I Stopped Writing My Daily Standup from Memory
How I use Hermes, Obsidian, and Claude Code session history to draft a better daily standup from the work trail I already leave behind.
$ grep -ri "*" ~/blog
137 posts
Meet Lewis and Lenny — My AI Coworkers
People say Claude does everything OpenClaw does. I disagree. Here's how my OpenClaw agents became the most reliable coworkers I've ever had.
AI
Tools
How I Built an Autonomous QA Pipeline with AI Agents on a Mac Mini
I set up AI agents to find bugs, fix them, and deploy to production — all running autonomously on a Mac Mini at home. Here's how the pipeline works.
AI
Development
DevOps
My Playbook for Building an App with AI
A step-by-step checklist I follow when building a new app with AI — from design mockups to deployment to getting found on Google.
AI
Development
One Week with OpenClaw — A Claude Code User's Perspective
I was skeptical about OpenClaw. As a heavy Claude Code user, why add a middle-man? After one week, I get it now.
AI
Tools
Laziness Is My Superpower!
Why the right kind of laziness makes you a better developer. Strategic laziness isn't about avoiding work—it's about finding the path of least resistance to get results.
productivity
Introducing WebhookSpy: A Free Webhook Testing Tool Built with AI
How I built WebhookSpy, a free webhook testing tool, in just a few hours using OpenAI Codex and Claude. From frustration with existing tools to a fully deployed solution.
AI
Projects
SaaS
Upscaling Images with AI Tools
How I used AI tools to upscale and enhance a historical image for printing an 8x10 photo for Thanksgiving decor.
AI
Images
Use AI to Write Your Git Commit Messages
Discover how to leverage AI to generate informative git commit messages automatically. Learn to implement a bash script that uses OpenAI's GPT-4 to create consistent, detailed commit messages, saving time and improving your project's documentation.
Git
AI
DevOps
Productivity
Automation
OpenAI
Bash
My Software Easter Eggs
A developer's tale of implementing humorous easter eggs in a professional video clipping tool, featuring Konami code and a snarky Clippy revival.
humor
JavaScript
yada
From Gatsby to 11ty
A brief overview of moving my blog from Gatsby to 11ty, highlighting the simplicity and speed of 11ty compared to Gatsby.
11ty
Gatsby
JavaScript
UtahJS Conference 2024 Review
Explore key insights from UtahJS Conference 2024, including React Server Components, vanilla JS web components, DevOps with GitHub Actions, AI-powered features, and real-time hypermedia. Discover cutting-edge tools and techniques shared by industry experts to enhance your JavaScript development skills.
JavaScript
TypeScript
Resizing Classic Art for the Samsung Frame TV Without the Mat
A guide to using a custom script to resize and crop images for perfect display on a Samsung Frame TV.
automation
bash
cli
Markdown to PDF Magic: Create a One-Command Converter for macOS
Learn how to streamline your documentation workflow by building a custom script that transforms Markdown files into professionally formatted PDFs with a single command. This step-by-step guide covers everything from installing prerequisites to creating and using your own mdtopdf tool on macOS.
automation
MacOS
cli
bash
PDF
Automate sending images via text with Mac OS Messages
How I sent out images to 80 phone numbers in 12 minutes with Mac OS Messages
automation
MacOS
cli
bash
156 Books in 156 Weeks
Highlights of some of my favorite books that I read in 2023
books
Get Latest Python Package Version
Discover how to quickly determine the latest version of any Python package using the pip command. Use my script to quickly get the text you need to paste into your requirements file.
Python
cli
bash
Adding Note Margins to a PDF File
Learn how to effortlessly add note margins to PDF files for an enhanced note-taking experience on apps like Notability and GoodNotes.
PDF
Python
UtahJS 2023 Conference Review
A review of the 2023 UtahJS conference - summaries of the talks attended including caching strategies, codemods, SvelteKit, debugging, the importance of side projects, and key takeaways.
JavaScript
TypeScript
Building a Backyard Shed
I bought a Sturdy-Built shed kit. Below are photos of the build process.
DIY
AutoSavvy / AutoSource - Save Yourself the Stress and Money
I've purchased 3 cars from AutoSource / AutoSavvy and it has been the most frustrating and most expensive car buying experience ever. Save yourself!
