On tiredness
5/10/25 • 2 min read
Reflecting on feeling tired and worn down.
Long Posts
Longer than a tweet.
Clean Slate
4/25/25 • 2 min read
Slate Auto announced their new electric pickup truck this week, and I’m intrigued. If you haven’t heard about it, the Slate is a barebones electric truck — intended to be customized — all for under $20,000 with current Federal EV incentives.1
Some of these ideas have been tried before. Jeeps have always promoted modularity and customization. The Slate uses plastic body panels like Saturn did. Toyota tried to target youth with Scion, which was intended to be heavily customizable. But Slate takes these concepts further. Much further:
Return to Fontstruct
4/20/25 • 3 min read
About 16 years ago, I started playing around with Fontstruct, an online tool for crafting modular typefaces. I’ve released 48 designs on Fontstruct and some of those have served as prototypes for designs that I finish in Glyphs, my favorite type design app. I tend to work in Fontstruct intensively for a while, and then disappear for a year or more. But I love the tool and contribute as a “Patron.”
Lately, I’ve been on quite the streak.
Writing became secondary.
3/18/25 • 2 min read
Reflecting on Dave Winer’s post about the Writer’s Web.
Reflections on a DIY Dryer Repair
3/15/25 • 3 min read
Repairing a 14-year-old dryer using a YouTube tutorial…
Is it unusual that Columbia doesn’t have an Apple Store?
3/9/25 • 3 min read
Columbia, South Carolina lacks an Apple Store, which is unusual given its size compared to other cities that have them.
Slightly melted
3/9/25 • 2 min read
During lent, our church switches to a slightly melted cross recovered after the church burned in the 40s.
Five lectures
3/2/25 • 5 min read
Five lectures that sparked my interested in grad school research: Lehrer, Gladwell, Larson, Tufte, Vinh.
Nicknaming places
2/22/25 • 2 min read
Does your family give places random nicknames? Mine does…
Nine years ago, I wasn't in a mass shooting
2/20/25 • 2 min read
Nine years ago today, a family outing to a mall turned chaotic when a false alarm about a shooting caused a stampede, leading to lasting fear and memories.
AI and Design: It’s what you make of it.
2/18/25 • 3 min read
In a lecture at the University of South Carolina, NC State’s Helen Armstrong emphasized the importance of designers learning to use AI as a tool, collaborating with data scientists, and overcoming student anxieties about AI’s impact on the design profession.
I love Iconfactory’s Tapestry – a unified timeline for my iPhone
2/4/25 • 4 min read
Tapestry is a new iOS app that functions as a unified feed reader, allowing users to integrate various social and RSS feeds without algorithms, while providing customization options for managing content visibility.
Parasocial
1/23/25 • 2 min read
In one of my early grad school classes, we had a conversation and some readings on parasocial relationships… mostly one-sided relationships you “build” with people that you watch on tv, listen to on the radio, or subscribe to their podcasts. We think we know these people. Maybe at some point we met them, but our real “relationship” is surface level. We might know their favorite athlete or actor, but have no idea what their spouse’s name is. We may know all about them, but they don’t actually know we exist.
Reflections from 1.19.2025
1/19/25 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
My first “Now” update of 2025. The start of the year has been chaotic. Cold weather and threat of snow, but only a couple of flurries. Then, last week, both kids had the flu. The semester started and I’m taking two classes. Work remains busy. Tomorrow is MLK Day and it’s a holiday for us. Hoping to use the day off to recharge and reset.
Then: Reflections from 12.31.24
12/31/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
The last day of the year. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks leading up to Christmas and before New Years. A minor car accident complicated the already busy season. Everyone is fine, and it was the other driver’s fault, but now we are just waiting to find out if the damage is repairable. Thankful for good auto insurance.
Normally by now, I have a plan for the next year. And I guess I have some ideas, but I haven’t written it out yet. I probably need to go ahead and do that today or tomorrow, since, you know, 2025 starts tomorrow.
2025: Incremental Progress
12/31/24 • 3 min read
My themes for 2025 are essentially the same as they were last year. And the year before. I need to get healthy. I want to write and be creative. I need to stay organized.
