Glenn Fleishman

Glenn is a person who drops many names. He spent most of his career as a technology journalist, but over the last decade, has moved more into printing and comics history. His Eisner Award-nominated book, How Comics Are Made, is available in bookstores worldwide. Glenn somehow won two episodes of Jeopardy! His recent books include Flong Time, No See (upcoming, fall 2026), Six Centuries of Type & Printing (2nd ed, 2025), and London Kerning. He also edits books and consults on Kickstarter campaign

How Comics Are Made: https://howcomicsaremade.com/
The Glog Blog: https://glog.glennf.com
Six Centuries of Type & Printing: https://sixcent.info/
Glenn Projects Newsletter: https://buttondown.com/glennf/archive/

Public Key

npub1etn8669tx9d5wlrua3gejxe87sx4hmemk354sgmptwk9fcc6743qrmcpgd

NIP-05 Address

glennf_at_zeppelin.flights@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsv4enadz4nzk68037wc5vervnlgr2mauamg62cyds4htz5uvd02cspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds3rlsq4

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1etn8669tx9d5wlrua3gejxe87sx4hmemk354sgmptwk9fcc6743qrmcpgd

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Last Notes

2026-07-08 21:03:35 UTC

“Trans people are fleeing red states for Seattle. The city can't keep up.”
Donate to Traction! On the ground help for trans people coming to my fair city! https://givebutter.com/traction2026 They have desperate need of funding to keep this help going! I gave—please consider helping these vulnerable human beings.
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/trans-people-are-fleeing-red-states-for-seattle-the-city-cant-keep-up/

2026-06-20 21:07:34 UTC

Nobody in history has ever written in this way about keyboards, interfaces, and interactions. Marcin is pioneering a new way of investigating these issues for a general readership, if a geeky one!
https://mastodon.online/@mwichary/116777844194133079

2026-06-11 05:13:23 UTC

Google: ”We’re updating our settings to give you even more control over saved history and personalized recommendations across Google Search services…"
Me: They’re turning on features I disabled, so they can reduce my privacy.

2026-06-08 05:43:21 UTC

RE: https://mastodon.scot/@LaChasseuse/116692474272148212
This is honestly something I never thought about.
#note12qq…xcqv

2026-06-06 18:20:12 UTC

RE: https://zeppelin.flights/@glennf/116615052012294888
Now down to five days and counting and still need a boost to hit our target and make a book celebrating Matt and memes and nonsense and serious things.
#note1hrc…z885

2026-06-01 22:58:31 UTC

Legitimate irs.gov site—jobs.irs.gov.
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2026-05-30 21:59:13 UTC

Never have I screamed aloud YES YES and pumped my fist in agreement more at something @npub1z98…le0l has written than this https://hypercritical.co/2026/05/29/ev-stupidity-checklist

2026-05-23 15:42:10 UTC

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I was writing a column suggesting people switch to SSDs for Time Machine, then did a quick price check and nearly did a spit take. I should resell all my SSDs from a couple years ago and net a couple grand! (But then I still need SSDs.)

2026-05-21 23:01:20 UTC

I have tried to not make my feed an infinite scroll of this, but here is a reminder: That One Matt Bors Comic is an anthology of Matt, writers and cartoonists, and randos from the internet who are/have riffed on “we should improve society somewhat.” https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glennf/that-one-matt-bors-comic
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2026-05-19 00:10:54 UTC

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I am pretty sure there’s a mode in paid Adobe Acrobat software that gives access to this deconstructed document. However, the easiest thing is often to use OCR (like Live Text with Apple Preview) to copy the text out and screenshot or copy the image from a PDF editor, and recompose in free software, Pages, Word, Affinity Publisher, or other tools.

2026-05-19 00:08:45 UTC

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Absolutely. Some of it, however, depends on how locked down the PDF is. PDFs store data in a structure manner that it often horrible when revealed. So instead of a column of type (as it appears), in the PDF, it is 50 single lines of type. You can edit each of them! Images are usually easier.

2026-05-12 21:48:31 UTC

I forgot that I forgot about RSS, which has once again become part of my daily life. https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/05/how-i-restarted-using-rss-and-actually-noticed/

2026-05-04 19:33:35 UTC

Here’s the column at @sixcolors.com that revealed the need for Mister Plimsoll, my new (free) app: https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/05/dont-let-your-macs-storage-fill-up/ How to deal with your Mac drives filling up before your computer becomes unusable!

2026-05-03 16:43:13 UTC

My greatest parenting moment was when flying with our young kids to Hawaii years ago the flight attendants found them so well-behaved that they brought them warm cookies from first class. Our secret? Very little screen time at home and we let them use iPads on the trip. Back when that was unusual (around 2012). I think I had two for testing.