Rants
52 Books in 52 Weeks
What I learned from reading/listening to 1 book per week.
audiobooks
goals
Docker-Compose Overwriting Dockerfile Data
How to keep docker-compose volumes from overwriting container data.
Docker
Create Your Own Dynamic DNS Service
Don't pay for an expensive service when you can code it yourself in two lines.
DNS
automation
Batching to Reduce Downtime
Adjusting the flow of your process can make good routines better.
automation
Updating LetsEncrypt SSL Cert Remotely
When you can't get things to run properly on your server, do it on your dev machine!
Docker
Nginx
hosting
PNG to ICNS Conversion Script and MacOS Automation
There are no special tools required to convert a PNG file to and ICNS file. Just use this simple script.
MacOS
Images
Automation
POC Use KeyCloak JWT to Authorize Hasura Queries
Proof-of-concept to use a JWT generated by KeyCloak to authorize queries in Hasura.
SideHustle
KeyCloak
Hasura
POC Authenticate with KeyCloak and Get JWT
First proof-of-concept - register and authenticate user and get valid token.
SideHustle
KeyCloak
User Authentication
What led to our decision to use KeyCloak over other available options
SideHustle
KeyCloak
Starting a New Side Hustle Startup
Follow me on a journey to create a new side hustle startup with some friends.
SideHustle
Missouri/Nauvoo Church History Tour
We took our 18 year old daughter on a tour of church history sites. This is my travel log.
travel
Stop Being Late for Virtual Meetings
Tampermonkey script that completely interrupts your workflow to remind you of meetings.
JavaScript
Tampermonkey
Scripting MacOS Configuration
Tips for scripting your mac setup.
MacOS
cli
bash
More Robust Virtual Note Taking
Using Notability or Goodnotes to enhance your study and note-taking on a digital device.
iOS
tips
Disney World 2021
My experience and recommendations for the Happiest Place on Earth
Disney
Family
Vacation
Starting Front-End and Back-End Scripts at the Same Time
When you need to start a backend and transpile your front-end code for development purposes, here is a handy script to do both at the same time.
Django
Python
bash
JavaScript
Aurelia
How to Convert an eBook to an Audiobook
Use text-to-speech and FFmpeg to generate an audiobook from an eBook on MacOS.
audiobooks
Python
MacOS
automation
Goodbye LastPass, Hello Bitwarden
LastPass is a great tool, but I've found a solution I like more.
Synology
JAMstacks - Gatsby & 11ty
After spending a month migrating two WordPress sites to Gatsby and 11ty, here are a few of my thoughts.
JavaScript
Django
Gatsby
11ty
Wildcard Let's Encrypt SSL Cert on Synology NAS
How to set up a wildcard cert and auto-renew on Synology NAS
Synology
How to Create a Debt Snowball Spreadsheet
Watch my 16 minute tutorial on how to create a "living" debt snowball tracker
finance
Goodbye WordPress
I've moved my blog from WordPress to Gatsby. Here's the WHY and HOW.
MacOS
Gatsby
Google Meet - On Air Light Automation
Learn how to automate your desk lamp to turn on during virtual meetings, enhancing your work-from-home setup and improving communication with family members. This step-by-step guide covers the process and benefits of creating an 'On Air' light for Google Meet and other video conferencing platforms
automation
bash
work from home
Rebecca Roll'd
You've been Rick Roll'd, but have you been Rebecca Roll'd?
humor
Dustin
Tools We Use to Keep Our Kids Safe with Technology
We utilize every tool we can think of to keep our kids safe - both physically and mentally - when it comes to using cell phones, internet, television, and other technology.
Family
Running Portainer on Synology
Portainer offers more features and control over docker containers. Here are two simple steps to get it up and running on your Synology NAS
Synology
Docker
Audible to Plex
How and why I migrated all my Audible audiobooks to my Plex server and how I consume them.
Plex
audiobooks
Keep Webmin Running
A simple bash script to check if services are running and start them if not.
Apache
bash
cron
MySQL
Virtualmin
Webmin
Convert Audio Clip to Ringtone - Mac Automation
How turn MP3 files into ringtones with a simple right-click command on MacOS
audio
Weight Loss Advice from a Dietician/Nutritionist
Some notes and learnings from visiting with a nutritionist
health
Building Your Own Website on a Budget in 2017
The tools I would use to build a personal website in 2017
WordPress
Real-World Examples of Aurelia's Compose Tag
Let me show you a few examples of how we use the <compose> tag
Aurelia
Aurelia - Sharing Data Between Components
Using dependency injection to share data between components.
