about COVID-19 lately, but I stick around for his thoughts on economics and outsourcing that attracted me in the first place.
- https://snikt.net/ - Andreas Happe’s work on building an LTE modem got my attention, but I stayed for his eclectic writings on interesting, tech-related topics.
- https://blog.notryan.com/ - Ryan — or not — writes about some interesting things, but I follow him to keep up with his interesting plaintext blog project. It’s a cool idea, and I look forward to seeing it progress.
- https://drewdevault.com/ - Drew DeVault writes about tech and development.
- https://utf9k.net - Marcus Crane writes about tech.
- http://madhadron.com/index.html - Frederick Ross writes about tech, development, and infrastructure.
- http://danluu.com - Dan Luu thinks there’s “a desperate shortage of understandable explanation of technical topics”, and set out to fix it with his blog; he’s doing a great job.
- https://unixsheikh.com - The Unix Sheikh is just that: a Unix expert with a fascinating backlog of great articles on this ecosystem.
- https://fs.blog - Perhaps the single greatest source of lessons in personal development, Farnam Street topics range from the OODA loop and other techniques for making sound decisions to the use of mental models for rapid and effective decision making to discussions of the value of feedback and how best to act on it. Start with those articles, or work your way through the site’s most popular posts. You cannot go wrong with this excellent website.
- https://commoncog.com/blog/ - Much like Farnham Street, Cedric Chin’s Commonplace blog is an excellent source for personal and professional development. Cedric is an excellent writer, a skill he uses well to convey convey these important lessons. For help getting started, check out the Start Here page.
- https://acaptainslog.com - Kayla Hodges, a former captain in the Army, writes about her time in the military and the lessons she learned.
- http://www.jeffgeerling.com/ - Jeff Geerling’s Raspberry Pi projects push the limits of what most consider possible for these small devices.
- https://n-o-d-e.net/ - Check this website out for all sorts of interesting projects built using SBCs.
- https://battlepenguin.com/ - Although this site dips into the political often, it also talks about social media and the revival of the indie web.
- https://martinrue.com - Another lifestyle blog, Martin Rue writes about engineering, software development, and other topics of interest.
- http://paulgraham.com/articles.html - Paul Graham writes about a lot of things, but his thoughts on professional development and work in particular are always instructive.
- https://world.hey.com/dhh - Another lifestyle blog, David Hansson writes about his perspective on topics ranging from current events to business.
- https://blog.haschek.at/home/ - Christian Hascheck writes a lot of interesting tech articles on topics like homelab projects and information security.
- https://queue.acm.org/ - The Association for Computing Machinery hosts articles on a variety of technical topics.
The Full List #
Like last time, to make your life a little easier, I list every site below in order of appearance above.
- http://twoifoverland.com/
- https://blissordie.com
- https://www.overlandpeanut.com/blog/
- https://liveworkwander.com
- https://expeditionportal.com/
- http://www.drivingline.com/
- https://www.carryology.com
- https://packconfig.com
- http://www.exploringoverland.com/
- https://www.itstactical.com
- https://www.yompnotes.com/
- https://misadventuresmag.com/category/read/
- https://huckberry.com/journal
- https://cabinporn.com/
- https://www.outsideonline.com/
- Expedition Overland on YouTube
- Mountain State Overland on YouTube
- The Tactical Defender on YouTube
- Triple Aught Design on YouTube
- Homesteadonomics on YouTube
- Low-Tech Magazine
- https://www.financialsamurai.com
- http://www.genyfinanceguy.com
- https://www.lawfareblog.com/
- https://foreignpolicy.com/
- https://warontherocks.com/
- https://tnsr.org/
- https://americanaffairsjournal.org/
- https://smallwarsjournal.com/
- https://taskandpurpose.com/
- http://coyoteblog.com
- https://www.hanselman.com/blog/
- https://bitsofco.de/
- https://davidwalsh.name
- https://apenwarr.ca/log
- https://martinheinz.dev/
- https://kevq.uk
- http://jvns.ca/
- https://www.rdegges.com
- https://rixx.de/blog/
- https://martinfowler.com
- https://www.hillelwayne.com
- https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/
- https://decipher.sc
- https://blog.redteam.pl/feeds/posts/default
- https://weberblog.net/
- https://spacetime.dev/
- https://www.splunk.com/blog
- https://www.elastic.co/blog/
- https://elastic.github.io/security-research/
- https://thedfirreport.com
- https://www.mbsecure.nl/blog/
- https://securityshenaningans.medium.com/
- https://svch0st.medium.com/
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/
- https://posts.bluraven.io/
- https://blog.erratasec.com/
- https://krebsonsecurity.com/
- https://www.philvenables.com/
- https://jackson-t.ca/
- http://windowsir.blogspot.com/
- https://corelight.com/blog
- https://zenhabits.net
- http://blairreeves.me
- http://www.ericdavis215.com/blog/
- https://www.jefftk.com/p
- https://www.justinobeirne.com/
- https://secondbreakfast.co
- http://berthub.eu/articles/
- https://snikt.net/
- https://blog.notryan.com/
- https://drewdevault.com/
- https://utf9k.net
- http://madhadron.com/index.html
- http://danluu.com
- https://unixsheikh.com
- https://fs.blog
- https://acaptainslog.com
- http://www.jeffgeerling.com/
- https://n-o-d-e.net/
- https://battlepenguin.com/
- https://martinrue.com
- http://paulgraham.com/articles.html
- https://world.hey.com/dhh
I like big-name websites for keeping up on current events, but I tend to find the best content on sites like these. The advice to “follow people, not places” has served me well, and I encourage you to start doing the same.