The Dan York Report

I'm back! After a self-imposed hiatus for most of 2025, I’m returning to something I’ve been deeply missing… writing and speaking... and creating podcast episodes! In this more personal episode, I go into some of the changes in my life that led to me choosing to go quiet ... and how I'm now in a situation where I'm back with a plan! You can read more in my latest AVFTCN newsletter: https://crowsnest.danyork.com/2026/03/24/avftcn-040-returning-from-a-hiatus-and-plans-for-2026/

What is going on these days with the Linux Professional Institute (LPI)? I sat down with Matthew Rice, the current Executive Director of LPI to find out! Way back in 1998/99, I was one of the co-founders of LPI, still today the leading independent certification program for Linux administrators. I haven’t been involved in 20 years but was recently inducted into the LPI “Hall of Fellows” - https://www.lpi.org/hall-of-fellows/ - and Matt Rice visited me in Vermont to give me an actual physical award. So I seized the opportunity to ask Matt a few questions and understand what LPI is doing in 2025.

Where were you 25 years ago on New Year’s Eve 1999? This year is the 25th anniversary of the Y2K bug. For those of us of a certain age, we remember where we were. In this episode I talk about where I was in a bit about what all the concern was about.

It’s been a while since my last episode… almost 6 months in fact. In this episode I explain a bit of what went on, and talk about plans for returning in a slightly different format.

20 years ago today I set up my account and first edited Wikipedia. In this episode, I talk about some of how that journey has gone over the 20 years. More info can be found in this blog post: https://www.danyork.com/2024/04/celebrating-20-years-as-a-wikipedia-editor.html And occasionally you can find me livestreaming Wikipedia editing on Twitch at: https://www.twitch.tv/danyork324

On January 8, 2024, United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched their Vulcan Centaur rocket - in this episode I talk about WHY this was such an important milestone and about the current state of the launch industry where SpaceX is the only company consistently launching rockets. You can read more at: - https://www.danyork.com/2024/01/ulas-successful-vulcan-centaur-rocket-launch-is-good-news.html -https://crowsnest.danyork.com/2023/11/03/avftcn-022-the-global-chokepoint-where-spacex-is-the-only-consistent-launch-provider/ Comments are welcome - do you want more episodes like this?

It's a new year and this year I've got a new plan that I'm aiming at for producing weekly podcast episodes. In this episode I talk about the plan an how it relates to other work I'm doing and content I'm creating. More info at: https://www.danyork.com/2024/01/a-new-plan-for-getting-in-the-habit-of-consistently-publishing-podcasts-and-newsletters.html

Has it really be over a year since I last published a podcast episode? In this new episode, I talk about some of the fatigue and malaise that has kept me away from recording and also writing. I also provided an update on some of what has been going on in my life. *Hopefully* you'll see more episodes coming out from me soon! Links I mentioned: - https://www.danyork.com/2023/01/my-themes-for-2023.html - https://elemental.medium.com/your-surge-capacity-is-depleted-it-s-why-you-feel-awful-de285d542f4c - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/well/mind/covid-mental-health-languishing.html

How do people use an Apple Watch? What do they like the most? The least? What is the big caveat I have with recommending a Watch? In this episode, I share my reflections on using an Apple Watch Series 3 for seven months. Thoughts from others in this Twitter thread from February 2022: https://twitter.com/danyork/status/1488552360288960517

It's been a loooonnnngggg while since the last episode! But I'm back with a long list of episodes... and I'd like to engage with YOU, listeners, in experimenting with Reddit Talk as a way to record podcast episodes. If you are a Redditor, please drop me a note and lets figure out a time to try out Reddit Talk! (More info: https://reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404349195284 )

For the 13th year, I started my first episode of 2022 talking about the "themes" I see myself weaving into my life over the next 12 months. This episode is a companion to this blog post that goes into more written detail: https://www.danyork.com/2022/01/my-themes-for-2022.html

Twitter Spaces is now available to everyone on iOS and Android with more than 600 followers. In this episode, I talk about all the changes Twitter has made to Spaces since episode 406 back in February, and all the features they have said are coming soon. And I ask the question - after the pandemic, will people still listen?

