Some people like to reflect on the previous year sometime in December. I like to have a little more distance from it, so I’ve always written these recaps in January. For better or worse, the extra few weeks gives me time to gain a clearer perspective of the year as a whole.

What I remember is that 2024 was a pretty good year, all things considered. What felt at times like limbo was just transition, and I’m excited about what I’m working on and who I’m working with.

Of course, 2024 was challenging, too. Among other things, the US re-elected the worst president in my lifetime and one of the worst presidents in history.

Optimism is the antidote to despair. For my part, I’m doubling down on building community, strengthening relationships, supporting people, and trying to make a difference.

January

We kicked off the year with a family trip to Breckenridge. We even brought our dog Bear. Because I wasn’t cleared to ski yet, I shuttled everyone to and from the slopes, walked the dog, and spent time with Tegan, who was on crutches at the time.

Tegan and I spent a few hours one day making candles, which was a lot more fun than I expected. We were the only people there, so we got a lot of personal attention and instruction. It was nice to do something that was so unrushed.

The kids and I started playing Super Mario Wonder, and we had a lot of fun together. Killian decided to 100% the game, so I decided to do the same. At first, it was just a fun way to continue playing, but we were rewarded with probably my favorite Mario level of all time, The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon.

I took Tegan to a dog sledding event at Snow Mountain Ranch as part of Girl Scouts. While she was doing that, I enjoyed spending some time with Riley, who came along for a weekend of fun that included archery, rock climbing, roller skating, and the cafeteria (her favorite part).

Killian and I visited Troop 78 during their Pre-Klondike. (He would later join the troop.)

February

We went back to Snow Mountain Ranch with some friends. This is the trip I missed the previous year, during which I tore my ACL playing soccer. I wasn’t going to miss it again. The kids enjoyed all of the activities, and Riley showed off the natural route on the climbing wall, which is when you don’t use any of the holds. (I didn’t even know that was a thing.)

Christina took the kids skiing in Keystone. I was still doing PT regularly, trying to build back the strength in my legs, hoping I could join them before the season ended.

March

Killian won Pinewood Derby again, and he had the fastest car of the entire pack. It was his last time racing, since he was aging out of Cub Scouts. It was nice to see him go out on top.

The kids and I started playing Hollow Knight, and we all got really into it. The maps, the art, the lore, everything. Killian and I decided to 112% the game, but we lost interest after getting to 111% and completing Path of Pain. Maybe we’ll come back it before Silksong is released.

Killian went on a snowshoe hike around NCAR with Troop 78, and I went with him. We were able to walk to it from our house.

We went back to Brooklyn and stayed with Jessi and Creighton. We always live it up when we go back, catching up with friends, eating at favorite restaurants, and seeing shows. We also spent a day on Governor’s Island, a car-free utopia that we love. Our ferry was delayed for a while, because Presidents Biden and Obama were departing from the helipad near the ferry terminal.

April

We got to see another solar eclipse. I remember telling everyone at Roost to go outside and check it out. I had some glasses to share, and everyone appreciated the reminder.

Christina and I watched It’s Only Life After All at the Dairy with a bunch of other Indigo Girls fans. It was fun and nostalgic.

At long last, I was finally cleared to ski again and took the family to Vail for one last ski trip, which coincided with Christina’s birthday. We stayed in a very cool Airbnb that was just across the walking bridge, so it was inexpensive but still incredibly convenient. I was especially cautious, because I know people tear their ACLs skiing all the time, and I wasn’t back to full strength yet. On the first day, disaster struck, and I still can’t believe it. Christina tore her ACL! It would be several days before we knew for sure. I felt terrible.

May

I went with Killian on his first outing as part of Troop 78. After a pleasant day of hiking and a nice night at Wellington Lake, the weather took a turn. The clouds descended upon us as we went to bed, and we awoke to some of the worst weather I’ve experienced. We were in thick fog, everything was covered in snow and ice, and because the temperature was barely below freezing, we were assaulted with a constant rotation of freezing rain, sleet, hail, snow, and more freezing rain. Everything and everyone was soaked and miserably cold. Not the weather you might expect in May, except this is Colorado. To cap it off, the drive back was so treacherous that the adults count that as the hardest part of the whole trip. I was impressed with the resiliency of the scouts, Killian especially.

Tegan’s bike was stolen in front of King Soopers, underneath a security camera, which was devastating to her. It’s always hard when something is stolen from you, but her bike was her most cherished posssession and how she got around (including to school each day). It was like having her freedom taken from her.

