According to my stats, around 76 people subscribed to this newsletter after finding it via a Google search. Yet, alarmingly, it appears that there have been no new such subscribers for the past two months.
It appears search engine era has come to an end. Few people can be bothered to scour search results for the answer to their query, preferring instead to get AI to do the work. And now Google have announced that from now on, its search will be AI-first.
For bloggers, this is potentially calamitous news. Search traffic was one of the only ways to get writing in front of a total stranger. Now we will have to rely on reader sharing and recommendations. While LLMs do include references in their results, they usually lead to fewer clicks.
Another reason for my dismay at the state of Google search is that it is the main way I find my own writing. And so, as an alternative for when I need to refer to myself, here is an index of everything I have published on this site.
2026
2025
A to Z of Photographers
2024: Miscellena
The WIP (2024)
Total Integration (2022-23)
Book Review: Always Open Always Closed by Caitlin Merrett King
Book review: All Desire is a Desire for Being by René Girard
The Years in Photos
Miscellaneous Writing and Photography
New Escapologist
How to think about ‘How to Change the World’ in a World of Wicked Problems
Everything I’ve learnt about happiness and productivity in the last ten years