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<h2>percolating ideas: my web dev adventure</h2>
<p>19 Feb 2025 - </p>
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<p>Creating a website is more than just coding; it’s about having a vision and bringing it to life. Recently, I embarked on an exciting web development adventure that was both personally and professionally fulfilling. Over the course of two weeks, I built a website for my friend, a dedicated mental health counselor, using HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, and PHP. Here’s a glimpse into my journey, from the initial brainstorming sessions to the final launch, and everything in between.</p>
<h2 id="the-inspiration-behind-the-website">The Inspiration Behind the Website</h2>
<p>The foundation of this project was rooted in a profound purpose: to help my friend connect with individuals seeking mental health support. She had a clear vision for her website—a space that not only highlighted her counseling services but also provided resources, insights, and a sense of community. Understanding this, I was eager to turn her vision into a reality.</p>
<h2 id="planning-and-design-laying-the-groundwork">Planning and Design: Laying the Groundwork</h2>
<p>Every great project begins with a solid plan. We kicked things off with brainstorming sessions where my friend shared her ideas about the website’s content and structure. Together, we outlined the key pages:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>About Page</strong>: An introduction to my friend’s background and her approach to mental health counseling.</li>
<li><strong>Services Offered</strong>: Detailed descriptions of the different counseling options available.</li>
<li><strong>Resource Hub</strong>: A curated collection of articles, tips, and links to support mental well-being.</li>
<li><strong>Contact Form</strong>: An easy-to-use form for potential clients to get in touch.</li>
</ul>
<p>Using Bootstrap allowed me to create a responsive and visually appealing layout. The emphasis was on clarity and accessibility, ensuring that visitors could find what they needed without hassle.</p>
<h2 id="development-process-turning-ideas-into-reality">Development Process: Turning Ideas into Reality</h2>
<p>My two-week development timeline was packed with creativity and learning. Here are some highlights from this adventure:</p>
<h3 id="week-1-structuring-the-site">Week 1: Structuring the Site</h3>
<p>In the first week, I focused on the website’s foundational structure, employing HTML to set up content organization. CSS came next, allowing me to craft the aesthetic that matched my friend’s compassionate and professional tone. Bootstrap was instrumental during this phase, enabling a swift transition to a mobile-friendly design that adapts to various screen sizes.</p>
<h3 id="week-2-bringing-functionality-to-life">Week 2: Bringing Functionality to Life</h3>
<p>With the structure in place, I sprinted into the second week, where I added PHP functionality for the contact form. This important feature would allow prospective clients to reach out without the hassle of dealing with their email accounts—a small yet significant convenience.</p>
<h3 id="version-control-keeping-track-with-github">Version Control: Keeping Track with GitHub</h3>
<p>Track changes was a breeze thanks to GitHub. Every implementation and tweak was logged in the repository, which not only helped streamline development but also made it easier to involve my friend in the feedback loop. Iteration and collaboration became the backbone of our process, ensuring the final product was truly reflective of her vision.</p>
<h2 id="hosting-and-domain-setup-the-finishing-touches">Hosting and Domain Setup: The Finishing Touches</h2>
<p>Once we settled on the design and functionality, it was time to get the website online. I opted to host the site on a virtual machine (VM) within my own server. This gave me complete control over the hosting environment and security features.</p>
<p>For domain registration, we selected Cloudflare, known for its robust features and security enhancements. This decision meant that visitors would benefit from faster load times and improved site safety—important factors when dealing with sensitive topics like mental health.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion-a-journey-of-purpose">Conclusion: A Journey of Purpose</h2>
<p>Building this website was more than a technical endeavor; it was an opportunity to contribute to a cause I truly believe in. Knowing that this platform can help connect individuals with the mental health support they need is immensely gratifying.</p>
<p>As my friend embarks on this new chapter of her practice, I’m excited to see how the website will grow and evolve. If you’re a mental health professional in need of an online presence or any kind of support to bring your ideas to fruition, remember: the journey may pose challenges, but the rewards are lasting.</p>
<p>This web dev adventure taught me that purpose drives creativity. Creating a meaningful website is not just an end goal; it’s a way to serve and connect with the community. Here’s to more adventures and the endless possibilities that come from percolating ideas!</p>
