Linkteresting #2: Reading, writing, and webmarks
Click for curiosity.
Journal J
Musings and verses by Jatan, a slow thinker, web wonk, and human.
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Life slice #3: What an eventful month June has been
Android laptop, spacey updates, blogging meet, and more.
Linkteresting #1: Reading, writing, and web places
Click for curiosity.
Cool websites I’ve found through IndieWebClub BLR
I’ve been attending IndieWebClub community meets in Bangalore for about nine months now. In every session, there are several fascinating links mentioned. Here are some of them I didn’t know about: * aprilcools.club * painscience.com * web.badges.world * links.net, which was apparently the first blog on the
Life slice #2: Reading science fiction and talking rockets
* Inspired by NASA’s 404 page, and ESA’s 404 page too, I edited my space blog’s not found pages to show something nerdy and lunar themed: jatan.space/404/ 🕳️ * I watched Project Hail Mary this week, partly because of all the hype surrounding it. The movie was alright.
Never have I ever [and never will I have ever]
* Written clickbait articles. It’s harder to avoid than it may seem. * Cared for celebrity anything * Sent or engaged with WhatsApp university forwards * Believed in Astrology, Homeopathy or any Pseudoscience * Engaged in nationalism * Been a “fanboy” of any person, company, product, or brand ever since becoming a working adult. I’
I published 10 poems this month as part of a poetry challenge
April is Global Poetry Writing Month. Everyone participating from around the Web is encouraged to write a poem a day, optionally based on each day’s prompt. It was my first time participating in this challenge. My goal was not to pen a poem a day for the sake of
Ars poetica
Strip it down make no sound touch the truth feel its fruit Here brevity retorts on humanity with sobering clarity and bittersweet gravity Telling terse truths of our bare beings Here speaking skies and its lent hand and eyes make the Moon walk and its tides talk They preserve love
Poem: Muskān / मुस्कान / Smile
Original in Hindustani, as English transliteration and in देवनागरी, followed by an English translation (not as lyrical): Muskān Maa teri muskān Kaisi hain itni nādān? Ekdam saral si bacche jaisi Narm si behti huin nadiyon jaisi Chaandni si khilne vaalīn suraj ki kiranon jaisi Is muskurāhaṭ me naa
Poem: Resilience
Bent, not broken twisted, not turned upside down dragged down, not drowned Trembled, not tamed or tattered weathered, not withered hurt, but holding up Agonized, but alive traumatized, yet tender lingered on, yet loving Agitated, yet aspiring exhausted, but full of ember burnt, but blazing. Notes: This poem is for
Poem: Rare lights
They care not because they have to but because they want to They converse not to reply but to listen They mediate not to tighten their connections but to save and foster existing ones They employ leverage not to be blatant but to be subtly considerate They accept your shortcomings
Poem: For every child
For every child that dares to dream and every spark of curiosity within For their bold endeavors in jest and that one kid’s flying quest Persist your passion to build their nest for the world rumbles them in unrest Swivel their failings with your empathy and rivet their pursuits
Poem: So can you
The Moon still exists dear, Earth’s still blue as rivers cry while the avians still fly. Not a single day goes by when they don’t try, so can you. Notes: This poem was written for the Global Poetry Writing Month. The Day 1 prompt encouraged posting in the
Improve the RSS experience of your blog readers
1. Introduce people to RSS readers in an accessible way and link to such an explainer on your /feeds page. Both cases shouldn’t assume people know or understand the term. When introducing people you know to RSS readers, don’t assume how or what they read and consume on
Life slice #1: Space for inspiration
* This quarter I met an 👨🏽🚀, one whose flight I’ve previously written about. 🌏 * I also gave a talk about lunar exploration at a concert space in BLR for Pint of View because let’s be frank the Moon rocks. 🪨 * I picked up a paint brush after two decades, thanks to
Places I’ve published Moon Monday editions from
Most people who know me know that I write this blog & newsletter called Moon Monday every, well, Monday. Since the day is etched in the name, I plan every week around it. Here are places I’ve completed working on and publishing Moon Monday editions from, other than my
Bombay food, a location-agnostic procedural guide
🚉 🛺 🥔 ☕️ 🌊
Farther than the stars 🎸
Love listening to Khudi by The Local Train. They are like the Pink Floyd of India. The lyrics carry a distinct aspirational energy: Likh de ye fasana Dekhe jo zamana Taaron se aage ho Khwaabon ka thikana
The Museum of Possibilities
I visited the Museum of Possibilities in Chennai in 2024. I love that the museum is centered around accessibility, and what catering to it makes possible for people with certain disabilities our society is not built for. One of the display themes was tech tools which bridge accessibility gaps for
4/5 ⭐️ - Indie Microblogging by Manton Reece
Read for free at book.micro.blog or download the Epub (official link) This book is a good history of publishing and sharing on the Web, particularly through blogging, and how related web technologies evolved. It also places them in the context of social media. The author Manton, creator of
A list of good enough blogging platforms by price if you just want to write
Plus some blog recommendations as a nice side effect.