If you go to the top of a Wikipedia article, there is a "Talk" tab in the upper left that brings you to the "Talk page" for an article. What is this Talk page for? How is it used? What happens on that page? In this episode, I talk about the role of Talk pages in enabling collaboration between editors to improve articles. I explain the various use cases and WHY you might want to look at Talk pages to understand more. I also discuss user talk pages and sending messages to other editors. More info at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Talk_page_guidelines See also episode 405 - https://soundcloud.com/danyork/tdyr-405-a-frustrating-aspect-of-wikipedia-your-page-is-not-yours-to-edit-explaining-coi

As Clubhouse turns 1, every other service seems to want to have their own rival version. On the last show 406 I talked about Twitter Spaces, which has continued to evolve and improve. Facebook has indicated they are building their own… and in this episode I talk about new entrants from Discord and LinkedIn… and Spotify’s entrance into the game, as well as Telegram adding voice chats to their messaging app. More in these links: - https://blog.discord.com/captivate-your-community-with-stage-channels-46bbb756e89b -https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/31/discord-stage-channels-voice-events/ - https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/30/linkedin-confirms-its-working-on-a-clubhouse-rival-too/ - https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-03-30/spotify-acquires-locker-room-and-announces-plans-for-a-new-live-audio-experience/ - https://www.axios.com/spotify-betty-labs-locker-room-52550d15-3c05-48ed-b924-a9404c31901b.html - https://telegram.org/blog/voice-chats-on-steroids - https://www.makeuseof.com/telegram-is-launching-an-unlimited-upgrade-to-voice-chats/ Plus the cautionary tale about who audio channels may be excluding: - https://slate.com/technology/2021/03/clubhouse-voice-social-media-people-who-stutter.html

So what’s the deal with TwitterSpaces? How does it work? Will it truly be a competitor to Clubhouse for “social audio”? Today I had a chance to participate in three TwitterSpaces - and in this episode I talk about the experience of joining a TwitterSpace, what you can do inside of it, how you interact with it, my thoughts on how it is different from Clubhouse, and some thoughts on "social audio". Two posts I reference are: - https://stratechery.com/2021/clubhouses-inevitability/ - https://web-strategist.com/blog/2021/01/30/the-future-of-social-audio-startups-roadmap-business-models-and-a-forecast/ I welcome feedback either to @danyork on Twitter or via email to [email protected]

"Wait? What? If something is wrong on a Wikipedia page about my company, I can't just go in and edit it??? That's crazy!" One of the most challenging and frustrating aspects for newcomers to Wikipedia is the guidelines and policies about "conflict of interest" (COI). What you think of as "your" page is NOT your page to edit. In this episode I talk about what is going on, why this is the way it is... and what you can do within Wikipedia's conventions if you do have COI and would like to suggest changes to an article. Please do let me know your feedback about this episode and whether you would like more episodes about Wikipedia. Some resources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Conflict_of_interest - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Plain_and_simple_conflict_of_interest_guide - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources - https://www.disruptiveconversations.com/2021/01/most-nights-you-can-find-me-briefly-streaming-on-twitch-and-editing-wikipedia.html - https://www.twitch.tv/danyork324

Wikipedia is an idea that probably should NOT work... but it does! On January 15, 2021, Wikipedia celebrated its 20th anniversary with over 6 million English articles and having just celebrated its 1 billionth edit (Jan 13). In this 404th episode, I talk about this milestone, and my own involvement in Wikipedia editing - and some of the things I've learned over this year. Some links: - https://wikimediafoundation.org/wikipedia20/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:20th_anniversary - https://twitter.com/Wikipedia/status/1350125701513572355 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/15/wikipedia-20-year-anniversary/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Dyork