2026-03-21 17:47:20 UTC

RE: https://zeppelin.flights/@glennf/116262656954198856
97%! $24,000 of the $25,000 goal!
#note1npu…8vla

2026-03-20 17:22:38 UTC

I am nearly 95% funded for my new book, Flong Time, No See, a collection of what (I think) are charming and quirky essays that weave together the history of obscure printing practices and working people’s lives. The campaign ends Tuesday! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glennf/flong-time-no-see?ref=aj65aw

2026-02-24 19:07:42 UTC

Just launched on Kickstarter! “Flong Time, No See,” my collection of essays and reported work on printing history and people’s labor. Not academic—it’s a lot of fun, as you learn about a wildcat typesetter strike, “bogus” copy, type lice,” and much more! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glennf/flong-time-no-see?ref=cbf9r2
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2026-02-24 02:43:34 UTC

Maybe the best @npub1fnw…rzvu post ever https://daringfireball.net/linked/2026/02/23/trader-joes-dark-chocolate-peanut-butter-cups

2026-02-19 23:49:10 UTC

@npub1478…y4ag Take a look at shared Apple Notes revision history. No deletions shown! It's astonishing. I am still not sure how to interpret it when multiple people edit over time. It's like a construtive-only version history.

2025-12-30 20:05:14 UTC

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I fondly remember coding in assembly on that beast.

2025-12-30 16:22:04 UTC

I owned one of these and loved it but have zero interest in buying this fantastic recreation. Very impressive!
https://mastodon.social/@WarnerCrocker/115809145023727004

2025-11-12 23:32:51 UTC

Hey, so tomorrow my aortic valve is being replaced. I’m excited! The odds are very low anything will go wrong. However, I do want to say how much I have appreciated getting to know so many of you, and how it’s enriched my life. Thank you. Stating it means that I’ll be around to be embarassed later.

2025-10-14 20:45:08 UTC

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The other good news is that I have a team of people at a university hospital who I've consulted with, a very experienced heart valve specialist (he only does open heart and TAVR valves), and every lab and imaging procedure at the hospital has been superbly handled by kind people. So our costs and access might suck in the U.S., but really wonderful people still provide care.

2025-10-14 20:43:54 UTC

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I’ve been very open about it! Partly because of American health insurance/healthcare/social support—I revealed my condition last week and surgery date (mid-November) because I need to sell books to cover the cost and my lost income! (Fortunately, we have a very good insurer, so I am having none of the issue of uncovered costs or rejected procedures.)
Thank you very much! I’m so glad this is working for you—and that you have a supportive healthcare system!

2025-10-14 19:47:59 UTC

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That’s great! I’m about to get a new valve—I am opting for bio-prosthetic, despite my “young” age as a cardiac patient, partly because of clot management. I’ll need a new valve (via TAVR) in the future, but this feels like the best course. However, having a tool like yours—that would change the equation for a lot of people!

2025-10-14 19:39:08 UTC

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I hope this an invasive question, but is that for managing data for a mechanical heart valve?

2025-10-08 02:39:36 UTC

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That's so nice of you! Thank you!

2025-10-07 18:47:17 UTC

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Thanks, Lisa! I am excited to get past this, but it will honestly make my life better!

2025-10-07 16:10:03 UTC

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But I do write and publish books that make great birthday and holiday gifts—for yourself and others.
Consider Six Centuries of Type & Printing, a beautiful, compact volume, great for typophiles and others interested in design and printing? https://sixcent.info Available signed; ships worldwide. Audiobook and ebook versions and bundles are available.
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2025-10-07 16:08:26 UTC

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We have a reliable insurer who approved all testing and procedures. However, the substantial out-of-pocket cost after insurance and the lack of earnings during recovery are the crux. My wife and I work for ourselves. Like most freelancers, we don't make money when we're not working.
I’ll be unable to work at all for a few weeks, then at reduced capability for several weeks. I would never ask for charity when so many people are desperately in need of aid in the world.

2025-10-07 16:08:00 UTC

Hi, folks, a little personal news. In mid-November, I'm getting my aortic valve replaced via open-heart surgery. As scary as that sounds, my prognosis is excellent. This is fairly personal health news, and I'm posting publicly for two reasons.
First, I am so grateful for the friendships and collegial connections formed here. In the unlikely event that something goes wrong, I wanted to say thank you. Second, of course, is the sad issue of money and American healthcare and disability support.

2025-09-22 20:43:53 UTC

My convoluted path to streaming Jeopardy! to my child in London. https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/09/solution-to-a-jeopardy-streaming-conundrum-what-is-tailscale/ @npub1kyy…8sng
Really, an excuse to talk about Jeopardy! streaming rights, NAT traversal, and Tailscale, my favorite new company/product of the last few years for solving a particularly irritating problem with such aplomb and elan.

2025-08-11 17:31:17 UTC

AOL is shutting down dial-up. I wrote an article for The Economist, “The slow death of dial-up”—in 2007! https://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/special-reports-pdfs/8765935_0.pdf I think the “slow” part was correct.

