Josh Tong
@joshtong.bsky.social
UX content strategist and information architect at MERGE. Working to improve content ecosystems and experiences.
Hiker. Urbanist. Fan of literature in translation. Piano player and flutist. Opinions are mine.
Philadelphia | JoshTong.io
Hiker. Urbanist. Fan of literature in translation. Piano player and flutist. Opinions are mine.
Philadelphia | JoshTong.io
I appreciate how this sign lists both rollerblading and roller-skating, just in case you aren’t sure whether the wheels on your shoes are forbidden.
November 16, 2025 at 9:22 PM
I appreciate how this sign lists both rollerblading and roller-skating, just in case you aren’t sure whether the wheels on your shoes are forbidden.
The only turkey I want for Thanksgiving.
November 16, 2025 at 8:37 PM
The only turkey I want for Thanksgiving.
Quiet day in the Catskills.
October 24, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Quiet day in the Catskills.
The semantic search feature is also useful. When creating or applying a taxonomy, you can search crawled content for terms and find potential matches. It also returns a score for each result to help gauge how closely the page matches the term.
September 30, 2025 at 12:44 AM
The semantic search feature is also useful. When creating or applying a taxonomy, you can search crawled content for terms and find potential matches. It also returns a score for each result to help gauge how closely the page matches the term.
I’m impressed by Screaming Frog’s new AI cluster analysis feature. Useful for:
—Discovering topics in a corpus when creating a taxonomy
—Identifying related content
—Finding outlier or duplicate content
Doesn't replace traditional methods, but it does make some initial analyses quicker and easier.
—Discovering topics in a corpus when creating a taxonomy
—Identifying related content
—Finding outlier or duplicate content
Doesn't replace traditional methods, but it does make some initial analyses quicker and easier.
September 30, 2025 at 12:44 AM
I’m impressed by Screaming Frog’s new AI cluster analysis feature. Useful for:
—Discovering topics in a corpus when creating a taxonomy
—Identifying related content
—Finding outlier or duplicate content
Doesn't replace traditional methods, but it does make some initial analyses quicker and easier.
—Discovering topics in a corpus when creating a taxonomy
—Identifying related content
—Finding outlier or duplicate content
Doesn't replace traditional methods, but it does make some initial analyses quicker and easier.
Sunrise in Philadelphia.
September 29, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Sunrise in Philadelphia.
This is one of my favorite places: a grove of dawn-redwood trees in Morris Arboretum.
Scientists thought the genus went extinct 2–5 million years ago. But a live tree turned up in China in the 1940s, a grad student brought several pounds of seeds to Philly, and now there are 48 dawn-redwoods here.
Scientists thought the genus went extinct 2–5 million years ago. But a live tree turned up in China in the 1940s, a grad student brought several pounds of seeds to Philly, and now there are 48 dawn-redwoods here.
September 29, 2025 at 1:36 AM
This is one of my favorite places: a grove of dawn-redwood trees in Morris Arboretum.
Scientists thought the genus went extinct 2–5 million years ago. But a live tree turned up in China in the 1940s, a grad student brought several pounds of seeds to Philly, and now there are 48 dawn-redwoods here.
Scientists thought the genus went extinct 2–5 million years ago. But a live tree turned up in China in the 1940s, a grad student brought several pounds of seeds to Philly, and now there are 48 dawn-redwoods here.
This little free library is not messing around.
September 26, 2025 at 12:53 AM
This little free library is not messing around.
Also hiked the Shades of Death Trail. The name gave us pause, but a park ranger said we’d be fine.
July 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Also hiked the Shades of Death Trail. The name gave us pause, but a park ranger said we’d be fine.
We visited Boulder Field in the Poconos today. Extraordinary landscape that formed 20,000 years ago. Repeated freezing and thawing carved 16 acres of boulders out of the bedrock near the edge of a glacier.
July 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
We visited Boulder Field in the Poconos today. Extraordinary landscape that formed 20,000 years ago. Repeated freezing and thawing carved 16 acres of boulders out of the bedrock near the edge of a glacier.
A family member invited me to a NASCAR race. I went and tried to keep an open mind.
It turns out that races are very loud and very long and sometimes very hot. If that doesn’t sound like fun to you, then you might want to suggest a different activity or politely decline. End of PSA.
It turns out that races are very loud and very long and sometimes very hot. If that doesn’t sound like fun to you, then you might want to suggest a different activity or politely decline. End of PSA.
July 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
A family member invited me to a NASCAR race. I went and tried to keep an open mind.
It turns out that races are very loud and very long and sometimes very hot. If that doesn’t sound like fun to you, then you might want to suggest a different activity or politely decline. End of PSA.
It turns out that races are very loud and very long and sometimes very hot. If that doesn’t sound like fun to you, then you might want to suggest a different activity or politely decline. End of PSA.
