Gotta be honest, 2023 was weird. So much stuff happened that it doesn't even feel like a single year in the slightest.

In January, Vimeo laid off 11% of the workforce. My job was spared but many many people on my team were not. We were given a new boss and told "you're on your own" - meaning that Vimeo OTT (fka VHX) was not a priority and we should figure out how to be successful without interaction from the larger org. I am happy to say that the remaining team - including the new boss - were fantastic and absolutely crushed. Seriously inspiring to see such a small squad take on so much and actually make it work!

After 11 years of working on VHX / Vimeo OTT, I didn't have the gusto to continue. I departed and now work at Mosaic. My new role is focused on using generative AI to power apps and improve internal workflows. It's a breath of fresh air to say the least!

Due to the eight months of intensity of Vimeo, I ended up neglecting some of my side projects. We Own This Town hasn't published so little in years. My own podcast put out fifteen episodes this year. Last year I put out 52. It's not a great feeling but it also provided me with an opportunity to actually think about what I'm doing any regroup a bit.

On the positive side, yk Records released twelve treats this year and I'm extremely happy with all of them. I'm planning on writing up a more in-depth bit about the label but we'll see if that actually happens. I often feel weird posting these long personal updates but, hey, it is a blog after all. Where else should I put this information?!

I'll close out with some lists of enjoyables from the past year that have found their way into my regular routine. Maybe they'll find their way into yours as well.

• Ben's Bites - daily email of AI news and projects to take note of. Someone recently commented to me about AI, "There's no going back." I think this is true, so you might as well be brushed up on what's happening.
• Today in Tabs - I've mentioned this before but it's a great grab bag of Internet absurdity. Sometimes the writing is so dense that it's incomprehensible but you'll adjust. If you're into Internet Culture, this is a good way to stay abreast of it all.
• Garbage Day - this pairs well with Today in Tabs but tends to be more long form reflective than a barrage of links. I've really enjoyed many of the insights here.
• Stretchery - new to me but I'm sure old hat to many. Lots of tech industry reflections, insights and pulling together strings over time. Thoughtful. A great one to spend real time with.
• What the F**k Just Happened Today? - a daily newsletter summarizing the top headlines. You can have your NYT newsletter, WTFJHT breaks it down quite nicely for me.

In terms of other goodies for the year, I keep on ongoing playlist of songs that I enjoyed throughout the year. I don't know that I'd call this a "Best Of" list but if a song strikes me, I toss it in there.

Next year, I hope to launch a few new projects and clean up some technical debt here at ole yewknee dot com. I'm 100% confident the commenting system doesn't work anymore and that makes me think it's time for another simplified redesign. We shall see.

If you made it here, thanks for continuing to read. I've had this site for 22 years and hope to have it for many more! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!