Sarah Schumacher

I often write small epiphanies on books I’m reading and concepts I’m pondering. I need a consistent outlet to write/share concise thoughts on the intersection of art and entrepreneurship… so now I have a newsletter, Experimental Pixels. Another project! Subscribe at smschumacher.com/experimental...

Always fun to get daily book quote reviews from Terry Pratchett.

The real benefit of natural peanut butter is the fact that you expend all the calories you’re about to eat just by attempting to stir it.

To the purple hulk cat (?) on Fortnite tonight, who I took out at Floodgate: I realized you must have glitched at that exact moment. I just want you to know that at the end of that very match, during the final firefight, I too, lost connection and met my demise. The WiFi has avenged you. 🫡

I'm building an AI meal planner, and both ChatGPT and Claude are making up fake recipe links. ChatGPT: "I should have clearly verified and linked to real, working recipe pages instead of placeholder-style links or slightly inaccurate URLs." You think? (No it doesn't, because it's AI) 😂

Never not relevant:

I ended up running an agency because I started out as a freelancer. Which is what we talk about in last week's podcast. Listen in below or on your favorite podcast app to learn why we all hate top hats. 🎩 founderproblems.com/ep9-freelanc...

I’m both tired of hearing about AI while thinking people are not talking enough about certain aspects. I’m finally writing about it. Part one is about my initial feelings and high-level considerations. Read and subscribe here for the next one (on how I use it). smschumacher.com/ok-fine-ill-...

In the latest podcast we talk silver linings after setbacks. Then veered into public speaking tips, survivorship bias, and pattern recognition. It's wide-ranging but with some great practical nuggets... have a listen (or watch) and let us know what you think. founderproblems.com/ep8-finding-...

This entire thread is fascinating, and reminds me of the way everything is framed as right vs. left when it’s always been about class. The operative questions: who benefits? Who is incentivized to create certain dichotomies in how people talk about these concepts?

Look at this beauty. New glass and aluminum Aeropress just arrived. I love my Aeropress Go but happy I get to start using this everyday and cut back on the daily dose of microplastics.

The reason fascism is defeated only by the application of power (through violence or overwhelming solidarity) and not the mechanisms of democracy or civil society is that it is immune to shame. It only cares for power and it only responds to real power.

It is done. Finally. Haven't used Xitter since Musk completed his takeover, but finally got around to export/deletion of the account while locking username. See @mor10.com post on process if you need help: mor10.com/how-to-delet...

Latest podcast episode dropped last week: on Rented vs. Owned Platforms, which is a frequent conversation topic here. I wrote about this a month or two ago in one of my newsletters, but if you prefer audio, check it out at founderproblems.com (it will be the last one with mediocre sound).

Book quote of the day…

I helped build a government AI system. DOGE fired me, rolled the AI out to the whole agency, and implied the AI can do my job and the jobs of the others they've fired. It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵

If Jesus came back, he’d get “deported.”

We 💙 links! Starting this week, we've made it even easier for newsrooms and more to track how much traffic Bluesky is sending to their sites. For those setting up analytics, Bluesky's referrer is go.bsky.app.

The struggle is real. #webdev #WordPress

Have you ever launched a new idea or product to crickets? In Episode 6 of the Founder Problems podcast, we talk about preventing that by finding product-market fit. Then we put this advice into action... it's our 1st video episode! Should we keep doing video? founderproblems.com/ep6-when-the...

It's been a little hectic, so I haven't promoted the last couple podcast episodes, but they're both milestones! Episode 5: Vetting Cofounders, is the first to come with a resource. Partnership due diligence is important, and we have a list of things to consider: founderproblems.com/ep5-vetting-...

There are many reasons I believe WordPress is a superior website platform. Transferability is one: a client had a staging site at a host they were leaving. I hopped in, saved a backup, did a quick local install to confirm backup, then filed it away until they’re ready. You can’t do that with Wix.

Imagine what would happen if every US worker went on strike. The only thing billionaires care about is money, which they make off of YOUR labor. It’s time to go on the offense. Everyone needs to be on the same page: sign up for this general strike and let’s get to 11 million. generalstrikeus.com

Have you ever delayed a project because you didn't feel like it was ready? Are you curious about people who constantly hit publish? Do you want to know their secret? Just. Start. It's not easy, but it's the truth. Check out my last newsletter for a boost of self-confidence:

Many thanks to @startlandnews.com for interviewing myself and cohosts on why we created the Founder Problems podcast. Excited to see how it gets better with every new recording session (and what it's like to branch into video). www.startlandnews.com/2025/02/foun...

In our latest podcast episode, Zach, Lee and I discuss the myth that you have to focus on only one thing... We talk about systems, natural nerd skills, and advice to our younger selves about choosing a career path. This is the first episode in our new format - feedback welcomed!

Welp, time to delete this from all website use. It’s not the first I’ve heard of it, but deep integrations make it convenient and it’s already installed lots of places. #webdev: I suggest moving to Cloudflare Turnstile.

You can’t post your way out of fascism Authoritarians and tech CEOs now share the same goal: to keep us locked in an eternal doomscroll instead of organizing against them 🔗 www.404media.co/you-cant-pos...

In all the chaos of the last couple weeks, I forgot to share my last newsletter, on rented vs. leased vs. owned platforms. It's more important than ever that people understand this, and it's been great to see discussions about it happening right here on Bluesky. smschumacher.com/stop-buildin...

If you don't occasionally lose multiple hours in a week to troubleshooting caching issues... are you even a web developer? #webdev

How do Comicon events do security? All these people walking in with fake weapons… do they make everyone send their anime swords through metal detectors? Do security personnel dress like Storm Troopers? I have so many questions.

Fed up with hustle culture? Founder Problems brings unscripted, anti-hustle conversations with real founders who are also programmers tackling real-world challenges. Check it out here shorturl.at/Otai1 & follow Sarah @smschumacher.com ! She rocks! #100Devs #webdev #tech #programming #techpodcast

How do you know when you quit a business? Or pivot? Or shelve an idea for good? We share our own thinking and personal stories around this in Episode 3 of the Founder Problems #podcast: When to Quit. Listen on your favorite podcast platform or founderproblems.com.

This is absolute gold. Dev is chaotic hilarious.

“I do not want to hop on a call because you are too lazy to write a cogent message.” This is a great newsletter from Wes Kao on why sometimes Slack is better. newsletter.weskao.com/p/no-i-dont-...

This, 1000x this. If you need help, I do this for a living, build website and email newsletter all in one. And as a creative, I have my own site and it’s just the best. Don’t give your work to free-riding billionaires. cyclonepress.com

Absolutely everyone needs to read this thread.

Ah yes, Zuck going back to his made up "free speech roots" by... blocking links to a decentralized competitor.