2025-07-30 17:01:48 UTC

Fresh from the press, my new book, Six Centuries of Type & Printing: a brisk and thorough history of how we put ink on paper! It’s a cloth-bound hardcover and comes with an expanded ebook. You can add letterpress bookmarks or an audiobook, or just buy the ebook or audiobook! https://sixcent.info
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2025-07-14 17:00:22 UTC

Apple doesn’t let you access iCloud storage using third-party sync or backup tools. How do you handle creating your own backup of iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos? Some thoughts @npub1kyy…8sng in my “Help Me, Glenn!” column: https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/07/keep-an-active-copy-of-your-icloud-drive-and-icloud-synced-photos-library/

2025-06-12 22:56:06 UTC

Women typesetting in Germany in 1894 (illustration). Caption reads (translated from German): “A modern profession for women—typesetter. Original drawing by Colanus.”
Just acquired an original printed version of this after seeing various lower-res versions online.
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2025-06-11 23:07:33 UTC

My book Six Centuries of Type & Printing is on track to ship late this month. You can still pledge and get all the stretch-goal extras for a few days longer: an audiobook, an extra ebook, and (for print books) letterpress-printed bookmarks! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/glennf/six-centuries-of-type-and-printing After that, a la carte.
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2025-06-07 20:22:00 UTC

Bill Atkinson had a unique vision. Someone else just as unusual would have had to come along to encode the ideas he had into graphical expressions. They were not there for the taking, obvious in retrospect. Apple had several such people, unique in their realms, who somehow were able to align what they created into singular products.

2025-06-03 17:25:25 UTC

How Comics Are Made is out TODAY in bookstores! Tracing the steps and telling the stories between a cartoonist’s pen and the newsprint page, my book travels across over 130 years of artistic and technological development. https://howcomicsaremade.com/#preorder
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2025-05-30 20:23:08 UTC

Lovely to get coverage in The Seattle Times, my hometown paper, of How Comics Are Made, which hits bookstores June 3: https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/seattle-writers-new-book-shares-how-comics-are-made/ I’m doing a (free) book-release event at Ada’s in Capitol Hill at 6 pm that night! https://adasbooks.com/event/2025-06-03/author-talk-how-comics-are-made-glenn-fleishman Books for sale & signing!

2025-05-27 17:44:56 UTC

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Junior faculty, family of lesser legatees, rusticated students permitted a day pass, low-dollar donors being taught a lesson

2025-05-26 16:47:26 UTC

The latest “Help Me, Glenn!” covers prioritizing multiple network interfaces on your Mac, such as Ethernet and Wi-Fi, over at @npub1kyy…8sng https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/05/service-please-manage-multiple-mac-network-interfaces-priority/

2025-05-09 15:17:00 UTC

Curious about this body cam video from the officer’s perspective. It likely means he filed a complaint or she did because then the body cam video would have been retrieved for evidence. The cameras aren’t always on: he had to have enabled it to capture the encounter. https://mstdn.social/@stux/114478512632177572

2025-04-22 03:47:28 UTC

Data point for folks who do crowdfunding: 4+ days out from finishing this campaign, another $10,000 or +15% has come in via Late Pledges. This tapered off a lot after the campaign, but clearly tapped into a vein of folks who otherwise I'd have had to direct to another site to pre-order. I plan to keep Late Pledges open for about another month—until I have a rough shipping date scheduled.
https://zeppelin.flights/@glennf/114371547173403815

2025-03-24 00:15:54 UTC

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does retooting count

2025-03-03 20:37:18 UTC

This is a good time to note that I’m available for crowdfunding consulting, particularly on books and print projects. I’ve raised and helped raise millions on Kickstarter and in post-campaign sales. I’m also an editor for hire. See https://glog.glennf.com/editing-services
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2025-02-16 23:19:17 UTC

I’ve written four books in the last few years that (I think) are entertaining and in-depth looks at type and printing history crossed with themes like language, preservation, and newspaper comics. I now have a GLENN EBOOK SUPER-PACK: $35 for all 4 ($50 separately)! https://glog.glennf.com/general-shop/glenn-ebook-super-pack-on-type-printing
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2025-01-21 03:28:35 UTC

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I’ve been trying to figure out: they’re poised to lose collectively $100s of billions under Trump’s plans. Maybe > $1 trillion. Tesla could completely collapse, losing access to world markets, raw materials from China, etc.
• Do they think they will be able to carve out business-specific exemptions?
• Are they cool with it because they are trading absolute power?
• Do they think really that Trump will never turn on them?
I have to believe they have gamed this out (not Musk, but others)

2025-01-20 00:56:32 UTC

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Solo or Silo?

2025-01-20 00:28:24 UTC

Cryogenics likely won’t work in the foreseeable future. If you wanted a live backup running of humanity to restart it in the event of a catastrophe and had no ethics (or believed the survival of humanity should exceed all moral considerations), how would you do it?

2025-01-15 23:30:46 UTC

Have made the decision to delete my Instagram account soon. I already ditched Facebook and Threads (both of which I was using minimally, really for promotion). Instagram hurts, because of all the Meta products, it remained a bright spot in connecting with friends of 40 years and friends of 4 months. But Big Tech ruins everything and I don’t want to be personally connected to Meta or Zuckerberg.