dumaling.com

Of Shakespeare and His Works

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

William Shakespeare11 Born April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. Baptized 26 April 1564, died 23 April 1616., that most excellent poet and playwright of the English tongue, stands as a colossus astride the ages. His works, composed betwixt the years of our Lord 1590 and 1613, continue to illuminate the human condition with unparalleled insight and beauty.

The Globe Theatre, wherein many of Shakespeare’s plays were first performed

Projects & Undertakings

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Here shall be catalogued the various projects and undertakings of note.

Current Endeavors

This Very Site — A Hugo-powered repository of meditations and observations, designed with elegant simplicity and deployed with modern efficiency.

Typographic Experiments — Explorations in the arrangement of text upon the page, both digital and physical.

Future Possibilities

Further projects shall be added as they come to fruition. Check ye back in time.

More to come in due course.

The Technical Stack

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This site, though appearing simple, doth employ a sophisticated technical foundation.

Content & Generation

Hugo — A static site generator of remarkable speed, written in Go. Transforms markdown into HTML with great efficiency.

Markdown — The text format employed for all articles. Simple, portable, and future-proof.

Typography

EB Garamond — A revival of Claude Garamont’s humanist typeface, digitized by Georg Duffner. Used for body text.

JetBrains Mono — A monospaced font designed for developers. Used for code, dates, and metadata.

What Now Occupies My Attention

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Inspired by Derek Sivers’ /now page movement

February 2026

Reading — Revisiting the complete works of Shakespeare, with particular attention to the lesser-known plays and the Sonnets.

Writing — Composing meditations upon classical themes in contemporary contexts. Five articles published thus far, with more to come.

Technical Work — Refining this very site, balancing simplicity of appearance with sophistication of implementation.

Learning — Studying typography, both historical and contemporary. How do we arrange words upon a page (or screen) for maximum clarity and beauty?

Some Are Born Great, Some Achieve Greatness

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Thus spake Malvolio upon reading the counterfeit letter, yet though the jest was cruel, the words themselves contain much wisdom.

The Three Paths to Greatness

Born Great

There are those who enter this world with every advantage: noble birth, inherited wealth, natural gifts of body and mind. The prince in his cradle, the child prodigy at the pianoforte, the youth blessed with beauty and charm — these seem destined for greatness from their first breath.

The Fault, Dear Brutus, Is Not in Our Stars

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.

The Eternal Excuse

How pleasant it is to blame our misfortunes upon fate! The stars were ill-aligned, we say. Fortune frowned upon us. The gods themselves conspired against our happiness. ‘Tis a comfortable philosophy, for if we are but puppets dancing to celestial strings, then how can we be held accountable for our failures?

All That Glisters Is Not Gold

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

All that glisters is not gold — often have you heard that told. Many a man his life hath sold but my outside to behold. Gilded tombs do worms enfold.

The Tyranny of Appearances

In this age of images and surfaces, we are more than ever beguiled by that which glitters. The merchant displayeth his wares in finest packaging, though the contents be worthless. The courtier weareth silken robes whilst his heart remaineth corrupt. The building’s facade stands magnificent whilst its foundation crumbles.

Whether 'Tis Nobler in the Mind to Suffer

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

To be, or not to be — that is the question: whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and, by opposing, end them.

The Affliction of Thought

To die, to sleep — no more — and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream — ay, there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause.

The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strained

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. ‘Tis twice blessed: it blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

Of Justice and Temperance

‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest. It becomes the throned monarch better than his crown. His scepter shows the force of temporal power, the attribute to awe and majesty wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings. But mercy is above this sceptered sway. It is enthroned in the hearts of kings; it is an attribute to God Himself. And earthly power doth then show likest God’s when mercy seasons justice.

Post 3

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0700

Occaecat aliqua consequat laborum ut ex aute aliqua culpa quis irure esse magna dolore quis. Proident fugiat labore eu laboris officia Lorem enim. Ipsum occaecat cillum ut tempor id sint aliqua incididunt nisi incididunt reprehenderit. Voluptate ad minim sint est aute aliquip esse occaecat tempor officia qui sunt. Aute ex ipsum id ut in est velit est laborum incididunt. Aliqua qui id do esse sunt eiusmod id deserunt eu nostrud aute sit ipsum. Deserunt esse cillum Lorem non magna adipisicing mollit amet consequat.

Post 2

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 10:00:00 -0700

Anim eiusmod irure incididunt sint cupidatat. Incididunt irure irure irure nisi ipsum do ut quis fugiat consectetur proident cupidatat incididunt cillum. Dolore voluptate occaecat qui mollit laborum ullamco et. Ipsum laboris officia anim laboris culpa eiusmod ex magna ex cupidatat anim ipsum aute. Mollit aliquip occaecat qui sunt velit ut cupidatat reprehenderit enim sunt laborum. Velit veniam in officia nulla adipisicing ut duis officia.

Exercitation voluptate irure in irure tempor mollit Lorem nostrud ad officia. Velit id fugiat occaecat do tempor. Sit officia Lorem aliquip eu deserunt consectetur. Aute proident deserunt in nulla aliquip dolore ipsum Lorem ut cupidatat consectetur sit sint laborum. Esse cupidatat sit sint sunt tempor exercitation deserunt. Labore dolor duis laborum est do nisi ut veniam dolor et nostrud nostrud.

Post 1

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 09:00:00 -0700

Tempor proident minim aliquip reprehenderit dolor et ad anim Lorem duis sint eiusmod. Labore ut ea duis dolor. Incididunt consectetur proident qui occaecat incididunt do nisi Lorem. Tempor do laborum elit laboris excepteur eiusmod do. Eiusmod nisi excepteur ut amet pariatur adipisicing Lorem.

Occaecat nulla excepteur dolore excepteur duis eiusmod ullamco officia anim in voluptate ea occaecat officia. Cillum sint esse velit ea officia minim fugiat. Elit ea esse id aliquip pariatur cupidatat id duis minim incididunt ea ea. Anim ut duis sunt nisi. Culpa cillum sit voluptate voluptate eiusmod dolor. Enim nisi Lorem ipsum irure est excepteur voluptate eu in enim nisi. Nostrud ipsum Lorem anim sint labore consequat do.