We went to Casa Bonita for my birthday. Wow, what a place. The food wasn’t great, which everyone warned me about, but I can’t wait to go back. It’s such an experience.

Killian graduated from Bear Creek. I did the slideshow again. I think I’m already on the hook to do it one last time when Riley graduates in two years.

We started a garden in our backyard, which was great. I mostly planted tomatoes and hot peppers.

June

I visited my dad in Florida shortly after a life-saving surgery. My sister joined us after the first day. Despite the circumstances, it was really nice to spend some time together, something we rarely get a chance to do.

Christina and the kids surprised me with Janet Jackson tickets for Father’s Day. Nelly opened. Lots of nostalgia.

I spent a few days at Summer Camp with Killian and his fellow scouts. While there, I helped with the backpacking shakedown, an overnight backpacking trip meant to help the new scouts get some experience.

We saw Brett Dennen at Boulder Theater. Riley came with us, and when Brett asked for requests, she shouted “See The World” as loudly as she could. He liked that idea and looked to see where that tiny voice came from. Christina shouted her name. He pointed to her and said, “I see you, Riley.” Then he played the song. Riley was beaming.

July

There was another wildfire close to home, but we didn’t have to evacuate this time, and they were able to contain it. Thank you, firefighters.

We went camping at Golden Gate Canyon State Park with some friends, and we brought Bear. On our way to the campsite, we encountered a couple of moose and had to wait for them to leave.

Christina had ACLR surgery. There was no meniscus damage, which was a huge relief.

We saw Alanis Morissette. This was only my second time seeing her, the first of which was in 1996. She was incredibly energetic and gave an amazing performance. We were pretty far from the stage, but during the show, she set up a mini stage right in front of where we were sitting and performed several songs. It was like having a small, private concert.

August

Killian had a backpacking trip with scouts coming up, so the girls wanted a trip of their own. I took them to Crater Lakes, a favorite spot. It rained, but it was fun. The raspberries along the way weren’t quite ripe. On the way home, we capped off the trip with our traditional visit to the Carousel of Happiness and Crosscut.

The following weekend, I went backpacking in the same place with Killian and his fellow scouts. The raspberries were perfect, so they spent a good amount of time collecting and eating handfulls of them. We got rained on quite a bit, but they had fun.

On the second day, there was a nice moment when the sun came out, we were above tree line, and the scouts could see the Continental Divide. Although it was time to head back to camp, they decided they wanted to go for the summit. We made it to the summit and back down below tree line before the rain started again. It was the best part of the trip.

September

I’ve seen the Indigo Girls in concert many times over the years, but Red Rocks is a pretty special venue, and this turned out to be a very special night. Some friends of Christina’s are also friends of Carol Isaacs (an illustrator who was playing keyboards), so they got free tickets and were sitting closer to the stage than we were. During the show, Christina went down to chat with them for a bit. When she came back, she told me to hurry down there, because one of them was donating their backstage pass to me.

I made my way down and found them, and as soon as Amy and Emily left the stage, we went to the stage door, passes in hand. A few minutes later, I was meeting the Indigo Girls!

Amy and I talked about Boulder and her love of Mustard’s Last Stand. Emily was tired and clearly eager to get back on the bus, but she graciously said hello and posed for a photo.

October

A friend of Killian’s invited us to go camping with them for his birthday. Looking back, I’m realizing I spent quite a lot of time in the outdoors last year.

I saw Aurora Borealis for the first time, and I only had to travel to our deck. It was barely perceptible to the naked eye, but really vivid and obvious when looking through a camera.

We got to see the comet, which was utterly spectacular. I’m really glad the kids got to see it, too.

I accompanied Killian on a survival outing with scouts, where luxuries like tents weren’t allowed. I overprepared, because it sounded harder than it turned out to be, and because the May outing was so extreme.

November

I went to New Orleans for a high school friend's birthday, which felt a little like a reunion. This was my first time visiting New Orleans. I stayed in a cute hotel right on the St. Charles Streetcar Line, which was a nice way to get around. Dinner was at Commander’s Palace, which was pretty fancy and very good.

The US had an election, and it didn’t go well. I texted my friend Jessica:

Grim day, but let’s start a company.

I saw Aimee Mann and Jonathan Coulton (again) at Boulder Theater. They were great as always.