As I've done for the last 12 years, I started 2021 talking about the "themes" I see myself weaving into my life over the next 12 months. This episode is a companion to this blog post that goes into more written detail: https://www.danyork.com/2021/01/my-themes-for-2021.html

Is it true that over 39% of websites now use WordPress? In this episode I talk about that statistic and other information coming out of the “State of the Word 2020” event by Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, the company behind the hosted WordPress.com and driving overall WordPress development

In November 2020, Twitter launched "Fleets" globally, bringing the vertical "Story" format first launched on Snapchat and then Instagram, Facebook, and most other social networks. In this episode, I explore what Fleets are all about, how they work, what some of the issues I've seen with them, and some of my thoughts for their future. You can read more at: https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/product/2020/introducing-fleets-new-way-to-join-the-conversation.html

After 7 years and 400 episodes of The Dan York Report, this episodes has a look back at how and why I started this podcast, what I've used to create it, some of the content I've covered, along with some thoughts about the future. I would definitely welcome your comments!

With two hooks in the ceiling, I made the single biggest home office improvement for Zoom calls and live streaming! In this episode I talk about how useful a ceiling-mounted green screen can be, and how green screens in general can help improve the quality of your video calls or live streaming...

What??? With schools moving to online learning, are we really seeing the end of *snow days*? In this episode, I talk about the long tradition of "snow days" in the northern US, and how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way we learn... and removing the need to have a day off for snowstorms! If you are in areas with snow, are you hearing something similar? (no snow days) What do you think about all of this?

In this pandemic with its ongoing and never-ending uncertainty, is part of our challenge that we have depleted our brain's "surge capacity"? Following on to the last episode 396 where I talked about the "Pandemic Productivity Plunge," in this episode I discuss an article I found very helpful in thinking about how to *think about* our response to the pandemic. The article is "Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful" by science journalist Tara Haelle. I would encourage everyone to read it at: https://elemental.medium.com/your-surge-capacity-is-depleted-it-s-why-you-feel-awful-de285d542f4c (If you cannot view it there, I have also found it at https://outline.com/GwHDSf ) What do you think about this article and the ideas? Are they helpful to you? What are YOU doing to renew your capacity to respond? Please do leave comments either here on SoundCloud or wherever this is posted on social media. FYI, you can follow the article author on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tarahaelle

So... anyone else struggling a bit with productivity during these pandemic times? I'm working longer hours than ever, and am "busier" than ever.. but I'm finding myself struggling a good bit, particularly with creating new content. In this episode I talk about some of my own struggles with productivity during the pandemic, as well as some of what people share in threads on Twitter - https://twitter.com/danyork/status/1290287978024116227 and Mastodon - https://mastodon.social/@danyork/104626127875193156

Why haven't I been recording podcast episodes? Well... I've been off experimenting with Twitch! In this episode I talk all about why I have been doing that, and what I have learned so far. You can follow along with my experiments at https://www.twitch.tv/danyork324 (And yes, this episode was actually streamed on Twitch, too.)

After the COVID-19 pandemic is over, will livestreaming change churches and community organizations? If so, how? In this episode I talk about how there have been some benefits seen in livestreaming. When the pandemic is over and we can start gathering again, will we bring with us any lessons from all our time streaming online?

In the beginning, SoundCloud had a big orange button in their iOS app that let you record and upload audio. Then in 2014 that was removed... but now in 2020 the Upload ability is back (but not Record). In this episode I talk about that evolution over these years... Links: - TDYR 163 from 2014, where I talked about the initial change: https://soundcloud.com/danyork/tdyr-163-soundcloud-removes - SoundCloud's info about uploading: http://web.archive.org/web/20200514015038/https://help.soundcloud.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043080874-How-do-I-upload-tracks-on-iOS-

On this 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, I look back 30 years and tell the story of how the events that led to Earth Day 1990, and the choices I made, fundamentally changed my life and set me on the path that led to where I am today... See also this post: https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2020/04/on-this-50th-earth-day-we-are-using-the-internet-to-change-the-world/

In a time of isolation, how can you use virtual coffee breaks to connect with others? In this episode, I talk about how people within my organization have used the combination of Zoom and Slack to have virtual coffee (or tea) breaks to connect with each other. I also offer some tips for someone wanting to do this within your organization...

