I’m Laura and I build websites. This year, I’ve been learning how to run my own infrastructure which can be an addicting rabbit hole. I’m finally getting to the point where I can figure out answers to problems that I couldn’t solve by scouring the docs or the forums. Then I thought… why not write about it?! There’s got to be someone out there has the same niche problem as me who also can’t find the answer. And so – just as God created light – this blog was born. You will find things about WordPress, Linux, self-hosting, radio, other stuff I find interesting plus the mistakes I made learning along the way.

Like many others, I have a love-hate relationship with tech. Despite all of the enshittification, planned/perceived obsolescence, irrelevant AI slop, and the advertisement circus on crack, the internet can still be a beautiful place – especially if you know where to look. I’m thankful for the individuals and communities that promote and maintain FOSS because it’s proof that not only is a more equitable system possible, it’s just as efficient and frankly, outcompetes.

For better or worse, tech is embedded in so many people’s daily life, so it’s worth being intentional with it. We should own and understand the things we depend on, or at least have the right to. Like the food we eat and the water we drink, we deserve to know what’s in it so we can decide if it’s good for us or not. I bet most people would make different choices if they fully understood the infrastructure their lives depend on. They’d probably realize that they have more power than they’ve ever imagined outside of the enclousures they are boxed in.

I prefer to live in the commons, where knowledge isn’t kept behind gates. There’s so much waiting for us on the other side. Building, breaking, fixing, remixing, sharing. Think about all of the tools that don’t exist because corporations don’t find them profitable. The highest tax we pay in this walled garden of convenience is our imagination, and I will stubbornly fight to keep mine (and yours!). Convenience be damned!

Be the goathead you want to see in the world.

Happy Hacking :)