Back to Writing

They say the website is dead. They talk of social media as the final evolution of the internet. They claim that without their gigantic reach, and their constant quest for attention, it’s impossible to resist the urge to use their platform. Well, fuck that. There are other ways.

Full disclosure: I have not blogged regularly in over a decade, or podcasted in the last few years. In my late 20’s and early thirties, I was making what people now called content at a furious pace. For me, it was just a form of self expression that eventually turned into activism (some might call it “evangelizing”). My voice became one of a handful of early adopters to podcasting, when just existing was almost a guarantee of listeners. The world of online atheism was exploding, and these were heady times. It wasn’t clear just how big things would get, and there remained an innocence and optimism that has since passed in these cynical years. Alas, it didn’t last forever.

When I finished writing “Bible Stories”, I was technically homeless, and my dreams that the book would provide the needed capital vanished in smoke. Sales were essentially zero, and my absence from the community, along with my general disdain for the politicization of belief drew me further and further away. By then, I felt my contribution to atheism had been largely completed, with the exception of my book trilogy still awaiting its final chapter.

I had to rebuild, and there was no time, or any real motivation, to continue on trying to emulate this new generation of “content” producers: a term that describes perfectly the mechanistic and artistically devoid process of creation for the youtube generation. The online world had changed, and money has a way of ruining everything. As advertising began to pollute the internet, it fundamentally changed the structure of how we live our lives. The dictates of chasing after views, and the endless quest for stimulation has driven people into a collective frenzy to produce endless materials in an effort to drive revenue for themselves. In other words, it’s less about sharing your thoughts, and more about catering them to the lowest common denominator. It’s what puts the “con” in “content”.

I wish to be free of these constraints. I want to reawaken interest in blogs again. I don’t want to share these thoughts for social media, or youtube, or any of the algorithms that dictate your lives. If you wish to know me and my work, then you will visit this place, and read my writings. I won’t promise to write every day. I am not that insightful. But I am interested in sharing some of my unusual thoughts, and maybe along the way a few may turn out to be insights.

If you’ve already heard of me, or listened to my shows in the past, this space will be where I answer your questions, and share some of my new ambitions as I prepare to show you all what I’ve been working on these past few years.

Perhaps this will fail, and I will have only been able to reach the bots that routinely try and hack websites. If that’s the case, then at least I won’t be alone. I’ll have plenty of friends trying to steal my identity.

Book Being Shipped to Backers

Were you a backer of the book for 40$ or more? Then you’re entitled to receive your physical copy of Bible Stories. I’m sending these out right now to those that got in touch with me.

Now, it’s been a few years, and most people tend to move, so I can’t send the book out until you reach out to me. So be on the lookout for an email, or better yet, get in touch with me as soon as possible at news@jacobfortin.com

I can’t wait to have these babies in your hands and hearing your thoughts in the Forums, or even better, as reviews on Amazon.com

Explore the Site

Not my everyday attire

7 years. That’s how long I’ve been absent from the web, trying to rebuild my life and have a little stability.

Being stuck at home has also given me time to look back on all the projects and ideas I’ve had over the years. Rather than let them rot away in a drawer, I’ve decided to publish them on the site, and use this content as part of my new show.

It will take a bit of time to get everything up and running, but in the meantime, if you’re new or returning to the site and would like to see all the different projects I’ve been working on, feel free to browse the site!

I’m also re-starting the Forums, and if you would like to get your login, please send me an email to news@jacobfortin.com so I reinstate your account. I want to hear from you!

Subscribe to the Newsletter

I’m alive and well, and I’m happy to announce that I’m making a return to podcasting. In order for people to stay up to date with all the latest development, I’ve created a newsletter , and I’m encouraging all of you to sign up today!

Stay tuned in teh coming weeks for more information, and a sample of the new show. In the meantime, be sure to explore the site and all the new features, and the old stuff (like our old forums!)

Franco-Prussian War

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Franco-Prussian War
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The Design of Crap: Ever wonder why some products look like crap? There are good reasons for it. Sometimes, you don’t want to look too good.

Alcohol Percentage (Retraction): So 100 proof alcohol is actually only 50%. That’s the way the system works. So for alcohol to be 90%, you need 180 proof. Not something you can easily find, btw. 
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Cold Welding

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Cold Welding
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Cold Welding In Space: When you don’t live in an atmosphere like earth, things get a little weird. For starters, it means that there are things you can do there that you can’t on earth, the most impressive of which is “Cold Welding”. Scott Manley has a really cool video about that, and guns in space. [1]

Weapons in Space: there’s more than just guns up there too. There’s a long history of people trying shit up there, but honestly, the damage you could do with a crowbar is way too much already [2]
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The Great War

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The Great War
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The Live Telethon: In 2013, in an attempt to try and generate both interest and enough money for printing my book “Bible Stories”, I did a 12 hour telethon streamed on Youtube. We perhaps had a maximum audience size of 30 or so people. Still, some of them watched the whole show, so there are some hard-core listeners out there. 

How You Never Buy Anything Anymore: I’m not the only one who thinks this is bogus: electronic purchases are in fact long term rentals. You don’t own anything anymore. [1]
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Nuclear Boy Scout

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Nuclear Boy Scout
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Japanese Drinking Habits: The Japanese are actually way crazier drinkers than you ever imagined. Your future job prospects often depend on how you can handle your drink. Makes me glad this shit hasn’t caught on over here, but we’re not as over worked as the poor Japanese. [1]

The History of Human Rituals: Perhaps we wouldn’t have so many social problems if we were able to make more rituals that would allow people to find their place in society. [2]
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Christian Science

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Christian Science
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The Cubs Win the Penant: I guess it’s news when a baseball team that hasn’t won in a century wins again. Many people said it predicted bad things to come, like Trump winning. [1] Although I claim baseball is “dying”, it’s true that their numbers are up. Still, is it actually any better? [2] For that matter, does the next generation want to play and populate it?

The De-Colonization of Science: This is the problem when people think that “narratives” define reality. It’s nothing more than a new wave religion that aims to de-legitimize the actual work people do to understand the world. If you can stomach this sort of thing, what this video.[4] It may have something to do with low graduation rates and poor passing grade there, I’m not sure. [5]
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