A possible future for Damn Interesting
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Damn Interesting founder Alan Bellows launches a fundraiser to return to part-time focus on the site.
Alan Bellows, founder of Damn Interesting, explains that after 20 years of funding the site with part-time engineering work, such positions have become unavailable. He took a full-time job, leaving him unable to write and edit as before. He is running a one-off fundraiser to raise the equivalent of his former part-time salary, allowing him to dedicate more time to the site for the next 12 months. The fundraiser is separate from the Give a Damn donation system that covers monthly expenses like hosting and research. Bellows notes that AI-generated content has flooded the internet, and he hopes this experiment helps push back against it.
What commenters are saying
Longtime readers express support and nostalgia, with many donating. Several commenters praise DI as a precursor to the modern "generally interesting stuff" genre, citing podcasts like 99PI, Stuff You Should Know, and RadioLab.
The author responds to questions about platform choice, explaining he avoids Substack due to past experiences with Facebook changing its algorithm and hiding posts, which caused site traffic to plummet. He also addresses confusion over the separate fundraiser, noting the existing Give a Damn system collect only about $1,800/month for expenses and has plateaued. Some suggest a Patreon or subscription model with community features.