Tegan performed in the school play, and the girls both had a dance performance. It’s really fun to watch your kids on stage. The nervousness, the pride, the hard work paying off. And that moment when they see you in the audience? It’s great.

We saw Wicked at the cinema, which was really great. The girls have been singing the songs ever since. (To be fair, they were already singing the songs.)

We got a massive Christmas tree for Roost at my friend Dan’s property in Nederland. Roost has really high ceilings, and I’ve always wanted to have a huge Christmas tree. It really livened up the place.

December

We announced Studioworks and gave people a chance to sign up for lifetime discounts and other perks. The response has been amazing. As I write this, almost 1,000 people have signed up based purely on the promise of what we’re building. It’s the wind in our sails, and I’m so grateful to everyone who believes in us.

My mom visited. She arrived on a Friday, and I took some time off of work to spend some time with her. After lunch at Alpine Modern, we visited the Apple Store to demo the Vision Pro. I thought it would be something fun to do, and it was. I can’t imagine ever buying one or using one in public, but they’re really impressive.

The annual Roost holiday party was so much fun. The pandemic years were hard, but I can feel the community energy returning. I’m looking forward to pouring my heart into it again.

The night before Christmas, I received the strangest email. Someone in Colorado Springs had bought Tegan’s stolen bike. They were offering to meet up and return it to me. I was a little skeptical and glad to be meeting in a public place for safety, but it turned out to be legitimate. Her bike was pretty badly damaged (they destroyed a fender cutting the wheel lock off and marred the frame in a few places), but it was really nice to have it back.

Christmas break was great, as always. Lots of movies and family fun.

After Christmas, we went to Oakland. Well, we flew into San Jose, stayed in Alameda, and spent time in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland. Christina’s sister Rose and her wife live in Alameda, and we stayed nearby and spent most of our time with them. Every day was packed with fun.

On Christmas Eve, which happens to also be Rose’s birthday, we went to a kid’s dance party at Jessica’s place in Berkely, which was a lot of fun. At the end of the night, we all sang happy birthday. Jessica even cut a piece of cake she happened to have and put a birthday candle on it.

That was 2024. I like that I mostly remember time spent with family and friends.

I’m really looking forward to 2025. I can’t wait to make the most of it.

Thankfully, everyone loved it.

But, we had a problem. Many subscribers didn’t realize we had sent it until they saw me mention it on social media. They never got it.

What happened?

It turns out that our newsletter was being flagged as spam. In the years since we sent the last issue, a lot has changed. Google, Yahoo, and others started requiring email authentication (SPF or DKIM) in 2022. Beginning February 2024 (tomorrow), they’ll also require DMARC for bulk senders. If you have a newsletter with more than 5,000 subscribers, that includes you.

Email authentication, like HTTPS, has evolved from being a nice-to-have to a standard expectation.

I’ll show you how to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

SPF

SPF was the first real attempt at email authentication. It uses a DNS TXT record to indicate which servers are allowed to send email from your domain.

It’s easy to implement, but you’ll need to know two things:

• How to create a TXT record for your domain
• Which servers you use to send email

The SPF record syntax is pretty straightforward, but there are a lot of options, so it can be overwhelming. Here’s the record I use for my personal email:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

For clarity, this is the value of a TXT record with a host of @. It’s what Google recommends if you only send email from Google.

When a server receives an email claiming to be from me, it can look up my SPF record to see that only Google is allowed to send email from my domain, and then verify whether the email was in fact sent by Google. (It does this by looking up the SPF record for _spf.google.com, which Google keeps updated.) If not, it’s flagged as spam.

At Faculty, we use Google for our regular email and Mailchimp for our newsletter. To allow both of these to send email from our domain, our SPF record is a little different. We need to include _spf.google.com to allow Google to send email on our behalf and servers.mcsv.net to let Mailchimp send email on our behalf. You can only have one SPF record, so to allow both, you need to include both like this:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:servers.mcsv.net ~all

I have a friend who uses Google for her personal email and MailerLite for her newsletter. Here’s her SPF record:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:_spf.mlsend.com ~all

If your situation is different, seek examples from your email service provider(s). Just remember that if you send personal email using one provider and a newsletter using a different provider, you might have to combine two examples into a single SPF record.

More information:

• SPF & DKIM records, a comic by Julia Evans
• The check_host() function and examples from RFC7208 if you want to learn more about how SPF records are checked
• The SPF Surveyor from Dmarcian

DKIM

DKIM lets you sign your outgoing emails using public-key cryptography. You publish the public key in DNS, so receivers can use it to verify the signature.