It’s somewhat boring that my major themes have stayed the same for three years. I’ve made progress, but I still have a ways to go. I thought about changing them up, but these four goals still reflect what I need to work on so I’m sticking with them. Just some slight modifications…
Then: Reflections from 12.15.24
12/15/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
First up, Happy birthday Norah! My oldest turns 20 today. Two decades is a long time and so much has happened… and yet, it feels like it has flown by.
I’ve seemed to settle in writing these updates every other week instead of weekly. Since they are mostly for me, I going to be okay with it. But if you happen to be reading along, just a heads up.
Tracking down a copy of my thesis from 1997
12/15/24 • 2 min read
I want to find a copy of my 1997 honors thesis.1 I wrote it on a Power Mac 7500 in Word Perfect 3.5 on the classic Mac OS 8. It probably fit on a floppy drive, but I know I saved a backup copy of it on a Zip drive. At some point, I decided that I needed to move things off the Zip disks and consolidated all of my old files from college onto DVDs. I’m not 100% sure where that DVD is now, but I’m guessing it’s in my attic. Even if the disc hasn’t been ruined by the South Carolina heat, I don’t actually have a DVD drive to read it.
Then: Reflections from 12.01.24
12/1/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
Thanksgiving week was busy. I worked Monday and Tuesday, took Wednesday off and the university was closed for Thursday and Friday. It was a much needed rest. We had Norah home from college so it was nice to have all of Team Wertz under the same roof for the first time for a while.
Hard to believe it’s December. I need to switch into gear to finish up the year strong. We’ve got my wife’s birthday this week and it’s her last week of graduate classes.
Reflections from 11.24.24
11/24/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
So I accidentally skipped last week. I wrote the post, but never actually uploaded it. So I’m incorporating some of what I wrote last week to cover the last two weeks.
Happy birthday to my youngest, Ryan. He turns 13 today. For another three weeks, I have three teenagers. Time flies.
Feels
- Grateful. On Ryan’s birthday, I’ve got to reflect on just how amazing and wonderful my kiddos are. I’m biased, but I think they are pretty phenomenal.
- Rearranging. My wife and I decided to move everything around. Furniture from the master bedroom is in the kitchen. We moved a bookshelf into the master bathroom. A cabinet into the laundry room. A chair moves from the living room to the master bedroom. Really happy with all the moves, and hopefully it will help us be more organized.
- Optimistic. I have a new boss at work. I got a chance to meet with him this week, and honestly, I’m excited and hopeful about the path forward. I’m going to be very busy. I’m happiest when I very busy.
Health
- Fine. Still in neutral. Need to get more active. Still eating pretty well…
Projects
- Typeface consulting. Got back into typeface design this weekend on the consulting project I’ve been working on. Happy with how it is turning out.
Entertainment
- Gamecock Football. Shane Beamer’s team is doing far better than anyone expected, and holding their own in a wacky SEC.
- Bluesky. Now, I know lots of people on Bluesky. Even my high school German teacher is following me over there. So there is more of a reason to be there.
- F1. Woke up in the middle of the night to watch the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Great win for my wife’s favorite driver, George Russell. And a championship for Max. Hopefully, the last two races will be at better times.
- Quartiles. Still enjoying the Apple News+ game.
Refining my social media approach
11/23/24 • 2 min read
The last two weeks has seen a surge in Bluesky usage. I’ve been on Bluesky a little since the early days. I liked the service, but I didn’t know any one there. That’s changed now and lots of friends are posting. That’s added a touch more complexity, so I figured I’d share how I’m handling my personal social media right now.
- I post everything to Micro.Blog. It shows up on bobwertz.com.
- Micro.Blog crossposts everything to Bluesky, Threads and Mastodon.
- I have notifications turned off on my iPhone, so I have no idea when people respond to what I post.
- I selectively choose when I want to engage with social media on whatever site feels right at the time.
A couple of random things I’ve noticed lately:
Then: Reflections from 11.10.24
11/10/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
I skipped last week’s post. Sunday, I was busy with schoolwork and didn’t have time. I planned to post something later, but the election happened and I just didn’t feel like posting at all.
Favorite Picture of Last Week
Our oldest, Norah, joined us at the polls to cast her first vote in a presidential election. And while most of the races didn’t go the way we hoped, I love that I was able to share this experience with her.
