Jason Clarke

I'm a family guy and writer based in Orono, Maine. I've been writing this blog since 2003, covering everything from political issues to technology trends to life and death. Go to my 'About' page to learn more about me and get in touch.

Open Letters I wish Taylor Swift would write to Apple

After the rousing success of Taylor Swift’s open letter to Apple last week, it made me think of several other open letters I wish she’d write to Apple: Dear Apple, Please Let Us Uninstall Weather, Watch, and most of your other default apps; Dear Apple, Can We Please Have OS-level integrations With Third-Party Apps Like […]

Befriending Time

My grandfather and I in 1984

I stood up from my seat in the pew, ready to carry a heavy weight. Could I take a punch? I guess this was as good a time as any to find out. Only it would have to be a wet one, like a kiss, because it was starting to rain. *** When someone dies, you

My Top 20 Favorite Tweets of 2014

Photo by Jon Bellah (@jonbellah)

20. As a habitual, obsessive tabs closer, and a big Glengarry Glen Ross fan, this speaks to me. ABC Always Be Closing Tabs — Chris Ziegler (@zpower) April 4, 2014 19. Web agencies *need* to shift to adopt this perspective in order to survive and thrive. "Launching" is the half-way mark. — Beau (@beaulebens) August 22,

Guest Post: Top 10 Cooks, an alternate take

Editor’s Note: My recent post listing the definitive, authoritative list of the Top 5 Cooks from Too Many Cooks spurred my friend Evan Habeeb to submit his own list of the Top 10 Cooks. Without further adieu, Evan’s list of the Top 10 cooks, including commentary: 10. James White I want those reports on my desk

Top 5 Cooks

If you haven’t seen Too Many Cooks, the recent NSFW “Informercial” on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, find 10 minutes and watch. Yes, it’s long, but it’s the rare video that’s definitely worth it. Then, come back here for the definitive list of the Top 5 cooks: 5. Will Dove 4. Ali Froid 3. Ken DeLozier 2.

Don’t just create memories — look back on them, together

Scrolling through Instagram the other day, I noticed a friend’s photo of a photo of a jar filled with slips of paper. She and her family had spent the month of November writing down things to be thankful for, and then took turns pulling out slips of paper and talking about them together on Thanksgiving. Since I

An innovation that DirecTV could probably never ship

I rarely ever channel surf live TV, though when I do I’m consistently amazed at the sheer length and frequency of commercial breaks. The seismic impact of DVRing aside, TV providers have limited if any tools beyond the decades-old “Previous Channel” button to help casual surfers avoid the mind-numbing crush of ads in those rare occasions when clicking around is the

We should celebrate the end of Kroll Show

One of my favorite TV shows is ending, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Nearing the third season premiere of Kroll Show next month, co-creator and star Nick Kroll announced that he’s ending the show entirely after this season airs. Not because ratings are low, or the network decided to move on, or any of the

Message to the Young Man

A few months ago, my wife noticed this simple, beautiful and a little bit sad classified ad, and I impulsively snapped a photo of it. When I’m looking through photos, it’s still one that I stop to read, especially when I want a smile or reminder of the good, and whimsy, of the people around