Google makes DKIM easy to implement but hard to find. Gmail settings are currently found here:

Admin → Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail

From here, you should be able to authenticate email.

Google will generate a key pair and provide the TXT record you need to add to your DNS. This record contains the public key, and once Google confirms you’ve added it, it will use the corresponding private key to sign your outgoing email.

Once you set it up, it’s seamless.

Setting up DKIM with Mailchimp is a little different. Instead of publishing your own DKIM record, Mailchimp wants to do it for you. To give Mailchimp the ability to do this, you need to add a few CNAME records instead. Mailchimp uses selectors k1, k2, and k3, so you’ll need to have CNAME records for each of these. Here’s what we use for Faculty:

k1._domainkey.faculty.com → dkim.mcsv.net

k2._domainkey.faculty.com → dkim2.mcsv.net

k3._domainkey.faculty.com → dkim3.mcsv.net

If you use Mailchimp, just substitute faculty.com with your domain, and this should work for you, too.

MailerLite uses the same approach as Mailchimp, but you only need to publish one CNAME record:

litesrv._domainkey.example.com → litesrv._domainkey.mlsend.com

If you use MailerLite, just substitute example.com with your domain.

More information:

• DKIM Record Checker from Dmarcian
• DKIM Validator from Dmarcian

DMARC

DMARC uses a DNS TXT record to indicate whether email from your domain is protected by SPF and DKIM, what to do when a check fails, and how to report back. It’s required for anyone sending more than 5,000 emails per day, which includes a lot of newsletters.

Because reports are sent as individual emails, I decided to use a service. DMARC services can receive and consolidate all of the reports on your behalf, providing you with a user-friendly summary. It’s better than wading through thousands of emails or ignoring the reports altogether.

I’m currently using Dmarcian. It’s free for personal use, but if you have a newsletter, you might have to pay. My friend Jason recommends DMARC Digests from Postmark, which offers less detail but is less expensive.

Setting up DMARC with a service is easy, because the service will provide the record you need to add, complete with a unique email address where reports will be sent.

If you want to receive your own reports rather than use a service, you probably at least want to set up a separate email address that you can check independently. To set up a DMARC record for example.com and receive reports at dmarc@example.com, publish the following TXT record with a host of _dmarc:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com;

Just substitute example.com with your domain.

More information:

• DMARC.org
• RFC 7489
• Dmarcian, the service I use
• DMARC Digests, another DMARC service

Testing

By far the most helpful tool I have found is AboutMy.email. This is a service that provides an email address for you to send email to, and it will give you every kind of insight you can imagine. If you have a newsletter, send a test email to this tool before sending to all of your subscribers, and you should be able to identify problems before they affect deliverability.

I can’t recommend it enough.

Summary

With email authentication set up correctly, your emails should reliably find their way to their recipients. With DMARC in particular, you’ll be able to quickly identify problems as they arise or reassure yourself that all is well.

If you like this post, perhaps you’d like to subscribe to my blog. And, if you like reading about design, technology, and assorted miscellany, I hope you’ll subscribe to the Faculty newsletter.

Thanks for reading.

I lost the habit during the pandemic, but I’m going to pick it back up again. (I did write a catchup post that captures some of what I missed.) I’m also going to use this opportunity to call these recaps rather than highlights, partly to remove the positivity bias. While 2023 did have some highlights, it was a tough year.

January

We went to Meow Wolf Convergence Station, which is a little hard to describe. Meow Wolf is like an art gallery, but instead of walking around looking at art, it’s an immersive experience where you’re in it. The kids loved it, and so did I.

We went skiing in Keystone, which boasts the world’s largest snow fort. I didn’t know it at the time, but this would be my last time skiing for a while. I haven’t been since.

Although it’s not something I would normally recall, it was around this time that the last two years of playing soccer again started to pay off. It took longer than I expected, but I finally felt like I had my speed, strength, and stamina back. For a brief moment, I felt like my old self. Some of the weekend pickup games were especially fun.

The month ended with some truly heartbreaking news that I decided not to write about.

February

February began with a memorial service, and Matter, the neuroscience company I co-founded, felt more important than ever. I really poured my heart into it, because I wanted to make a difference.

