// Homepage — type-driven, editorial, no thumbnails on index.
const { useState: useStateHome, useEffect: useEffectHome } = React;
// Reading time = words / 250 wpm, rounded.
function readMin(e) {return Math.max(1, Math.round((e.words || 0) / 250));}
// Lightweight click-traffic capture for the homepage essay feature.
// Records per-essay click counts in localStorage and mirrors each event into
// a dataLayer-style queue so a real analytics tag (GA4, Segment, etc.) can
// pick it up later without touching this code.
function trackEssayClick(essay, source) {
try {
const key = "hoags:traffic";
const store = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(key) || "{}");
const rec = store[essay.id] || { clicks: 0 };
rec.clicks += 1;
rec.last = new Date().toISOString();
rec.title = essay.title;
store[essay.id] = rec;
localStorage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify(store));
} catch (err) {/* storage may be unavailable; tracking is best-effort */}
(window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []).push({
event: "essay_click",
essay_id: essay.id,
essay_title: essay.title,
source: source || "home_hero",
ts: Date.now(),
});
}
// Auto-format an essay date from its canonical ISO field — never hand-typed,
// so the displayed date always tracks the record. Falls back to e.date.
function essayDate(e) {
if (!e) return "";
if (e.iso) {
const d = new Date(e.iso + "T12:00:00");
if (!isNaN(d)) return d.toLocaleDateString("en-US", { month: "short", day: "2-digit", year: "numeric" });
}
return e.date || "";
}
// Hero centerpiece — auto-synced cycler across the three most recent essays.
// Crossfades on a timer (pauses on hover/focus), each card carries a fillable
// featured image, and every open is logged to the traffic tracker so we can
// see which headline pulls.
function LatestCycler({ essays, navigate }) {
const items = essays.slice(0, 3);
const [idx, setIdx] = useStateHome(0);
const [paused, setPaused] = useStateHome(false);
useEffectHome(() => {
if (paused || items.length < 2) return undefined;
const t = setInterval(() => setIdx((i) => (i + 1) % items.length), 5200);
return () => clearInterval(t);
}, [paused, items.length]);
function open(e, essay) {
e.preventDefault();
trackEssayClick(essay, "home_latest_cycler");
navigate("essay", { id: essay.id });
}
return (
The Loop is for highly successful young operators, builders, and
allocators — readers who want the working notes, the
post-mortems, real networking with peers who actually ship,
and a seat at the Round Table when it convenes. Loop members get
first access to LoopSeek AI features as they ship.
An investor’s dinner. A few people who think hard about
markets, building, and where the two meet — over one long
table, a few times a year. Not yet scheduled. Inner Loop members
hear first.
By invitation · Not yet scheduled
{/* LATEST ESSAYS — promoted to full width, big type, strong separation */}
The first essay is being written. Subscribe below and it lands in your inbox the day it ships.
}
{/* SUBSCRIBE BANNER — full-bleed, the loud one */}
The Feed · free
New essays, in your inbox.
Long essays on operating, markets, AI, and the parts of a
working life that don’t make the highlight reel. Most weeks.
No tracking, no upsell pressure.
The Feed is free and stays that way. The Loop and Inner Loop are
for readers who want the working notes — research, post-mortems,
positions, and the in-progress thinking before it's clean.