Today is my fiftieth birthday:

I started posting essays on the internet in 2004, and I became a blogger a year or so later when I put an RSS feed together. In the past eight years the very best experiences I’ve received from the Internet have been the people I’ve met in person or online. The Lightweight Languages mailing list, the Joel on Software forums, Reddit, and the Hacker News communities have made me feel welcome and valued as a human being.

I can’t think of a better present to receive from anyone, anywhere, and at any time than that simple feeling of being wanted. So now that it’s my birthday, I will emulate the Hobbit custom and give you all the best present I’ve ever received: Know that I value and cherish you and the way you make me feel.

Thank you.

Update 2018-06-14: The original Hacker News comments.