I found myself stretched too thin, and this continued throughout the rest of the year. Most days consisted of back-to-back meetings all day. My schedule was like a crowded parking lot, with cars circling around ready to snatch any space that opened up. I was trying to do too much. Despite what LinkedIn hustlers might tell you, this is not how you do your best work.

To make time to prepare for my whole team coming to Boulder for a week, I skipped out on a weekend trip to Snow Mountain Ranch with my family. This turned out to be a big mistake.

I played pickup soccer that weekend. For many reasons, I felt like I really needed it. Unfortunately, about an hour in, disaster struck. I got hit from behind when I wasn’t expecting contact, and I hurt my left knee. There’s never a good time pick up an injury, but this was the worst. I went home and iced it. When I woke up the next day, it was clear it was serious.

My injury dominated every moment the week my team was in town. I was swollen and broken and unhappy. It was meant to be a week for us to connect, reflect, and grow as a team, but it wasn’t for me.

I made an appointment with a PT who performed a Lachman test and gave me the worst news: my ACL was completely torn. An MRI later confirmed it and added a bucket handle meniscus tear to my list of woes.

Around this time, Christina volunteered me for a few school things, which was probably something I didn’t appreciate in the moment, but it was good for me. I designed the program for the lip sync show and learned GarageBand well enough to mix some music for it. (I learned iMovie the year before to create the 5th grade slideshow.) I was doing some really good work (if I say so myself) and picking up some new skills along the way.

Christina and I went to Buena Vista to see Brett Dennen. We stayed in an Airbnb that was a short walk from the venue. The show was really great, although standing for hours was not ideal with my swollen knee.

March

I had knee surgery. It was a trifecta: they repaired my meniscus, harvested my quad (for a new ACL), and replaced my ACL. I had to wear a locking brace, so I couldn’t bend my knee, and I wasn’t allowed to put any weight on my operative leg for 6 weeks. Everything hurt, and I was bedridden.

Four days later, SVB collapsed. All of Matter’s money was there. Most commentary conflated depositors with investors, acting like anyone who banked there deserved to lose their money. It was all very upsetting. After a nail-biting weekend, news came on Monday that depositors would be protected. Disaster averted.

Almost a year after ordering it, my new bike finally arrived. In most ways, it was an upgrade from my Urban Arrow. It would be three months before I could ride it.

We held a pinewood derby workshop at our house. We have a lot of useful tools and knowledge to help kids make their cars fast. Sadly, I was unable to help or even go outside to watch. It did give Killian a chance to step up and help, which he did.

As part of our Christmas gift to the kids, we booked a family trip to Brooklyn for spring break. Except I couldn’t go. Thankfully, Christina’s sister Rose was able to take my place, and they all had a good time. The trip coincided with Kinference, a conference put together by Cameron Koczon. (For those who don’t know, we created Brooklyn Beta together.) Christina dropped by the conference a couple of times and texted me a steady stream of photos with friends, which was really lovely.

April

We celebrated Christina’s birthday at Southern Sun. It was 6 weeks after my surgery and my first time leaving the house. My brace was set to allow up to 60 degrees of flexion by this point, which I could just about manage, but sitting was pretty difficult.

Christina and the kids went to Vail for closing weekend. I remember hoping I’d be able to join them next time, since it would be several months before we went skiing again. Wishful thinking.

I began having severe, debilitating shoulder pain. It lasted for months, and I was up every night. Despite an MRI and numerous assessments, no one could figure it out.

May

We had birthday parties for the kids. I was still in a locking brace but able to walk without crutches, so I could participate.

Killian won the regional pinewood derby race, a particularly incredible feat considering he did all the work by himself. (It’s meant to be a collaboration with a parent.)

I started going to the kids’ soccer games again. I was amazed at how much they had progressed since I last saw them (last season). Killian scored a solo goal after receiving the ball in his own half that was particularly impressive.

Tears of the Kingdom was released, and the kids and I jumped right in. We had so much fun together, and it was all they talked about for a while.

On my birthday, Christina and the kids bought me coffee, hot sauce, and chocolate. It was pretty much the perfect gift.

June

We took a family trip to Snow Mountain Ranch and stayed in a yurt. Each morning, we drove to Simple Coffee in Granby, which became a favorite ritual for the kids. I walked around quite a bit on uneven ground and ended up regretting it later.

I took the kids to Beautifica at Fiske Planetarium. It was interesting, but unworthy of the hype. I remember thinking we should go to the planetarium more.

