Why I'm starting this site

There's a particular kind of clarity that only shows up when you have to write something down for an audience of strangers. I've been promising myself for years that I'd start publishing again, and every year I find a new reason not to.

This time, the reason is the opposite — I've finally got enough things going on that the notes I write to myself are starting to feel like they might be useful to other people, too.

What you'll find here

Three buckets, mostly:

• Building software in 2026. I run a small agency and a content site, both of which are being rewritten by AI in real time. I'll write about what's working, what's quietly breaking, and the trade-offs we keep making.
• The economics of independent publishing. National Park Shops is a real revenue stream, not a hobby. The mechanics of running an Amazon Associates business — the AI pipeline, the editorial standards, the SEO arms race — are interesting and under-documented.
• The outdoors. The original reason I started National Park Shops. I'll keep writing trip reports and gear notes here when they don't fit on the main site.

No newsletter, no schedule, no growth-hacking. Just notes. If something here is useful to you, tell me.