DYLAN TWENEY
Rough Drafts

Rough Drafts

Essays and blog posts I've written that haven't been published elsewhere yet

815 posts
Photo of an empty wallet with an IOU slip inside
Rough Drafts

6 financial facts would-be entrepreneurs need to know

So you’re considering quitting the rat race and becoming an entrepreneur — congratulations. Whether you’re working on a killer startup with a few pals or embarking on a career of self-employment, you’re about to discover what life is like when you have maximal control. In many ways, it’s awesome. I’
Dylan Tweney 6 min read
The South End Rowing Club (review)
Rough Drafts

The South End Rowing Club (review)

The South End (aka SERC) is one of two swimming-rowing clubs that share a building in Aquatic Park, right next to Hyde St. Pier. It’s a terrific group of welcoming, fun-loving people who are into all things aquatic. What’s more, it’s a San Francisco institution, dating back to 1873. Serious history
Dylan Tweney 2 min read
Swimming, cold water, and a bunch of awesome veterans.
Rough Drafts

Swimming, cold water, and a bunch of awesome veterans.

I was a kayaker this morning for a group of veterans swimming from Alcatraz to SF. It was a great morning… Beautiful, flat water, warm… And a bunch of men and women hauling ass through the water. Including guys missing limbs but swimming just the same. It was pretty cool. Before the swim I was […]
Dylan Tweney 1 min read
Recapturing the dream of open social media
Rough Drafts

Recapturing the dream of open social media

It’s hard to imagine now, but the web once meant far more than Google and Facebook. In the early days, there was an explosion of optimism and experimentation as people embraced blogging, mostly via a range of sometimes half-baked open standards that let them publish, share, and communicate with each
Dylan Tweney 3 min read
Trail panorama showing mountains, a distant village, and the "crystal" sculpture on the left.
Rough Drafts

What I learned in college

I was one of those students who did very well in high school and college, and then, once I graduated, immediately regretted all that diligence. I knew right away that I should have maybe taken it easier, taken myself less seriously, and been more open to things outside my immediate field of vision.
Dylan Tweney 4 min read
Rough Drafts

Altamont

Driving down from the Altamont Pass, the highway curves through a long, shallow, descending valley on its way down to the flats of the San Joaquin Valley. Wind turbines on either side, and the occasional cow. Karen noticed the hills rising up from us on the left side were covered in dark green trees
Dylan Tweney 1 min read
Rough Drafts

Motivation and inspiration

It’s been almost exactly a year since I left a salaried job and went independent. This is now the third time I’ve been an independent entrepreneur (not counting the times I’ve launched publications or products within existing corporations), and each time I’ve taken a different approach: 1999: seed-f
Dylan Tweney 2 min read
Slot machines, magicians, and app designers
Rough Drafts

Slot machines, magicians, and app designers

Around the turn of the century, people started talking about the “attention economy.” A natural outgrowth of the ad-supported Web, this stemmed from the idea that people’s time and attention would soon be valuable commodities, because of their scarcity. The phrase has dwindled in popularity but the
Dylan Tweney 3 min read
My brain was begging me for relief from social media
Rough Drafts

My brain was begging me for relief from social media

Taking control of your social media use may be the most rewarding life hacking technique I know of, given its ratio of benefit to effort. I like social media. Networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat have a powerful ability to keep us connected with other humans. For me, Twitter has functioned
Dylan Tweney 3 min read
31 days of writing
Rough Drafts

31 days of writing

Like many people, my attention is fragmented and my concentration broken. I’m going to try working my way through this with the skills I know best: Writing and editing.
Dylan Tweney 1 min read

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