Frontend dev writing about CSS, Make.com, biohacking, and building in public
The pattern · 16 steps · 16 weeks
Latest
156 postsRunning an MCP server behind a secret URL
Exposing a stdio MCP server via HTTP on a small droplet, why a long secret URL ends up as the only authentication, and what tends to break first.
Base64 is not encryption
While setting up a new server, I found an API key in a nameless TextMate buffer and a base64-only password in an env file. This is how that happens, and what I changed.
Archiving Todoist projects so I can see my week again
I archived three Todoist projects, moved everything into one, and set a weekly five-task limit so I can see my week again without deleting anything.
A late start on collecting polymer banknotes
A gifted 50 dobras polymer note at a coin fair nudged a late starter toward banknote collecting, with a few guardrails to keep it curiosity, not compulsion.
Scheduling 38 volunteer umpires with one spreadsheet
Scheduling 38 volunteer umpires is a constraint puzzle, not a software problem. A simple spreadsheet and a few hard rules often beat a fancy app.
Logging Food by Talking to Claude
Cronometer sits behind a local Claude chat on my Mac Studio so I can log food by describing meals. Staples got faster to track, but quiet errors still need a human check.
I checked who reads my llms.txt. Almost nobody, and most of "GPTBot" wasn't GPTBot
15 days of Nginx logs: llms.txt was fetched 31 times, twice by an AI agent. And 4,334 of 4,565 "GPTBot" requests came from somewhere other than OpenAI.
Two Macs, One SSD, and the Sync I Stopped Trusting
I juggle a Mac Studio, a MacBook Air, and a T9 SSD by giving each type of file a single source of truth instead of trusting sync to do everything.
How I Split Social Posts Between Buffer and Manual Updates
How I use Buffer to handle predictable updates for my one-person theme studio, what I still post by hand, and where I draw the line so social does not become a second job.
Upgrading three Tailwind projects to v4 in one sprint
I upgraded three client sites to Tailwind v4 in one week. Most utilities survived quietly. The custom gradient border plugin did not.
Three months after the jump rope protocol
Three months after the August YaoYao jump rope protocol, the strict plan is gone but the rope and the heart rate ceiling stayed. This is what held up.
What I Hand Over To Next Year’s U12 Coach
At the end of a U12 season, not everything should follow the team into next year. This is what survives a season change, and what belongs to this group only.
Sovereign AI on a Synology NAS for a Small Agency
A practical look at what a small agency needs to make a Synology NAS searchable with a local AI stack on a Mac Studio, and what is still undecided.
When a client asks for SEO and needs GEO
Clients ask for SEO when their real problem is that machines do not understand who they are or where they operate. This is how a small agency sells GEO work without overpromising.
Pricing Northline and Azimuth as a new Ghost studio
How I priced Northline and Azimuth for Aftertype’s launch as an unknown Ghost theme studio, and why copying established makers’ prices felt wrong.
Get the next one in your inbox
Frontend dev writing about CSS, Make.com, biohacking, and building in public