My writing goals and methods this year
February is a sane time to set new year resolutions and goals instead of January. During my year-end break in December, I’ve had a good opportunity to muse about where I want to steer my writing at large, and where I want writing to steer me. Here are
Poetry powerful and purposeful
Alt text: I will go on nurturing the tablet and the pen I’ll go on recording what the heart goes through I’ll go on providing wherewithal to love’s passion I’ll keep being kind to the desolation of the times No doubt, the harshness of the times
One sanitized and sandboxed Fediverse profile to rule them all
After musing over having my social web presence on my own domain thanks to the book Indie Microblogging, I’ve decided to try having such a profile on the Fediverse for a year. But Mastodon and the most of the Fediverse platforms are too noisy by default, having borrowed likes,
What are we doing in the name of progress?
The world is hard, and tech bros are here to make it easier, and there is a price for progress: loss of jobs, loss of friendships, loss of purpose, and loss of meaning. You either agree with this, or you are outdated; an old man rumbling about the good times
Your social web on your blog
I’ve been reading the book Indie Microblogging by Manton Reece, and really enjoying it. It’s an interesting view into the history of blogging and related web technologies. Among other things, there’s a chapter on the intersection of having a blog and it also being your social web
Speak / बोल
I’ve been trying to expose myself to Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) poetry lately, and so I picked up this collection of poems by Faiz Ahmed Faiz called ‘The colors of my heart’. One poem in particular resonates, as it captures a timeless call to action against misuse of power in
The Post-American Internet?
Read at pluralistic.net All the EU has to do is repeal Article 6 of the Copyright Directive, and, in so doing, strip Apple of the privilege of mobilizing the European justice system to shore up Apple's hundred billion dollar annual tax on the world's digital
Apps and digital tools I liked in 2025
And you might too. 💻
Moon samples, poetry, and community | Newsletter for friends #08
Hello friends, I’m writing to you from my beloved home city Mumbai, where I’ve at long last come to rest and enjoy some time with my parents. I hope you’re having a refreshing break as well this year end. It’s once again been three months since
Poem: Words
To all who share a love for the written word.
Week notes inception
This week has been nice. A list of notable events below; some photos follow. * Gave a public talk about our Moon and its exploration to people having beer. The talk series it was part of is aptly named Pint of View. It was great to have an extremely engaged audience.
Newsletter for friends #07: Life has changed
Reading recommendations, things I wrote of note, and more.
Cycles and fluctuations
Humans invent technology. It eases their lives. Then it becomes their lives. Those who wield the tech then control and influence these lives. Eventually, unrest unearths in the background. An alternate rises over the horizon. People break through the mould to the open skies of new technolgy. That world though
Reading life in a nutshell
1. Go to a book club meet 2. Gain inspiration and insight 3. Add good reads to your list 4. Realize you can’t read most of them, ever 5. It then sinks in that it’s an amplifying loop 6. Feel unproductive despite growth
Levels of achieving world(ly) peace
1. Delete all social media apps 2. Disable all like notifications at source 3. Stop posting on every social network 4. Make all social media profiles private 5. Log out of all accounts I just turned 5.