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<h2>brewing up my homelab: new services, hardware, and monitoring magic</h2>
<p>18 Jun 2025 - </p>
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<p>Hello fellow tech enthusiasts (and coffee lovers)!</p>
<p>As much as I enjoy a freshly brewed cup of coffee, there’s something equally satisfying about brewing up new capabilities in my homelab. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been busy adding some fresh services and hardware to keep my setup not just humming, but buzzing with efficiency and helpfulness. Whether you’re managing your own digital playground or just curious about what’s possible on a home scale, here’s what’s new on the docket — plus, the gear that’s making it all work.</p>
<h2 id="new-services-from-collaboration-to-monitoring-and-gaming">New Services: From Collaboration to Monitoring and Gaming</h2>
<h3 id="nextcloud-aio--saying-goodbye-to-discord-dependence">Nextcloud-AIO – Saying Goodbye to Discord Dependence</h3>
<p>First up: I’ve integrated <strong>Nextcloud-AIO</strong> to replace our previous dependence on Discord for collaboration and file sharing. With the all-in-one Nextcloud setup, I’ve gained a self-hosted, privacy-respecting platform that handles chat, file sharing, calendar syncing, and more — all under my control. It’s the perfect homebrew alternative to relying on third-party cloud services.</p>
<h3 id="grafana-prometheus-and-telegraf--monitoring-made-beautiful">Grafana, Prometheus, and Telegraf – Monitoring Made Beautiful</h3>
<p>Monitoring is crucial, especially as my homelab grows in complexity. I’ve hooked up <strong>Grafana</strong>, <strong>Prometheus</strong>, and <strong>Telegraf</strong> to create a robust monitoring stack that tracks performance metrics and visualizes everything in sleek, coffee-black dashboards. From CPU temps to network throughput, now I can sip some espresso while stats gently pour in real time.</p>
<h3 id="uptime-kuma--watching-over-my-homelab-from-the-cloud">Uptime Kuma – Watching Over My Homelab from the Cloud</h3>
<p>While my monitoring stack watches internal metrics, I also set up <strong>Uptime Kuma</strong> on my VPS to keep an eye on service availability from an external vantage point. Having an external health check ensures that I’m alerted if services go down when I’m away from home—because coffee breaks shouldn’t be interrupted by unexpected outages!</p>
<h3 id="weddingshare--celebrating-with-friends">WeddingShare – Celebrating with Friends</h3>
<p>On a more personal note, I deployed <strong>WeddingShare</strong> for a friend’s upcoming wedding. This open-source project is a fantastic way to collaboratively share photos and memories securely. Running it on my homelab feels great—using technology to enhance life’s special moments.</p>
<h3 id="enshrouded-game-server--because-play-is-important">Enshrouded Game Server – Because Play Is Important</h3>
<p>Lastly, I gave new life to my gaming side by spinning up an <strong>Enshrouded game server</strong>. After all, every techie needs downtime, and running a self-hosted game server keeps me connected with friends while enjoying some pixelated adventures.</p>
<h2 id="upgrading-the-hardware-rack-em-stack-em-and-speed-em-up">Upgrading the Hardware: Rack ’Em, Stack ’Em, and Speed ’Em Up</h2>
<p>To support all these new services and keep things neat, I’ve invested in some solid hardware upgrades:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>25U Rack</strong> — Finally, my scattered gear is beautifully racked and organized. Nothing like a sturdy rack to keep cables tidy and airflow optimal.</li>
<li><strong>10Gb NICs for C6420</strong> — High-speed networking is a must, so I equipped my C6420 with 10 Gigabit NICs. Moving data is faster than ever.</li>
<li><strong>NetApp DS4246</strong> — Storage gets a big upgrade with this robust disk shelf, improving both capacity and reliability.</li>
<li><strong>NETGEAR GS724T v2 PROSAFE 24-Port Switch</strong> — For all the 1Gb connections, this switch provides plenty of ports and solid management features.</li>
<li><strong>Rails for R720xd, C6420, and NetApp DS4246</strong> — Proper mounting hardware makes installing and servicing equipment a breeze.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="lessons-learned--whats-next">Lessons Learned &amp; What’s Next</h2>
<p>Setting up all these components has been a rewarding challenge that reminds me why I love blending technology with a little caffeine-induced focus. With better monitoring, more control over collaboration, and robust hardware behind it, my homelab feels ready to handle just about anything I throw at it.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, I’m keen to explore containerizing more apps, automating backups, and maybe even dabbling in some home automation tied into this setup. And of course, keeping the coffee flowing remains a top priority.</p>
<hr />
<p>If you’re running your own homelab or considering starting one, I hope this update sparks some ideas (and maybe convinces you to add a rack or two!). Feel free to reach out if you want details on how I set up any of these services or hardware.</p>
<p>Until next post — stay caffeinated and curious!</p>
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<h2>the barista's new tools</h2>
<p>01 Dec 2025 - </p>
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<h2 id="many-changes-in-the-past-few-months">Many Changes in the Past few months…##</h2>
<p>Welcome back to the cafe! Any good barista knows that a perfect cup of coffee isn’t just about the beans—it’s about the tools. The grinder, the espresso machine, the tamper—every piece of equipment plays a role in creating a smooth, efficient, and delightful experience.</p>
<p>Behind the counter of this digital coffee shop, I’ve been busy upgrading my toolkit. It’s time for a little “shop talk” to show you what’s been brewing under the hood. From improving the daily grind to adding brand-new services, here are the new tools I’ve added to the workbench.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="a-sleeker-grind-for-pdfs">A Sleeker Grind for PDFs</h3>
<p>My first stop was the digital document grinder. For a long time, <strong>StirlingPDF</strong> was my go-to workhorse for handling PDF files—it’s powerful and incredibly versatile. However, the project recently moved to a commercial model, and in the world of self-hosting, the best-tasting coffee is the one you don’t have to pay a subscription for.</p>
<p>This sent me on a search for a new grinder, and I landed on <strong>Bento</strong>. Honestly, the switch feels like a complete upgrade. Bento offers a stunningly clean UI and consolidates a huge number of file-handling tools into one beautiful, fast, and joyful interface. It’s a perfect example of how a change forced by necessity can lead to an even better discovery.</p>
<h3 id="brewing-our-own-mail">Brewing Our Own Mail</h3>
<p>From streamlining daily tasks, I moved on to a much bigger project: taking full control of my digital correspondence. I’ve finally stopped relying on third-party providers and am now brewing my own email in-house for <strong>hobokenchicken.com</strong> using <strong>Mailcow</strong>. This powerful, all-in-one mail server suite is running in its own virtual machine on my trusty Dell R720xd homelab server. It’s like roasting my own beans—more work, but the final product is tailored exactly to my tastes with complete control and privacy.</p>
<h3 id="a-better-filter-for-a-cleaner-brew">A Better Filter for a Cleaner Brew</h3>
<p>This theme of control and privacy extends to the very foundation of my network. You can’t make good coffee with bad water, and for years, <strong>Pi-hole</strong> has been my network’s water filter. Recently, however, I swapped it out for <strong>AdGuard Home</strong>. The upgrade gives me a more modern interface, built-in support for DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), and easier per-client filtering. It’s the same great-tasting, ad-free internet, just with a more advanced filtration system.</p>
<h3 id="keeping-the-delivery-fleet-tuned-up">Keeping the Delivery Fleet Tuned Up</h3>
<p>While most of these tools keep the digital side of things running, some projects are for the physical world. To better maintain my cars, I’ve spun up an instance of <strong>LubeLogger</strong>. This self-hosted service is fantastic for logging oil changes, tire rotations, and every other bit of vehicle upkeep. No more forgetting when I last checked the tire pressure—it’s all logged and ready.</p>
<h3 id="a-new-flavor-of-ai-espresso">A New Flavor of AI Espresso</h3>
<p>Back on the digital counter, my local AI setup, powered by <strong>Open-WebUI</strong>, is like a high-tech espresso machine. To expand its capabilities, I’ve just integrated Google’s <strong>Gemini family of models</strong>. Having access to Gemini is like adding a new single-origin bean to experiment with. It offers a different “flavor” of response and excels at different tasks, making my AI toolkit that much more versatile.</p>
<h3 id="the-new-digital-recipe-book">The New Digital Recipe Book</h3>
<p>With all this new information being discovered and generated, keeping track of it became the next challenge. My browser bookmarks were getting out of control, so I’ve implemented <strong>KaraKeep</strong>, a clean, self-hosted bookmark manager. It’s a simple, tag-based system that acts as my new digital recipe book, keeping all my best finds neatly organized.</p>
<h3 id="the-mission-control-for-the-cafe">The Mission Control for the Cafe</h3>
<p>Of course, what’s the point of having all these wonderful machines if you can’t manage them effectively? With <strong>over 50 Docker containers now running across 3 different hosts</strong>, I needed a better command center. That’s where <strong>Portainer</strong> comes in. This container management UI has become my mission control, giving me a bird’s-eye view of everything. It lets me deploy, manage, and troubleshoot from a clean web interface, ensuring all the other tools run smoothly.</p>
<hr />
<p>So there you have it—a peek at the new and improved setup behind the scenes. These tools are all about improving efficiency, security, and capability. After all, a happy barista with great tools makes for a better coffee shop for everyone.</p>
<p>Stay tuned to see what we brew up next.</p>
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