Aurelia
JavaScript
Observing Arrays in Aurelia
If you're struggling to observe array data changes in Aurelia, check out these code snippets.
Aurelia
Aurelia Replaceable Parts & HTML Only Templates
When you need dynamic content in a slot, you really need a replaceable part.
Aurelia
Internet Pause Button with DD-WRT
How to set up DD-WRT on a Nighthawk router to allow you to pause your home wifi from your phone.
Family
Daily Passwords for Kids' Computer
How I change the logins everyday on the computer to make sure they get their jobs done before zoning out on the computer.
Family
MacOS
Python
Aurelia Accordion Component From Scratch
How to build a simple accordion component in Aurelia
Aurelia
JavaScript
Why Aurelia over Angular, React, Ember or Meteor
After looking at the path of migrating from AngularJS to Angular 2, I'm changing lanes.
Aurelia
JavaScript
Right Click Folder & Create ISO in OSX
How to set up a right-click menu option to create an ISO file from a folder.
automation
MacOS
Using Gmail for Support
How and why I prefer to simply use Gmail for customer support.
Gmail
support
Top 8 ng-shirts
My favorite shirts from ng-conf (AngularJS) ranked.
AngularJS
ng-conf Advanced Workshop Review
Summary of my experience with ng-conf workshops
AngularJS
How to Create Lego Logo Inspired Text in Illustrator
Quick and simple tutorial for creating Lego type fonts.
tutorials
Setting up a Signed SSL Certificate on Nginx
How to add an SSL to a website running on nginx
Nginx
Essentialism Book Review
My review of the highly-touted book, Essentialism
books
2014 Year In Review
A look back at all things 2014, and goals for 2015
Dustin
Family
Quick Recurring Payments with Stripe & Checkout
How to quickly set up a recurring payment page with PHP and Stripe
PHP
Setting up OpenSprinkler
How I set up OpenSprinkler
automation
Productivity Tools & Processes
Some new productivity ideas and tools I want to try
productivity
Django Pluralize Outside of Templates
How to use the pluralize filter directly in python
Python
Django
Sync Personal Docs on Kindle for Mac
How to get your personal documents into Kindle
tips
MemcachedKeyLengthError: Key length is > 250
Fixing a recurring problem with Django's built-in cache page decorator
Python
Django
Refactoring to Save 4805 Lines of Code
Using Python magic to save a lot of lines of code.
Python
Django
Python Twisted IRC Bot: Lazy Coder
IRC Bot that responds to the word "why" with lazy coder responses
Python
SSH Tunnel in pgAdmin3 for PostgreSQL
How to create an SSH tunnel to pgAdmin for PostgreSQL for a graphical experience on a remote server
PostgreSQL
Django MONTH_CHOICES
Short tip on getting month choices from django.contrib
Django
Setting up a Django Server with PostgreSQL, Nginx, Celery & RabbitMQ
Step-by-step guide to setting up a Django server with all the works.
Django
Nginx
PostgreSQL
Python, Django & the Google Adsense API
How to talk to the Google Adsense API with Django/Python
Django
Python
Django Textile/Markdown Template Caching Speedup
Speeding up a Django site by transforming text during database saves.
Django
Setting Up Your Own Sentry Server
Short tutorial on how to set up your own self-hosted Sentry server.
Django
DigitalOcean, Heroku, Linode & Webfaction: Hosting Showdown
I tried out four different web hosts to determine where I want to host my next site.
hosting
The Tools I Use
Some of my favorite apps and websites
Dustin
Django Custom Upload Handler to Compress Image Files
How to compress images when they are saved in a Django application.
Django
What Every High School Student Should Know About Computing
What I would teach beginning computer students
opinions
How I Cured My RSI & Back Pain
I considered changing careers because of years of wrist pain. Now I'm pain-free after learning about the mindbody connection.
mindbody
Replacing Myself
My plan to hire someone to help with my business
freelance
Phurlite: Simple PHP SQLite URL Shortener
A simple URL shortener contained in one PHP file and .htaccess file for Apache with support for Tweetbot
PHP
How to Reset a Django Admin Password
The most efficient way to change your admin password on a Django site.
