Making aphera (npub109n…xgt0), a photo editor for Mac. Designer, writer, photographer, traveler. Malaysian-American, third culture kid. Founded Weightshift, formerly VSCO.

Personal site and writing: https://nazhamid.com
Newsletter: https://nazhamid.com/newsletter
Work—Archival 2019: https://weightshift.com
Music: https://murdersandmysteries.bandcamp.com

Last Notes

Building websites is still a lot of fun, and we had a lot of fun with this one — product launch is coming real soon. In the meantime, see what @npub109n…xgt0's capable of.
https://aphera.co

2026-05-17 21:56:17 UTC

Missing this one something fierce of late. Here she is guarding the rig in Death Valley.
#photography #chihuahua #aphera
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/592/146/684/294/615/original/8fe49d0e00cb723c.jpeg

2025-09-16 03:17:03 UTC

This went up yesterday, a newsletter issue that should live on my site (don't get me started on how best to use a newsletter in this day and age—I am pondering all the things).
I fixed some things with the HTML/CSS chart I did (oh I love HTML/CSS), and how to render a link in lieu of it, in my RSS feed since they can't handle more robust markup. The answer was a filter in 11ty. Not ideal, but will suffice for now.
https://nazhamid.com/journal/64-miles-in-nyc/

2025-04-19 21:47:54 UTC

I’ve long contemplated this: do you see (and/or do this) the difference when perusing other’s sites and where an author makes the line between items such as essays, notes, journal, blog, etc.?
In some, I can see a clear distinction between an essay and a note/journal/blog/short(?), but I’m curious how much of it matters to a reader.

2025-04-15 14:47:03 UTC

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Of course! Would love to see yours.
I broke my elbow over two years ago during a cycling photo shoot and it’s never been the same. My handling is off, the arm doesn’t straighten, and long rides became uncomfortable. Coupled with pandemic drivers and some sketchyness, I paused/stopped. Running is my cardio thing now.
I sometimes bike share around and occasionally get mild pangs of desire to ride, but I have to reframe what kind of bike, and where and how I ride if I were to restart.

2025-04-14 17:30:37 UTC

I made a modus operandi page and post. Partly an explainer for some aspects of my life when it comes into conversation and partly for my own recording as my current life framework.
https://nazhamid.com/journal/modus-operandi/

2025-03-30 15:33:36 UTC

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Happy birthday, fellow Aries!

2025-02-09 00:11:16 UTC

Thanks for writing @npub1lfl…ehf7! This was a really honest read and I love this idea that what’s recent isn’t necessarily the most interesting. That the past is something to learn from, and that a past you recorded thoughts to remember for a future you.
https://kopiti.am/@wynlim/113970955414460986

2025-01-24 15:25:32 UTC

“We've built for scale for so long (in our software and in our focus on swelling our own follower counts) that we've forgotten the power of a handful of people around a table. It's time to stop chasing scale and start chasing the right people.”
- @npub1typ…jqpl
https://dansinker.com/posts/2025-01-22-seeds/

2025-01-24 05:53:44 UTC

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I’m working on a refactor of my site a bit, and blending in the pieces of content into one general flow, but potentially allowing for type of content as a way to parse or view. I love the idea of a customized tag page for photos and like what you did there!

2024-08-29 20:36:08 UTC

How many of you journal for yourself, and if it's a regular habit, in what form or format has it been successful for you?
I used to journal online publicly decades ago, and have kept a handwritten journal off and on.
I'm curious for those that have gone digital, what is it about it that works for you?
I'm wondering whether recollection and themes become more apparent over a searchable/taggable corpus.

2024-08-14 19:46:04 UTC

I had planned to write about my beloved Sony RX100M3s a few years ago, and how great cameras they are. Time and a few versions passed, I decided not to.
Since shooting with an A7III for a few years plus iPhone RAW, and @npub17vj…3y9a capturing with an RX100MVI, I’ve felt nostalgic for that form factor and remarkable quality.
I’m contemplating getting one of the M3s repaired and it’s funny how I still think it’s a fantastic camera to this day.
Maybe that post needs to be written after all.

2024-08-03 15:36:36 UTC

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I wasn’t aware, as I had mostly stopped using birdsite by then. A real disappointment.

2024-08-03 02:57:02 UTC

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Of course! I did a little more digging and apparently this is a thing with him (some prior Tweet regarding JK Rowling and transphobia some years ago), so not a one-off.

2024-08-02 22:31:40 UTC

I think I signed up for Pinboard when it was a few bucks, i.e. a long time ago. I renewed the account in April for five years, but just closed it.
Own your stuff. Onwards.
(for context: https://mastodon.social/@nazhamid/112889636960560234)