About

I'm Nat Bennett, and this is my website.

Briefly: Software engineer, writer, worked at Pivotal, worked on Cloud Foundry, *nix knower, functional programmer, XP and/or infrastructure consultant, loves process but hates dogma, photographer, katamari-damacy ball of hobbies, people-loving introvert, Havanese caretaker, James C. Scott anarchist, seeker after "the quality without a name," Californian, lived in New York City for a year and will never let you forget it, Coast Guard brat.

I am... a technologist? I aspire to Patrick McKenzie's "I solve business problems, occasionally a computer is involved." For me a computer is usually involved, and that computer is probably running either automated tests or applications in containers. I like the Rube Goldbergian nature of infrastructure and release problems.

You can hire me.

I have many newsletters, but I currently have two "main" newsletters. You can sign up for both of them here.

• Simpler Machines is a weekly-ish letter about software, design, software design, talking to people, and talking to people in software design. I also write a lot how to deal with being a person who makes software. I have been known to use the word "sin" and the word "soul."
• Mere Being is a monthly letter about work, art, media, and whatever else I want. It's the best way to keep in touch with me and get announcements.
• You can also sign up for Good Rectangles, which will be a photography newsletter once it gets off the ground.

I also have a few Substacks. The main active one right now is Mastering Neovim, which is the process of writing a book disguised as a newsletter.