Why do we write articles that people can't understand? How can we be more clear and concise in our writing? How can we reduce the load on the brains of our readers? In this episode I talk about how critically important it is to write in "plain language" so that you text can be understood by the widest number of readers. Some of the resources I mention include: - http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_English - https://plainlanguage.gov/ - https://plainlanguage.gov/resources/checklists/web-checklist/ What techniques and strategies do YOU find effective for writing in plain language?

It’s been one month since the first positive case of COVID-19 was found in Vermont, where I live. In this episode I talk through some of my thoughts about what all is going on...

Yesterday we had the joy of using the Internet to celebrate the relationship of two people whose wedding was cancelled due to the pandemic. In this episode I talk about how wonderful that celebration was... and how the Internet can be used to bring moments of joy amidst the chaos...

This past Tuesday was “Super Tuesday” where my wife and I had a date night with CNN, settling in for a long night of watching primary election results... why do I find this so fascinating? In this episode, I talk about why...

It was 10 years ago, on January 27, 2010, that Steve Jobs stood on stage and announced the iPad. In this episode I reflect on all the ways that I personally have found the iPad to be useful (including curling!). What do YOU think about the iPad? Have you found it useful? If so, how? If not, what didn’t work for you? Links I referred to in the article: - https://twitter.com/stevesi/status/1221853721363013632?s=21 - https://daringfireball.net/2020/01/the_ipad_awkwardly_turns_10 [Note: this episode was planned entirely on an iPad (using MindNode to create a mind map), recorded on an iPhone, and then uploaded to SoundCloud using an iPad.]

Since 2010, I've started the new year with a blog post about my 3 or 4 themes or aspirations for the new year. This year I've published that at https://www.danyork.com/2020/01/my-4-words-for-2020.html - and this episode talks more about what I'm hoping to do in 2020.

Recorded back on December 1, 2019, this episode recaps how and why I failed at "National Podcast Post Month" (NaPodPoMo) a second time. I was SO prepared... I had outlines... I had a whole month of episodes planned out... I just hadn't counted on one thing...

Why not try something different than just presenting with slides? In this episode I talk about how I recently used MindNode to present a talk using its "Focus" mode and some trackpad zooming to give a different style of presenting. More info about MindNode's Focus mode: https://mindnode.com/news/2019-04-24-mindnode-6-has-arrived And the mind map I presented this week is at: https://my.mindnode.com/YDJYKxKp2y1jbd4XENeNpmHdZWaqFVW6aKTwqgyn#869.0,-2412.0,2

What are some LESSONS LEARNED since I first started working in a home office 20 years ago? In this final Part 3, I talk about the lessons I have learned that have helped me thrive working remotely from a home office, and I also share lessons that others shared with me on Twitter. Episode 380 covered the benefits of remote working. Episode 381 covered the disadvantages, and then this episode wraps it all up. I would love to hear your comments - are there lessons YOU have learned that I didn't cover? Please leave a comment! (Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/danyork/status/1182606706485977088 ) Episode 380 - Benefits - https://soundcloud.com/danyork/tdyr-380-remote-working-part-1-what-are-the-benefits-of-working-from-home Episode 381 - Disadvantages - https://soundcloud.com/danyork/tdyr-381-remote-working-part-2-what-are-the-disadvantages-of-working-from-home

What are the DISADVANTAGES of working remotely from a home office? I started working in a home office 20 years ago back in 1999 - what have I seen as the benefits? the challenges? what lessons have I learned? I decided to make this a *3-part series* and so this episode 381 covers the disadvantages. The previous episode 380 covered the benefits, and episode 382 will wrap up the series with lessons learned. I also asked people on Twitter about their thoughts - I include many of those as well. (Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/danyork/status/1182213497066868741 ) WHAT DISADVANTAGES DO *YOU* SEE? Please leave a comment here...

