mastodon 4.8.0-nightly.2026-10-06I write about technology and contemplative practices. Drupal developer @lullabot@fosstodon.org. Yoga teacher. Free software advocate. Musicology PhD. Husband, empty nester, and proud Minnesotan.
I love the Driftless area landscape, and I think it's kinda awesome that a small Wisconsin town just pushed aside plans for a massive data center to protect their local environment.
What a fascinating look at the growing tension between infrastructure demands and land conservation.
https://www.minnpost.com/economy/2026/05/wisconsin-town-pushes-aside-massive-data-center-plan/
Out with the old, in with the new.
I'm proud to share the launch of Maryland.gov, a new digital front door for the State of Maryland.
As Gov. Wes Moore says in the announcement below, this isn’t just a facelift. It’s a smarter, more useful experience for everyone who lives and works in Maryland.
Watch the announcement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq5Pvuk9WMU
Built with pride using #Drupal
I appreciate this Green Web Foundation piece that @mgifford@mastodon.social shared recently. It maps out 4 positions on AI: adoption, hype, refusal, resistance. Then it say something I don't hear much: it's okay to move between them. Most AI discussions push you to pick a side and stay put. This invites you to keep learning and let your position shift.
For me, at @drupalcon@mastodon.social last week, I finally came to understand a way forward with AI that didn't feel yucky.
https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/news/adoption-hype-refusal-and-resistance-talking-about-ai/
Once again, Eric Barker offers ideas that are clever, useful, and witty. All at the same time. This time about writing:
https://bakadesuyo.com/2026/04/writing/
I don't have many funny blogs in my RSS feeds, but I sure have enjoyed Eric Barker's writing for many years.
In a time when fear and outrage feel increasingly normalized, a small group of Theravāda Buddhist monks is walking 2,300 miles from Texas to Washington, D.C., sharing a message of peace, loving-kindness, and compassion. They aren’t selling anything or making grand statements. They’re simply walking, day after day, reminding us that peace begins with presence, intention, and care.
Dries borrowed an idea from Fred Rogers at the Driesnote: stop everything and think of the people who helped you get here. Ten seconds. That moment, and the Quiet Room down the hall, changed how I experienced DrupalCon this year. https://matthewtift.com/blog/quiet-room-drupalcon
The Drupal contributor guide lists dozens of roles, such as maintainer, initiative coordinator, and documentation writer. But the role that has shaped me most isn't on the list: friend.
https://matthewtift.com/blog/noble-friends-and-free-software-communities
#drupal #drupalcon #drupalcommunity #noblefriends #freesoftware #opensource #community #generosity
Born and raised in Minneapolis. Didn’t expect Bruce Springsteen to make me cry about my hometown … but here we are. Thank you, Bruce.
“Streets of Minneapolis”
I went into DrupalCon Chicago suspicious of AI. I almost didn't go. What changed my mind wasn't a demo or a keynote. It was realizing the Drupal community already has what it needs: our Values and Principles. We just did not center them in the AI conversation. https://matthewtift.com/blog/using-ai-without-compromising-our-values
Another No Kings protest is coming, and people who practice yoga and meditation face a familiar question: what should we do? In yoga spaces, people often speak about “finding your dharma.” In meditation circles, the focus tends more toward training the mind, acting with care, and watching the results. My take? Practice first. Then choose your next step. https://matthewtift.com/blog/finding-your-dharma-or-living-dharma
I built a new way to browse meditations from Pretty Good Meditation, filtered by keyword and duration. Staying focused on what mattered turned into its own practice. https://matthewtift.com/blog/finding-right-meditation-without-getting-lost-along-way
If we can't be happy now, then when? Waiting for life to calm down keeps us stuck. Peace grows from the inside when we stop waiting for life to behave the way we want it to. There are practical ways to protect your heart, work with attention, and let happiness grow right here, in the middle of the mess. https://matthewtift.com/blog/if-not-now-then-when
I feel the same as my Governor, Tim Walz: "I've never been prouder to be a Minnesotan."
“Evidence suggests that mental relief comes not from adding new coping strategies, but from reducing the number of demands placed on the brain.”
This tracks. Apparently the path to enlightenment is deleting tasks, not adding apps. 🧘♂️
Yoga does not promise an easy life. It offers guidance for meeting fear, loss, and anger. Name the source of distress, then practice the opposite through goodwill and non-harming. https://matthewtift.com/blog/practicing-contentment-hard-days
I spent 8 years at Wisconsin Public Radio, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without the public radio ecosystem that CPB helped sustain. To all the people working in public media, thank you for your service and your voices in this moment of loss.
Two weeks at Kripalu reminded me that yoga works best when it’s supported off the mat. Practice, service, and community lined up. Nothing dramatic. Just steady days, shared effort, and quiet joy. Thankfully, much of that life is already available at home.
Life moves in cycles. So does kindness. A hug, a mantra, or a single breath are small acts that ripple outward. At the Minnesota State Fair, I wore a “Free Dad Hugs” shirt. I hugged strangers, we laughed, and we connected. Samsara (the endless cycle of birth and death) turns, and we can turn it with compassion. https://matthewtift.com/blog/samsara-free-dad-hugs-and-ethics-kindness