Christina planned sleepaway camps for all three kids during the same week, so we had our first kid-free week together in over a decade. We rented a tiny cabin and had the best time. We did miss the kids, and they missed us, but it was a pretty wonderful week.

I bought a new car, the first new car I’ve ever owned. I knew I wanted our next car to be an EV, and with three kids (and a dog), there aren’t many options. It’s amazing and fits us perfectly.

July

The kids started watching Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, which is the first show I can remember them all really enjoying. I enjoyed it, too, so it gave us something to watch as a family. (The kids don’t yet know that a sequel is coming this year.)

We saw the Indigo Girls at Chautauqua. Christina is really good about getting tickets to concerts, and this show came with a really nice surprise: Garrison Starr was the opener. I used to go to her shows when living and working in Memphis. She’s still great. We chatted for a bit after the show.

I had a first “daddy and me” planned with Tegan to see Avett Brothers at Red Rocks and stay overnight in a nearby hotel after. It didn’t go as planned. We saw the opener, then the show was delayed for lightning for quite a long time. After the second delay, it was already late, so we headed to the car. I think she still enjoyed the trip, but she was a little disappointed. We stopped for lunch in Golden on the way back.

We took a family trip to Manitou Springs, where we stayed in a tiny home. We toured the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, played at the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade, went to the Dinosaur Resource Center, and visited Garden of the Gods on our way back home.

Christina and I saw Tori Amos at Red Rocks. We sat with friends in the general admission section instead of our (closer) seats, which made it better.

The Women’s World Cup began. (It was disorienting to think that 2019 was four years ago.) I don’t know why, but it wasn’t as fun as last time. Maybe it was me, or watching in the middle of the night, or waning superstars. The US loss to Sweden was pretty exciting to watch, even if it ended in disappointment. For those who missed it, the match went to penalties, and the goal that sent the US home was initially saved by Naeher, but the ball rebounded off of her gloves and was spinning back toward the goal, and she had to save it again off the goal line. Goal-line technology confirmed that the ball was over the line, which I believe is true, but I can’t see any space between the ball and the line. Naeher says she will go to her grave claiming she saved it.

I took the kids to the cinema to see Elemental. We biked to Cinebarre in Louisville, which has extra luxurious seats and servers who bring you food and drinks. It’s a splurge, but the kids had such a great time. Biking there made it an adventure. To continue the fun, we walked across the pedestrian bridge after and went to Chuck E. Cheese.

Later that night, Christina and I saw Ira Glass at Chautauqua. It was the first time I had seen Ira since he spoke at Brooklyn Beta (and made a balloon animal for Tegan).

August

Tegan had a Girl Scout camp at Tomahawak Ranch, and I took the other kids with me to pick her up. We stopped at Crossroads Pub and Grill on the way back.

I took the kids to Cirque du Soleil, which was incredible. Their shows are always so impressive.

We watched in horror as Lahaina burned. We have so many good memories there, and many of the places we loved were burned to the ground.

On August 11, I ran on a treadmill. It wasn’t pretty, or fast, or for very long, but it felt like a massive triumph nonetheless.

The kids started 3rd, 5th, and 7th grades. Killian and Riley walk across the street, and Tegan has a 20-minute bike ride. I’m able to join her for about half of the ride, since it’s on my way to Roost.

Christina and I went to see Swell Season at Levitt Pavilion. It was great. The last time I saw Markéta and Glen together was many years earlier at Radio City Music Hall, shortly after the success of the film Once.

I took a quick trip to NYC for meetings with TLGG and met some new people, including the grandson of Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

September

Christina ran the Grand Traverse, a race through the mountains from Crested Butte to Aspen.

Rose and her wife Jenna visited to see Sylvan Esso at Red Rocks with us. We took a day trip to Nederland while they were here. The kids love the Carousel of Happiness, Train Cars Cafe, and Crosscut (the best pizza in Colorado).

I went to Brooklyn for a week with my team at Matter. The standout memory for me was finally seeing Sleep No More, and then staying out late at Don’t Tell Mama, a super fun piano bar we used to frequent back when we lived in Manhattan.

On the last morning, I met up with Kelli to talk through some fun stuff we were working on together. It was raining hard, and I was soaked by the time I got there, despite it only being a few blocks away. While we were busy chatting, I was unaware that it was flooding all around us. By the time I hopped in a cab to head to the airport, getting there was impossible due to all the road closures, and my flight was cancelled. (Even one of the terminals in LaGuardia flooded.) Of course, with so many flights being cancelled, finding another one was really difficult. I did manage to make it home that night, but missed seeing Tig Notaro with Christina as planned.