What are the BENEFITS of working remotely from a home office? I started working in a home office 20 years ago back in 1999 - what have I seen as the benefits? the challenges? what lessons have I learned? I decided to make this a *3-part series* and so this episode 380 covers the benefits. The next episode 381 will cover the challenges, and episode 382 will wrap up the series with lessons learned. I also asked people on Twitter about their thoughts - I include many of those as well. (Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/danyork/status/1181883371611406336 ) WHAT BENEFITS DO *YOU* SEE? Leave a comment here...

The 106th meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) begins this weekend (16 Nov 2019) in Singapore. In this episode, I talk about what will be happening there and how you can participate remotely. Learn more in this post: https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2019/11/ietf-106-begins-nov-16-in-singapore-here-is-how-you-can-participate-remotely-in-building-open-internet-standards/

Are we (of a certain age) the last generation to remember sticking actual physical keys into cars? In this episode, I just talk about how actual keys have faded away in favor of "key fobs"... and how while that gives great convenience, it comes with other issues...

WordPress 5.3 was released yesterday, November 12, 2019, an in this episode I talk about my initial thoughts on the release and what I'm excited to use on my sites. If you are curious about what is in WordPress 5.3, or have seen the upgrade notices and are interested in learning what is in the release, this episode may be helpful. (My intention is then to follow up in a couple of weeks with another episode reflecting on how I have found WP 5.3 to be.)

Is it the end of the EditFlow plugin for WordPress? Or is there still life in the plugin? In this episode I talk about the value I found in EditFlow over the years, as well as recent news that work was discontinued... although that seems at odds with checkins to the Github repository! Links discussed in the episode include: - https://wptavern.com/automattic-has-discontinued-active-development-on-edit-flow-plugin - https://editflow.org/ - https://wordpress.org/plugins/edit-flow/ - https://github.com/Automattic/Edit-Flow - https://www.disruptiveconversations.com/2015/03/suggestions-for-an-editorial-calendar-toolservice-for-content-strategy.html

"What is 'dialing', Daddy?", my youngest daughter asked one day when I talked about "dialing" a number on the phone. In this episode I reminisce about the age of rotary dial phones... including that time I and some friends were repeatedly dialing a ticket company to get Pink Floyd tickets. :-) More info about rotary dial phones: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_dial

In a recent interview about his new book, J. Michael Straczynski, said he pitched the network on his Babylon 5 show by saying that it was all about "choices, consequences, and responsibility." In this short episode, I talk about what a great summary that is of the sci-fi show that I so enjoyed over the many years. You can watch the JMS interview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyt4Og0hc08

"Die Mauer! Die Mauer ist weg!" ("The wall! The wall is gone!") It was 30 years ago tonight when I got the phone call from a friend of mine that the wall was gone. I turned on our TV and was astounded by what I saw. For cold-war kids who were students of German and German history, this was unbelievable and unthinkable... we were stunned... and joyous! In this episode I share some of my reflections on that amazing time...

Are there good alternatives to Meetup.com for organizing groups and events? Many people started asking that question a few weeks ago when it appeared Meetup.com was drastically changing its pricing. While Meetup.com clarified this was just a test, it caused many people to wonder about relying so much on Meetup.com. In this episode I talk about what happened, some of the alternatives, and some of the challenges in moving to a different service. More info and a list of alternatives at: https://github.com/danyork/meetup-alternatives

It was 50 years ago in the summer of 1969 that the Unix operating system was created at Bell Labs by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and their colleagues. In this episode I talk about the large effect Unix has had on my own life, in all of its many variations, and celebrate the 50 years of this remarkable creation. More info: https://www.bell-labs.com/var/articles/celebrating-50-years-unix/ https://www.bell-labs.com/unix50/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix