I routinely underestimate GitHub Actions.
“Gee, I should setup an automated task for this. It’ll be easy. I’ve setup cron jobs, after all!”
JavaScript and drafting posts
Primarily spending time learning more about JavaScript, working my way through a few tutorials.
I’ve also been drafting a lot of blog posts, but haven’t really had the time to sit down and finish them off. We’re talking maybe 2 to 3 per day. Take a look at this!
I really should get on top of that and push out some updates, so it doesn’t look like this site is abandoned. That’s not really the point though, is it? The point is to document and share things of substance, not just rambling.
Out with port forwarding, in with GitHub CI
Reverse proxy with nginx
- I had security concerns with port forwarding so I switched
- Troubleshot issues with http/https for docker containers
- Removed old firewall rules
- Fixed remote stuff (cellphones, etc.) after setting the subdomains
GitHub CI
- I wanted better metrics tracking in GH; my contrib graph is screwed up because of Postman auto-commits, so I installed WakaTime.
- Getting cool stuff to auto-pop meant making a GH Workflow; I used a custom
yamlconfig. It runs once a day at midnight.
nginx
I was sick of using port forwarding on my router (ew), so I setup a reverse proxy using nginx. Feels amazing! So proud of myself. The GUI for nginx leaves a lot to be desired.
English is weird, and horrible, and sucks
In one of the crueler twists of the English language, attempting to sound out the world “syllable” is essentially impossible.
Build it and you will (be)come
After watching a video on how to make modern websites, I felt inspired to provide my own assessment on the topic; below is the source, for reference.
JavaScript Practice and training
I’ve begun work on the super-secret project on JavaScript stuff I had been planning. Haven’t made much progress yet, but had to set some stuff up with VCS first. Fun.
Week 31 2025
- Calculating weeks of the year
- JavaScript beginner videos
- Obsidian note cleanup
- Notes on Algorithms to Live By
The Access-ible Expert
I assure you, everything you are about to read is tragically completely true.
A number of years back, I was dealing with a new hire who claimed to be an “expert” in all Microsoft products. I won’t go into specifics as to why, but know that we needed someone who specifically could work with Microsoft Access. After several months of postings, interviews, and, subsequent rejections, we came across a fellow who claimed he could do the work.
Not only had he used it, he assured us that he had used it extensively, and was an expert at it! I remember on his first day confidently saying, “It will be no problem at all for me!”
Also note that I had no part in this hiring process, but merely had to deal with whatever we were handed in terms of staff.
Go live
Looks like the site is live, sweet!
Huge thank you to SpaceRex for a really in-depth tutorial on how to set everything up for a Synology NAS! If you find yourself interested in setting up a WordPress site on your own NAS, I highly recommend giving his video a watch!
I don’t have any “grand plans” in terms of what I’ll be doing with this site. Generally speaking though, I would like to be able to document, update, and post about the various technical skills I’m working on, and the various problems and (hopefully) solutions to those problems.
If that sounds like your sort of thing, I’m glad to have you!
-Mike