October

Oliver came to town for a book tour, so we met up for coffee prior. We chatted about the years since I moved to Boulder and a bit about his new book. He had to leave for the venue quite early, so I decided to eat lunch and meet him there later. While I was eating lunch, he texted to say he had lost his Apple Pencil and needed it for his talk. Thus began a fun but frantic adventure that involved racing to the Apple Store to buy a new one, then racing to the venue in time for his talk. I was 10 minutes late in the end, but it all worked out. And his talk was great.

I had another quick trip to NYC. The night I arrived, I took the train to Prospect Heights and had dinner at Chuko, my favorite ramen place. While there, I heard someone behind me say, “Chris?” It was Lazar, a friend I used to play soccer with every Saturday in Prospect Park.

One night while I was in my hotel room helping Tegan with her math, I mentioned that I couldn’t hear her very well, so she held her mic closer to her mouth and asked if that was better. I laughed so hard, because it was a tiny handheld mic. I took a screenshot for posterity.

The solar eclipse coincided with one of Killian's soccer games, so we arrived early and had plenty of glasses to share. The kids especially loved how shadows were crescent-shaped. It reminded me of the Veritasium video about shadows.

Tegan took a school trip to Canyonlands that she had been planning and looking forward to all year.

The kids were really into Halloween, as always, and they especially loved Halloween mode on the Rivian.

November

I had an electrodiagnostic and nerve conduction study performed on my shoulder and surrounding areas to try to determine the underlying issue of my prior shoulder pain and continued weakness. The doctor determined that I have nerve damage that will heal on its own in a year or so. He said it was caused by something attacking my nervous system, which also explains why the pain was so severe.

Christina and I saw Patty Griffin at Boulder Theater. I hadn’t seen her since she played at the Gibson Showcase (RIP) in Memphis. Her voice isn’t quite as strong as it used to be (she could really raise the roof), but it was a great show.

Christina had lunch with Gabby Giffords at Walnut Cafe, one of our favorite local spots. (I still need to watch her documentary).

I met up with a group of SoBo dads for beers at Under the Sun, starting a new tradition.

We watched Tegan perform in her school play, 67 Cinderellas. She played one of the Cinderellas.

We hiked up to Royal Arch. This was the most challenging hike since my knee surgery. Going up was easy, but coming down wasn’t. I needed the challenge.

I made broccoli casserole for Thanksgiving. It was a favorite of mine growing up. I predict I’ll be checking this post for the recipe later this year.

I took the kids to Macky Auditorium to see the Nutcracker.

Chris Merritt visited Boulder for a Faculty summit to plan for 2024 and beyond.

We launched a public beta for the Matter app, and I blogged about co-founding a neuroscience company and returning focus back to Faculty (and Roost).

December

Following in his older sister’s footsteps, Killian is on his school’s Battle of the Books team. (Tegan won the regional competition last year.) I almost fell out of my chair when I saw him reading Jack Cheng’s book, See You in the Cosmos. (Many of you probably know Jack, but you might not know he wrote this amazing, award-winning book.)

I led one of Killian's scout meetings to teach some knots. The knots I taught were prescribed except for a bonus one I included at the end, the Ian Knot. It is the best and coolest way to tie your shoes, and even the parents were eager to learn how to do it.

We had a holiday party at Roost, which was a lot of fun. Sticking with tradition, we held a white elephant gift exchange.

One of the fun local traditions is to climb to meet Santa at Neptune. Santa sits on a ledge at the top of a climbing wall, so kids line up and have to climb up to him. It’s a fun twist.

We sent the first Faculty newsletter since the pandemic, which included some really great links (the main reason to subscribe, in my opinion). Unfortunately, most people reported that the newsletter ended up in spam, so stay tuned for a blog post on SPF and DKIM.

We bought Super Mario Wonder and really enjoyed it. We beat it in Killian’s game first, then I played it through on my own. I decided to 100% it, and was rewarded with the Final-Final Test Badge Marathon, probably my favorite Mario level of all time and reminiscent of Super Mario Logic. If you have this game and haven’t yet played this level, you’re in for a treat.

