Pixelfed - Like Instagram, but Not Owned by Billionaire Lizard People

I'm really pulling for Pixelfed. The app is lacking, the community is small, but it has an air of... not Meta to it. I've been wanting to write a blog post about how YOU MUST DELETE INSTAGRAM, using all my powers of persuasion and piety to

Daniel Recommends: Micomlan LED Desk Lamp

It would be embarrassing to tell you how many desk lamps I've purchased in pursuit of the one that would make it easy to see my printed-out manuscript and mark it up, but I'm going to tell you an abridged version anyway. I'm not

The Continuing Adventures of X

Rouge data fell through the net, unassembled and out of sequence, riding the currents between the virtual things that were meant to be. The probability of any one of these bits encountering another in a world so vast as the Net was remote but possible. All it would take was

At Least You'll Have Time to Write: Reflections on Five Months of Aggressive Unemployment

I know my friends meant well, but of all the things said to me after I was laid off in August of 2024, at least you'll have time to write was the silliest. I wanted to believe them, and I tried, at least at first, but as the

You Can't Spell Bias Without AI: Identifying the Invisible Guardrails That Shape Its Answers

I recently canceled my subscription to ChatGPT, mostly because I couldn't keep putting money (however minuscule) in the pocket of someone who would try to buy his way into Donald Trump's good graces. It's a sickening act of cowardice that I, sir, have no

Upload Complete: Short Stories

I'm happy to report that I've finished uploading all the short stories I care to share to danielverastiqui.com/short-stories. These include selections from The Sum of Memory, Destination Okinawa, and later stories that never made it into a collection. While I'm happy to

Repost: Breaking Up With Amazon (2014)

Cool Daniel doesn't cotton to companies kowtowing, bending the knee, kissing the ring, or otherwise putting profits over morals to appease the human equivalent of a rotting Arby's roast beef sandwich.

This Workout Could Have Been a Cake

Cool Daniel believes in physical fitness and has decided to return to the only fitness option that doesn't technically promise it works: Orange Theory Fitness. Granted, it's a decent, colorful theory: spend an hour lifting, running, and rowing three times a week and just see what

Protector of the Faith

Cal Emerson was in bed, lightly treading the border between wake and sleep, when the call came in.

My God, It's 2025

Who would have ever thought we'd be here, am I right? We are about to enter a period of unbridled chaos that will likely not end until 2029, assuming it ever ends. The summers are too hot, the job market too volatile, and social media too soul-sucking. The

What to Read in 2025

Hello! It's time for another monthly newsletter, but instead of making it all about me, me, me... I'm giving you a few recommendations on what to read in 2025. Some of my friends have launched newsletters, some established tech nerds already have theirs running, and despite

Burning for the Ancient Heavenly Connection

"We gave everything to the machines. Our calendars. Our email. We let them listen in on our conversations with customers and take notes. They wrote marketing posts that other machines summarized for us. We all believed the lie. Nobody wanted to be left behind. The ROI was too attractive.