A possible future for Damn Interesting
A Potential Path Forward for Damn Interesting
Category: Non-Fiction | Author: Alan Bellows | Date: July 2026
Copyright Notice: All Rights Reserved. Please do not distribute or repurpose this material without explicit written consent from the copyright holder(s).
The Current Dilemma
For nearly two decades, I managed to keep this project viable through a specific balancing act: I held part-time engineering roles to cover my living expenses, while dedicating the remaining half of my professional hours to the research, writing, editing, and podcasting that fuel Damn Interesting.
However, the professional climate has evolved. Those flexible, part-time engineering positions seem to have vanished. In the current market—especially for a "graybeard" like myself—employers typically demand a binary commitment: all or nothing.
Consequently, after an exhaustive search lasting several months, I was forced to accept a full-time position. While I have always been a slight bottleneck for the site's production, I have now become a complete cork.
The External Pressure
Beyond my personal schedule, the broader internet is currently being inundated by a "tsunami of AI slop." To combat this trend and maintain the quality of long-form human curation, I am proposing a new strategy.
The Proposal: A Funding Experiment
My objective is modest. I hope to raise an amount equivalent to my former part-time salary. If successful, this would allow me to reclaim my time and refocus my energy on this project for the coming year.
📋 Objectives for the Next 12 Months
- Reduce the "bottleneck" effect on content production.
- Increase the volume of long-form, human-researched articles.
- Push back against the proliferation of AI-generated content.
- Ensure the site's longevity through 2027.
Understanding the Funding Streams
It is important to distinguish between the two ways you can support the site:
| Funding Source | Primary Purpose | Examples of Use |
|---|---|---|
| Give a Damn | Site Infrastructure | Web hosting, licenses, subscriptions, link curation. |
| GoFundMe | Human Labor | Alan's time, research, and writing salary. |
If you wish to support this specific effort to buy back my time, you can contribute via GoFundMe.
A Lesson in Probability: The Magic 8 Ball
To illustrate the concept of chance and outcomes, consider the image below—a 20-sided die from a "Magic 8 Ball Novelty Fortune-Telling Toy," patented in 1948 and invented by Albert C. in 1950.
How it Works
The device consists of a cylinder filled with blue-dyed alcohol. When the toy is flipped, a buoyant icosahedron (a 20-sided polygon) floats to the top, aligning one of its faces with the viewing window.
Contrary to popular belief, the answers are not distributed evenly. The probability is skewed as follows:
- Yes responses: 10
- No responses: 5
- Unclear responses: 5
Using LaTeX to express the probability of a "Yes" answer:
This means the Magic 8 Ball is mathematically as likely to be affirmative as it is to be negative.
Final Thoughts & Community Feedback
If you have read this far—perhaps even printing it out—please consider supporting the site at https://www.damninteresting.com/donate.
Recent Reader Comments
[
{
"user": "DeeCee",
"date": "08 July 2026",
"comment": "I donated and hope you can keep doing what you love (whether working or writing or both)."
},
{
"user": "Adam",
"date": "09 July 2026",
"comment": "$100 sent, thanks for making the old Internet a fun place"
}
]
Sources & Further Reading:
- US Patent 2452730A - Liquid filled dice agitator
- Wikipedia - Regular icosahedron / Magic 8 Ball
- Industry News - "Approaching Half of New Podcasts Appear to Be AI Slop"
- Shopping - Mattel Games Magic 8 Ball (Affiliate Link)