The holiday break was spectacular. I took two weeks off and enjoyed every day. I took the kids to afternoon tea at Chautauqua Dining Hall, we toured Celestial Seasonings (and the kids got really into having tea every night), we ate at the Spaghetti Factory, and we went to the cinema to see Wonka. We played at home, had movie nights (and watched Klaus, one of our favorites), and generally had fun every day.

2023 was a tough year, but it ended on a positive note. I’m hopeful about 2024 and can feel my energy and enthusiasm returning.

Happy New Year to you. Let’s make it a good one.

This is the story of how I co-founded a neuroscience company.

First, some background.

I’ve wanted to make a difference for as long as I can remember.

Years ago, I started a conference called Brooklyn Beta with my friend Cameron Koczon. At the time, despite all of its promise, technology mostly served those working in technology. Even among startups — renowned for innovation — there was an abundance of SaaS companies providing tools for other startups.

We wanted to change that. We wanted to make a difference.

We hope to not only inspire you to work on your own ideas, but we also want to highlight problems that matter. Our speakers will inspire you and help you understand how your skills can help.

We had big ambitions but a modest approach: gather the best people we knew working in technology and inspire them with speakers they would not normally hear from, people working on problems outside of the technology bubble. By shining a spotlight on important problems, we hoped we could make a difference.

Maybe we did.

Shortly after moving from Brooklyn to Boulder, I started Faculty.

We’re a boutique web design and development studio. Some might call us an agency. Others might call us a product studio. We think Faculty is something altogether new.

At Faculty, we believe in:

• The limitless potential of technology
• The power of good work
• The joy in bringing good ideas to life

Good work is especially important to us. So important, in fact, that we carefully defined what good work means to us. (We even printed posters.) More and more people working in technology are taking shortcuts, or worse, overcomplicating solutions, finding joy in complexity rather than in bringing good ideas to life.

We know we can do better, and if we’re going to reach our collective potential, we have to.

We want Faculty to lead by example.

To succeed, we need good clients, people who recognize the importance of long-term thinking and doing things right — and who have good ideas.

And, to really make a difference, we need to reach beyond the world of technology.

Two years ago, I met a neuroscientist named Axel Bouchon. Among other things, he had figured out how to measure happiness, and he needed our help coming up with a product that could connect the science to people’s lives, helping them live longer, healthier, happier lives.

It was a dream project. Can an app actually help people? We had to find out.

The first few months flew by. I was learning a lot and brimming with ideas.

I learned that you can calculate neurotransmitter activity by assessing your emotions. (One of the first things we built was a neurotransmitter calculator.) I learned that we create memories — and learn — based on two criteria: repetition and emotional significance. I learned that more memories means more neuroplasticity. I learned that more neuroplasticity means you’re more creative, you’re more empathetic, and you live longer.

Imagine the impact we could have if we could increase everyone’s neuroplasticity!

I also learned that when you recall a memory, you recall the emotions — you literally feel how you felt when you created the memory, which means you activate the same neurotransmitters. You’ve probably noticed this when recalling a funny memory, particularly when telling others about it. A phrase that inevitably comes up is “you had to be there.” This is because your story is acting as a memory recall trigger for you and anyone else who was there.

This was the breakthrough.

We dreamed up an iOS app that you would carry with you. As you live your life, you take photos to mark the moments that are meaningful to you. Later, when you have time, you rate your emotions, turning the photos into digital memories. The app knows which neurotransmitters are activated for which memories, and which neurotransmitters you might be missing, so it can resurface the memories you need most. As you make memories, you learn more about yourself, so you can start to make changes to your life to improve your health and happiness.

With a solid product vision, we started building.

Along the way, we settled on a name for the company, did all of the branding (a process that deserves its own blog post), and hired an outstanding team. We weren’t just building a product; we were building a company.

Fast forward to today. A lot of hard work from a lot of good people has brought that product vision to life, and it’s now available as a public beta on TestFlight. Just sign up for the beta at matter.xyz, and we’ll email you instructions.

As for Faculty, we have a gorgeous new website designed by Simon Collison, and we’re ready for our next challenge.

Pelé transcended soccer. Everyone knew who he was, the way you might know who Michael Jordan is, even if you don’t pay attention to basketball. In fact, when debates about the greatest athlete of all time come up, Pelé is always there.

And now the king of soccer has died.

If you want to learn more about him, Netflix has a documentary called Pelé, FIFA posted a lengthy tribute, and this YouTube video curates some of his greatest World Cup moments. Watch this play in particular a few times, and then read this article about it.

Joga bonito!