TightWind is written by Kyle Baxter. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

I began writing TightWind in April 2008. I started it because after writing at Newsvine for a while, and reading Daring Fireball and Shawn Blanc, I wanted my own space to write—somewhere I could control every piece of the site. I wanted to write articles exploring things I thought about a lot—things I obsessed with and thought were meaningful and truly worth thinking about. The goal was to think through things, write well on it, and provide meaningful commentary on link-list items, not just link to them.

The first article I wrote intentionally for TW was “Trey Parker, Life Lessons, and the Mac Community.” It’s a little rough, but I’m still happy with it today.

To celebrate, I’m going to give away a few beautiful prints from Jorge Quinteros. More on that in a second. (You can scroll down to the details below right now if you want. I won’t judge.)

I wasn’t sure where it was going, or whether anyone would even read it—but I couldn’t imagine not writing it now. I’ve loved every bit of it, like writing articles, filling up Instapaper, learning WordPress and building my own themes and modifying things to work how I want. But I’ve loved most are the people I’ve met and the responses from readers I’ve received by writing TW. Chris Bowler, Jorge Quinteros, Ian Hines, Aaron Mahnke, Patrick Rhone, Shawn Blanc, Ben Brooks—all incredibly talented and genuinely kind people. It’s been a blessing.

Here are a few articles I’m post proud of that you may or may not have read:

• The Strange Tale of MobileMe and Apple’s Post-PC. I wrote this in June 2008, after Apple announced iPhone 3G and MobileMe. It was the first one where I analyzed what Apple’s trying to do, and it’s still one that I’m most happy with.
• A Series of Niches. Where I wrote what I think news organizations can do to thrive in a web-based world.
• Toward a New Kind of Education. Why our current education system isn’t setting people up for success.

So, How About That Giveaway

So here’s the deal: to celebrate, I’m giving away two photo prints from Jorge Quinteros. You can see all of his available photos by browsing through his archive. I’ll pick two people on Wednesday, June 1st at midnight Pacific time, and those two people can select any 8×10 photo they like.

Here’s how to enter: Send an email to comments at tightwind dot net with a subject line that says “TW Giveaway Contest” and a link to the photo you want by midnight on June 1st. That’s it. Nothing to tweet, no comment to make. Just an email. I’ll get in touch with you afterward.

Here are a few of Jorge’s photos I particularly like:

• Weight on the Shoulders
• Empire State of Mind
• Apple Store Logo

Those are just a few I like, though; if you win, you’re welcome to pick your favorite.

I’ve had a blast writing TightWind for the last three years, and it’s truly an honor to have you all as readers. Thank you. Here’s to another three years.