Derek Powazek » Geek

Our Generation’s John Lennon

Derek Powazek — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:40:40 +0000

The other day I was talking to my uncle. He's my dad's age, a boomer. I was struggling to explain the importance of Steve Jobs' death to my generation ("Generation X", more or less) when this popped out of my mouth: "He was our generation's John Lennon." Ever since I said it, it's been rattling around my brain. Could it be so?

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Our Generation’s John Lennon
By Derek Powazek

“Nobody Uses Their Real Name” and Other Outdated Notions

Derek Powazek — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:59:58 +0000

I got my first email address in 1991. I was a freshman at UC Santa Cruz and a friend took me to a basement geek office where you had to fill out a paper form to get your free ucsc.edu email account. In the box labeled "User-name" I started to write "Derek." My friend stopped me. "Nobody uses their real name." He said it like he was talking to a child.

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“Nobody Uses Their Real Name” and Other Outdated Notions
By Derek Powazek

New Powazek Design

Derek Powazek — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:18:14 +0000

So as you may have noticed, there’s a new design here on the ol’ dotcom. As much as I loved…

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New Powazek Design
By Derek Powazek

Twitter for Adults

Derek Powazek — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 05:19:06 +0000

Congratulations on getting a Twitter account (or having one for a while)! You're now taking part in the biggest social experiment in human history (more on that later). But just because you're floating in a global sea of idle thoughts doesn't mean you have to drown. You can be a grownup and participate on Twitter, but it takes some doing. Here are the two ways I've found to use Twitter as an adult.

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Twitter for Adults
By Derek Powazek

Press the Magic Button

Derek Powazek — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:27:47 +0000

My “one strike” rule for Twitter/Flickr and why you shouldn’t be offended when someone blocks you. I was walking down…

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Press the Magic Button
By Derek Powazek

Your right to comment ends at my front door.

Derek Powazek — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:42:28 +0000

John Gruber of Daring Fireball posted a response to critic who took him to task for not having comments on…

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Your right to comment ends at my front door.
By Derek Powazek

Why Everything Sucks, Why That’s Awesome, and How It’s Changing Us

Derek Powazek — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 20:51:39 +0000

I think I’ve finally figured out why everything sucks. And it’s actually kind of awesome. I bought my first guitar…

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Why Everything Sucks, Why That’s Awesome, and How It’s Changing Us
By Derek Powazek

Two Brain Cells Is a Lot in Some Places

Derek Powazek — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:15:31 +0000

Some old friends of mine are quoted in Tech Radar’s elegy to GeoCities. My soundbite is on page two. “The…

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Two Brain Cells Is a Lot in Some Places
By Derek Powazek

Spammers, Evildoers, and Opportunists

Derek Powazek — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:34:02 +0000

Search Engine Optimization is not a legitimate form of marketing. It should not be undertaken by people with brains or souls. If someone charges you money for SEO, they are running a scam.

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Spammers, Evildoers, and Opportunists
By Derek Powazek

iTunes Geekery: The College Years Playlist

Derek Powazek — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:13:59 +0000

If you’re like me and have an embarrassment of digitized music in iTunes, here’s a fun thing to try: The…

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iTunes Geekery: The College Years Playlist
By Derek Powazek