The Chinese Lantern Festival in Philly’s Franklin Square was such a treat last night. Actors and acrobats, food and craft vendors, cultural workshops, and 1,000+ illuminated sculptures in dozens of lantern displays.
July 13, 2025 at 2:22 PM
The Chinese Lantern Festival in Philly’s Franklin Square was such a treat last night. Actors and acrobats, food and craft vendors, cultural workshops, and 1,000+ illuminated sculptures in dozens of lantern displays.
This is the best little free library.
–Two stories of books.
–A miniature library of books, with a parrot on a book ladder, a pair of cockatoos, and a penguin reading a book to a baby penguin.
–Several books titled _Book_ and one titled _Universe_.
–Birds on the roof.
–Working gutters.
–Two stories of books.
–A miniature library of books, with a parrot on a book ladder, a pair of cockatoos, and a penguin reading a book to a baby penguin.
–Several books titled _Book_ and one titled _Universe_.
–Birds on the roof.
–Working gutters.
July 12, 2025 at 1:40 AM
This is the best little free library.
–Two stories of books.
–A miniature library of books, with a parrot on a book ladder, a pair of cockatoos, and a penguin reading a book to a baby penguin.
–Several books titled _Book_ and one titled _Universe_.
–Birds on the roof.
–Working gutters.
–Two stories of books.
–A miniature library of books, with a parrot on a book ladder, a pair of cockatoos, and a penguin reading a book to a baby penguin.
–Several books titled _Book_ and one titled _Universe_.
–Birds on the roof.
–Working gutters.
I love it when bookstores introduce readers to independent publishers like this.
July 5, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I love it when bookstores introduce readers to independent publishers like this.
When a generic mechanical system just won’t do.
June 29, 2025 at 8:29 PM
When a generic mechanical system just won’t do.
I was feeling down about (1) the State of the World and (2) my brother's flight to Philly got canceled without enough time to reschedule.
Michelle suggested a hike. We crossed the bridge to Valley Green Inn, walked along Forbidden Drive, and watched the merriment at Devil's Pool. Felt better.
Michelle suggested a hike. We crossed the bridge to Valley Green Inn, walked along Forbidden Drive, and watched the merriment at Devil's Pool. Felt better.
June 29, 2025 at 12:01 AM
I was feeling down about (1) the State of the World and (2) my brother's flight to Philly got canceled without enough time to reschedule.
Michelle suggested a hike. We crossed the bridge to Valley Green Inn, walked along Forbidden Drive, and watched the merriment at Devil's Pool. Felt better.
Michelle suggested a hike. We crossed the bridge to Valley Green Inn, walked along Forbidden Drive, and watched the merriment at Devil's Pool. Felt better.
The rose garden in Morris Arboretum, at the very edge of Northwest Philly.
June 15, 2025 at 11:56 PM
The rose garden in Morris Arboretum, at the very edge of Northwest Philly.
What could be in the bags?
June 15, 2025 at 11:27 PM
What could be in the bags?
A book-shaped little free library with a colophon on the spine, a copyright date and ISBN on the inside front cover, and plenty of text inside. Excellent job, Mt. Airy neighbor.
May 31, 2025 at 10:52 PM
A book-shaped little free library with a colophon on the spine, a copyright date and ISBN on the inside front cover, and plenty of text inside. Excellent job, Mt. Airy neighbor.
Bethany Beach in Delaware.
May 25, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Bethany Beach in Delaware.
Things I like about this taxonomy of coffee flavors:
1. There is a taxonomy of coffee flavors.
2. Look at all the ways that coffee flavors can go wrong! Skunky, medicinal, meaty brothy, vegetative, fermented…. It’s half the vocabulary.
1. There is a taxonomy of coffee flavors.
2. Look at all the ways that coffee flavors can go wrong! Skunky, medicinal, meaty brothy, vegetative, fermented…. It’s half the vocabulary.
May 23, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Things I like about this taxonomy of coffee flavors:
1. There is a taxonomy of coffee flavors.
2. Look at all the ways that coffee flavors can go wrong! Skunky, medicinal, meaty brothy, vegetative, fermented…. It’s half the vocabulary.
1. There is a taxonomy of coffee flavors.
2. Look at all the ways that coffee flavors can go wrong! Skunky, medicinal, meaty brothy, vegetative, fermented…. It’s half the vocabulary.
Went to the Italian Market Festival yesterday, then a street festival in Chestnut Hill today. People struck up conversations with us about Kingsessing seeds, urban forestry for guitars, a local delicacy called the Schmitter, and of course the Phillies.
May 18, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Went to the Italian Market Festival yesterday, then a street festival in Chestnut Hill today. People struck up conversations with us about Kingsessing seeds, urban forestry for guitars, a local delicacy called the Schmitter, and of course the Phillies.
