Code or Die Welcome to my kitchen

Yak shaving tips, Infosec, Astronomy, Gardening

This is my blog. Proud guardian of a square number of cats and one (1) dog, I currently reside in San Antonio, Texas.

I'm interested in gardening, astronomy, infosec among other pursuits. About this site.

Past and current projects.. You can also browse the blog archive if you like.

Message of the Day: Under construction

Updating Ye Olde Jekyll

I have not experienced the dreaded slow build times reported by other Jekyll users perhaps because I have not yet surpassed “critical mass” on posts.

However with so many shiny new static site generators (SSGs) out in the wild, it never hurts to take a another look.

Alternatives to Jekyll

Gatsby.js

  • Written in React and uses shiny new GraphQL API.
  • Able to migrate existing posts from Jekyll, WordPress and more.
  • Comes with the usual learning curve caveats.
  • Resolves slow build time issue for large sites.
  • Great documentation.
  • Loads of plugins.

Hugo

  • Written in Go, aka Golang.
  • Billed as “the fastest tool of its kind.”
  • Publish in Markdown, using Go templates.
  • Ships with Disqus, but can be modified to use other commenting systems.

Pelican

  • Written in Python.
  • Publish in Markdown or reStructuredText.
  • Templates (themes) via Jinja2.
  • Import content from WordPress, RSS.
  • Also ships with Disqus and able to be customized.

Hexo

  • Written in nodeJS.
  • Publish in Markdown.
  • Fast build time.
  • Powerful CLI.

Middleman

  • SSG “using all the shortcuts and tools in modern web development.”
  • Ruby gem uses Rails middleware as a standalone framework.
  • Highly customizable.
  • Publish in ERb & Haml for dynamic content.
  • More for Web marketing and documentation than blogging.

Finally I must mention for historical fact:

Octopress

  • A collection of plugins and features built into Jekyll.
  • Excellent for inspiration in tinkering with your own Jekyll sites.
  • No longer maintained. 💀

If and when my day of build time reckoning comes, I will take the opportunity to plunge into Hugo just to learn a bit of Go!

There are tons of blog posts out there regarding this topic, including:

12 Or So Must-Read Newsletters For Web Developers

If one wishes to stay abreast of the changing tech landscape in this age of decreased attention times and information overload, then a regular curated list of articles, links, or blog posts is invaluable.

In my humble opinion these are the top newsletters out today that concern web development and software/hardware tech. This list is a mix of development and design, software and hardware, news articles, tutorials, and blog posts.

The usual caveat that the Web is in a constant state of partial failure and is scattered with many defunct newsletters. Natural law states that this list of links will quickly become out of date. Let me know any suggestions via email or Twitter.

  • Hacker Newsletter Hacker News, condensed. Essential information and monthly job boards too.
  • CSS Animation Weekly All about CSS Animation.
  • Webdesigner Depot: Does what it says on the tin. Professional web designer newsletter, with articles on UI/UX, optimization, tooling, design trends, and free stuff.
  • CSS Tricks: E’nuff said.
  • React Status: Get your React on.
  • JavaScript Weekly: Can be a very interesting and educative time-sink.
  • FrontEnd Focus: What morphed out of the HTML5 Weekly newsletter.
  • Ruby Weekly: Maybe you are seeing a pattern here?
  • Web Tools Weekly: “Front-end development and web design newsletter with a focus on tools. Each issue features a brief tip or tutorial, followed by a weekly round-up of various apps, scripts, plugins, and other resources to help front-end developers solve problems and be more productive.”
  • MIT Technology Review - The Download (weekday newsletter): “The mission of MIT Technology Review is to bring about better-informed and more conscious decisions about technology through authoritative, influential, and trustworthy journalism.” Robotics, AI, blockchain, self-driving vehicles, ethics in tech, cybersecurity and much more. Also offer other weekly newsletters on specialized topics.
  • Web Design Weekly: R.I.P.

Best 2018 Chicago Tech Events for Students

I’ve lived in Chicago three years so here are my favorite tech meetups and recurring events in terms of my interest and availability to students in general. Most require an RSVP.