A Hacker News user sparked a wave of nostalgia this week with a simple question: 'What are your favorite blogs not about AI?' The post, which has accumulated 59 points and 26 comments as of publication, articulates what many in the developer community have been feeling for months. Many of my favorite bloggers have stopped writing—or have drastically shifted topics to focus on machine learning and large language models. The poster specifically yearns for 'the 2009 era of blogging about personal projects or super niche factoids.'

The Great Blog Migration

The thread quickly filled with recommendations from fellow HN users mourning the loss of independent, curiosity-driven writing. Longtime developers shared links to blogs they still follow—sites that continue posting about obscure programming puzzles, vintage computing history, electronics projects, and technical deep dives without once mentioning transformers or token limits. The contrast between this content and the current AI-dominated tech media landscape couldn't be starker.

Why Personal Blogging Died

Several commenters theorized why individual bloggers shifted away from hobbyist writing. Some blamed monetization pressures that forced creators toward evergreen 'AI tutorial' content with better search engine traction. Others pointed to creator burnout after years of producing work for diminishing audiences while algorithmic platforms amplified synthetic AI-generated articles instead. One commenter noted that maintaining a personal blog now feels 'pointless' when AI tools can generate similar content instantaneously.

Hidden Gems Emerge

Despite the melancholy tone, valuable recommendations surfaced throughout the discussion. HN users shared blogs covering topics like retro computing restoration, obscure mathematical curiosities, hardware hacking projects, and programming language design—subjects that would never make it into an AI newsletter. The thread demonstrated that while mainstream tech blogging has consolidated around artificial intelligence coverage, passionate creators still exist for readers willing to search beyond the algorithmically-sorted results.

Key Takeaways

  • Independent tech blogs peaked around 2009-2012 with personal projects and niche explorations
  • Most veteran bloggers have either quit or pivoted to AI content for monetization reasons
  • A passionate community still seeks out non-AI technical writing when it's available
  • The demand exists for authentic, curiosity-driven blogging outside the LLM echo chamber

The Bottom Line

This thread is a canary in the coal mine for anyone who values genuine technical discourse. When even Hacker News—historically resistant to hype cycles—becomes a place where developers express grief over lost blogging culture, we've officially entered an era of AI monoculture that should concern everyone who remembers what made tech writing interesting before it became a prompt engineering marketing channel.