“About”
Hey, thanks for checking out my site. Everything I write is just me — no AI.
This is my space to explore and process my more personal thoughts. Mostly around tech, sailing, self sufficiency, and inequality. If you want more grounded examples of all, check out paperwing.dev. There you’ll find practical information about maintaining and living on a small boat, as well as our open source projects.
If you’d like to reach out, contact me at hi@jamieatlason.com.
FAQ
This is a privacy nightmare.
Yes, it’s a little stressful. I try to think about what I make public, and many blogs sit for years being reworked. Others get posted immediately. I’m sure I’ll get it wrong sometimes and post something that embarrasses me.
In the end, personal blogs of others have meant a lot to me. I want more of this kind of content to be out in the world. I try not to take too seriously.
What’s up with the minimalism/ boat stuff?
Eh, mostly neuroticism. Originally, we set out to document how minimally someone could live and still be comfortable. As for why a small boat specifically, I had lived in uncomfortable housing situations a few times growing up. I thought with great planning and some fancy tech, I could show how to make trailers/ tiny homes/ cars/ and boats viable long term.
A slightly more charitable interpretation is that I’m very religious. There is a lot of precedence for this kind of minimalism helping one connect, and I’ve found that the lifestyle puts whats important in context. Read the books highlighted below and blogs for more thoughts on this.
Do recommend this lifestyle?
I want to be very careful not to encourage this. It’s hard, and I haven’t seen it work out most of the time. If you’re considering a boat as a housing hack or minimalist lifestyle, know that it won’t be our permanent solution. Living and working a demanding job on a mooring is just a barely too hard, and living on a slip isn’t romantic in the same way.
Having said all that, what I’ve taken away from our liveaboard and sailing time is that cruising is incredible. I love the nature, the community, the self reliance — all of it. It’s reshaped what I thought I wanted out of life and my goals. If you’re considering something similar, we’re so happy we took the leap. Go small though.
Books
Not necessarily my favorite, but books that I come back to the most.