Gaining context on China and its rise (Good reads)
Between China’s rise in lunar exploration and my visit to the country last year, I’ve grown more curious about how the Chinese collectively think and work. So I set out to gain some high-level context of Chinese policies and history, which have now helped me identify specific
For the love of RSS feeds, simplify your blog’s subscribe page
I love reading blogs, newsletters, and virtually anything else on the Web through RSS feeds. As a space writer, it’s the best way for me to keep track of, read, and search what hundreds of sources publish every week. And, I proactively offer my own readers an option to
Took the day off against my will, and thankful for it
I’ve been quite productive this month, chief of which has entailed publishing a spree of long articles. Notably, all of these pieces have been on different topics, each concerning an unusually important development in its own niche within the space industry. Because of their very newsy nature, it wasn’
Newsletter for friends #06: Time flies
Hi friends, It’s again been over three months since I sent out the previous newsletter for friends. And once again, a lot has happened in life. Here’s a small snapshot of some notable things you might like to browse. Click the links you’re curious about—that’s
Plunge, hope, and rise—poetic perspectives
I recently read lyrical poems by Aurobindo, an Indian freedom fighter, philosopher, and writer. Some of his verses capture deep views on life, and you can almost live through the emotional cycle of progress. The fall But suddenly there soared a dateless cry, Deep as Night, imperishable as Time; It
Utterly fascinated by dinosaurs—want to launch them to space
Lately I’ve been watching Prehistoric Planet. I’ve always been fascinated by dinosaurs but the show’s visuals and explanations are so good that they help you get a sense of how the dinosaurs might have spent their day-to-day lives. And now I’m even more curious
In which AI kills the human Web, or at least its spirit
* Here’s a depressing roundup of how the bottomless greed of AI companies is utterly destroying the Web all of us grew up with. I’m furious. * There’s also irony in the fact that open access publishing is under threat from people responding to AI by closing the very
App subscriptions and Yoghurt
I recently researched and replaced many paid web app subscriptions I had with free alternatives that either perform the same function or come close enough. Here’s the list of which service I replaced with what. 1. Micro.one → flipboard.social (for the Fediverse) 2. Inoreader Pro → Inoreader Free (second
Newsletter for friends #05: Too many things happened lately
Hi friends, It’s been over three months since I sent out the previous newsletter for friends. Usually I share every month’s key things as a linked list, which includes what I liked reading, professional space writing I published, some non-space thoughts I blogged about, and notable life
Realizations about actually avoiding social media
I’ve had or re-had a few realizations lately that have helped me greatly: 1. Crossposting to or across social media is counterproductive if doing so to avoid social media. Applies to POSSE too. 2. Having a domain for micro thoughts, day-to-day photos, comments, and random musings
An unexpected Moon Monday story
Something unexpected happened recently. I had covered someone’s published research on my Moon Monday blog+newsletter. I don’t know the person but they saw that and so reached out to ask if I would write a recommendation letter for their visa application abroad. After some thought and basic
Responding is better than replying
The other day I posed a question on the Web that has (gladly) initiated a string of responses from people. And by that I do not mean comments on social media but entire blog posts. Before sharing a few thoughts on that and making it all meta (the good kind)
I do (not) care
I don’t care if you like or react to my posts on social media. I’ve hunted down and turned off all such notifications everywhere possible so I barely know you liked them anyway. I don’t care if you don’t read my blogs even though my writing
If I was born and brought up in the time of modern social media, would I even blog?
This was the question I asked on the Web yesterday, and people had interesting responses. Imagine you were born and brought up in a time where Twitter and Instagram always existed. Would you still blog? Many said no, which I find to be an interesting conclusion especially for people who