Then: Reflections from 10.27.24
10/27/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
This week was busy like the last couple, but felt much more manageable for some reason. I have an insanely busy week ahead of me and as the semester wraps up, I have a lot of school work to do. But emotionally, I feel a little more focused.
Favorite Picture of Last Week
My son, Ryan, is a lacrosse goalie. He played four games this weekend and did amazing. Probably his best week in goal ever. I also try to capture the action and yesterday, a kid made a great move a slipped the ball past Ryan. Great shot, and a fun picture.
Then: Reflections from 10.20.24
10/20/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
Another busy week. I feel like a broken record at this point. The kids’ schedules are busy. We went to the South Carolina State Fair. I was thankful that I didn’t have class this week for Fall Break, but I’ve still got a bunch of grad school deadlines to handle. We are actively looking to buy a car — which is a process I do not enjoy. It’s all quite overwhelming, but we manage to figure out how to fit it all in.
Then: 10.13.24
10/13/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
Tough week to summarize. It was a challenging week for several reasons. Work wasn’t great. We were busy at home. Running constantly. And in the middle of it, I had a little bit of a professional realization. We got to see my nephew play football finally. We’ve been to games that he hasn’t played in, but this time we got to see Brady play and hear “Brady West on the tackle.” Ryan had four lacrosse games on Saturday, which was exhausting for everyone. And I got a chance to take Liz to one of our favorite restaurants for a much needed date night.
Next
10/10/24 • 2 min read
Many years ago, I was having coffee with a successful designer. We were discussing career challenges and he just offhandedly commented “I just don’t love design any more. In fact, I’m thinking about winding down my business.” I was still a pretty young and ambitious designer and left the meeting stunned. How could a successful designer get to this point?
Fast forward to about six months ago. My oldest is in college and took a digital art class… basically the first design class. She did really well and thought about changing her major to graphic design, but she didn’t. “I don’t want to do what you do.” In fact, all of my kids are incredibly artistic, and none of them want to be designers. I shared this observation to my wife, who matter of factly commented “You don’t love design. You haven’t for a long time. They’ve watched you. Why would they be excited about it?”
Then: 10.6.24
10/6/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
This week provided confirmation of how bad Hurricane Helene devastated the people and places that we love in Asheville. We’ve heard from all of our friends and they are fine, but the destruction is almost incomprehensible. Asheville is a 2 hour drive from our house, and we make day trips up there all the time. Many of the stores, restaurants and spots we visit are quite simply gone. Lutheridge — a camp very special to my family — is okay, but with a lot of damage. The pen store in Biltmore Village is destroyed. So is the little bakery next door with the amazing Ginger cookies and the restaurant across the street with the pea salad that my wife loves. It’s hard to process all the loss.
Parker 25B: My first vintage fountain pen
9/29/24 • 3 min read
My dad texted me one afternoon that he’d found some fountain pens at a local auction and asked if I wanted to bid on them. He’s shared links in the past and I’ve never seen anything that looked interesting. From the look of the pictures, most of the listings looked well worn. But one of the pens was actually in the original packaging — a Parker 25B. It was impossible to tell what condition the pen was in, but I decided to take a shot on it. Dad placed a $7 bid. And won.1
Then: 9.29.24
9/29/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
Hurricane Helene hit us in Columbia, South Carolina this week. Early Friday morning, we lost power with 60+ mph wind gusts. Trees down everywhere. In Columbia, we weren’t prepared for a storm of this magnitude. We got power back 12 hours later, but many people in the area are still without power.
As bad as it was here, it was much, much worse two hours north in Asheville. Western North Carolina is devastated. Asheville is in many ways a second home and it’s heartbreaking to see the devastation and flooding.
Then: 9.22.24
9/22/24 • 2 min read
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
This week was a little more relaxed than the last few. I took Friday off and spent some time working on projects. The weeknights were busy, and our middle child had driving lessons on Saturday and Sunday. Next week looks to be reasonable.
Humorously, I wrote, but forgot to upload, my Now page from last week. I’m trying to use this as a weekly journal. It’s more for me than anyone else, but if you missed my weekly update, I’m sorry.