Joanna Nelius-Free

@joannafreewrites

AuDHD. Creative writing teacher. Tarot reader. Gardener. Still-recovering tech journalist formerly of The Verge, Gizmodo, PC Gamer, & elsewhere. "Dumb" tech fan. joannanelius.com

394 Following445 Followers843 Posts

Bluesky

Is this your profile?Claim it and joannafreewrites.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· 9d

One week later...

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· 16d

MELONS! 😮

A close up of a watermelon growing on a vine outdoors.

Another close up of a watermelon growing on a vine outdoors.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· 18d

19th century VR

A woman looks at a photograph through an antique viewfinder.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· 22d

Just another LA car chase 🤣

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· 26d

I don't post enough cat pics

A black and white tuxedo cat sleeping peacefully on top of a blanket.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· 26d

Gardening level unlocked: Watermelon.

A side close-up of an open, yellow flower on top of a unfertilized watermelon ovary.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· May 6

I use this dude

A large white keyboard with a small screen across the top

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· May 4

6 days after sowing, the first sprout has emerged!

Multiple cells in a seed starting tray filled with moist dirt. A broccoli sprout emerges from one of the cells.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Apr 23

Got a Silver Emergency Alert on my Light Phone 3. Noticed the link on the bottom was underlined, so I tapped it. Brought me to the CHP X Twitter account, and now I'm scrolling through YouTube. This phone isn't supposed to be able to do this. 😲

A small cellphone displaying a YouTube page in black and white.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Mar 18

My monthly rent payments have been enshittified.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Mar 7

I'm in love 🖤 Distraction-free tech is the only thing that could get me to review things for a living again. #Freewrite

A large keyboard with white keys and a small screen attached to it.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Mar 6

Hahahaha omg what a cult classic 🤣 (Still have mine on CD!)

A hand holds a plastic CD case with cover art for the game "Mad Dog McCree": a man wearing a black cowboy hat points a pistol forward.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Feb 27

Now WHEN have we heard that before...

Screenshot from the NYT stating that former President Bill Clinton told the Justice Department during his Feb. 27 disposition that he did not have sex with a woman photographed next to him in a hot tub.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Feb 24

A 90s-era video game console cartridge showing a brown bear and orange bird with the title "Banjo-Kazooie."

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Feb 11

Coming soon: a feature about my wedding in a certain online magazine 🤘

A group of men and women in all-black wedding attire posed on and around an antique couch inside a Victorian mansion.

A group of women dressed in black robes, faced away from the camera with their arms around each other. Middle robe says "final girl" in red letters and the others say "scream queen" in red letters.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Jan 20

Gearing up for another Tech Tarot reading about the state of technology v. society in 2026. I know we're halfway through Jan., but this is the card I pulled for this month. In reverse.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Dec 3

Reading is good for your brain.

A book, "Futurability: The Age of Impotence and the Horizon of Possibility" by Franco 'Bifo' Berardi next to a mug of coffee on a wooden table.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Dec 3

Apologies for not publishing a new article yet this week. My first Tech Tarot sent me down a research rabbit hole, but it's been a glorious journey into the history of nuclear weapons, LSD, and MKULTRA. It will be ready tomorrow and available in full for all to read.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Nov 20

It's taken longer than I anticipated, but I'm launching my blog/newsletter, Not Enough Search Volume — next week! It's where I write about the past, present, and (potential) future intersections of technology and humanity. To connect the dots where traditional and independent media fail to do.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Nov 19

Don't worry, guys! Apparently natural gas, fusion and solar are gonna help create those electrons! 🫠

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Nov 12

Alert: I have incoming wedding photos 😍

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Oct 29

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Oct 26

Did THE thing 🖤

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Oct 18

For visual context, here's the part of the freeway that's closed (in blue). Anyone traveling to/from OC/SD would need to travel via any of the red lines. PCH merges with the I-5 in Dana Point, and the Old Pacific Highway starts at Basilone Rd. The green void in the middle is Camp Pendleton.

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Oct 14

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Oct 10

Tell me something I didn't already know, 23andMe 😂 I must be extra special since I tore both of mine before I turned 20 😂

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Sep 12

I have no idea what kind of plant this is but it's easy to propagate!

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Sep 2

A fully-birthed leaf

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Aug 31

I like walking to my mailbox on a normal day, but today is a special day. #theaicon

Joanna Nelius-Free@joannafreewrites· Aug 30

Plant update