Django
Herniated L5-S1 Disc
How I herniated a disc in my back and what I am doing to cope and recover.
health
Setting Up a ZNC IRC Bouncer
How to stay logged in to IRC and connect on different machines
bash
Audio Books!
Let me share my love of audiobooks!
audiobooks
My Django Dev Environment: Virtualenv, pip, git, & PyCharm
How I use virtualenv and pip to manager my python dependencies per project
Django
How Sports Improves Programmer Focus
I played a lot of sports as a teenager and it has helped me focus as a programmer.
opinions
Django Color Theme for PyCharm
Django green theme for PyCharm
Django
Python IRC Bot Using Twisted (Rollbot)
A simple IRC bot that will show the page titles of links posted
Python
Top 10 Productivity Tips
Everyone has their productivity hacks. Let me share mine with you.
humor
The Problem with Buying Templates
Scan your html carefully when you buy a template.
HTML
Django smart_unicode
Use Django's `smart_unicode` function to solve unicode errors
Django
jQuery UI Dialog: OK click on Enter key
Simple jQuery snippet to close a dialog box on enter
JavaScript
SVN to Git
How to migrate a subversion repo to Git
git
Budgeting a Trip to Disneyland
How to plan a trip to Disneyland on a budget (circa 2011)
Family
finance
PHP, Python & Django
Why I'm moving from PHP to Django (instead of Ruby on Rails)
PHP
Python
Django
77 Things I Did in 2010
2010 was a busy and memorable year for me.
Dustin
Implementing a Forgot Password Feature on a Django Site
Everyone forgets their password, help customers get it back.
Django
Mobile App on Subdomain with Django
Using an alternate settings file for a mobile version of my site.
Django
Django: ProgrammingError: Can't Adapt
An error I got often while learning Python and the simple fix.
Django
Copy Model Object in Django
How to copy a database record in Django
Django
Why The Cash Envelope System Didn't Work for Us
The cash envelope system is not for everyone
Family
finance
Django cron on Webfaction
How to adjust the python path to run Django scripts in cron
Django
Use Google Earth to Track Your Mileage
How to use Google Earth to track distance
tips
Django: Filter Model on Date Range
A generic filter function to filter query results by data ranges
Django
Django & Djson… er, JSON
Converting a DB object to JSON format
Django
Webfaction Review
Why I love Webfaction so much as a Django developer
Django
Simple PHP Pluralize
A simple function for pluralizing strings in PHP
PHP
Django: Login Form on Every Page
How to include a login form on every page of a Django app
Django
Python
Django: Filtering a ModelForm field
How to filter a ModelForm by foreign key in Django
Django
Download POP3/IMAP Email Attachments with PHP
How to download email attachments via PHP
PHP
Webfaction Limited Review
A quick review of Webfaction hosting
hosting
Django Tip: get_FIELD_display()
Magic template functions in Django
Django
Dynamic Filtered Drop-Down Choice Fields With Django
How to filter the options of a <select> component based on the selection of another <select> component.
Django
ajax
Django Accounts on Subdomains
How to create a Django app where each user account gets their own subdomain
Django
Django Model Style Guide
The preferred order of Model classes and methods
Django
Remember TRBL
The TROUBLE remembering the order of things in CSS
CSS
Update Windows Path Without Rebooting
Updating the PATH environment variable without rebooting in Windows
Windows
Rails Creator Praises PHP
Ruby on Rails creator, DHH gives a little praise to PHP
PHP
Restoring MySQL InnoDB Files on Windows
How I escaped disaster by restoring a MySQL database
MySQL
Paint.net Trim Function
How to trim an image like you would in Photoshop
images
The Naartjie
What is a naartjie and where did it come from?
yada
Fun With Hot Linking
How to swap out images if other sites are using them on their site.
Apache
Gmail Addresses Ignore Dots
Gmail ignores periods in your email address. This can be good and bad.
Gmail
Bedbugs & Beetles, or Skeeters?...
Old song from 2nd grade that sits in my head...
humor
HTML Files Parsed Through PHP
How to pass .html files through the PHP parser with Apache
PHP
Apache
Thank You Andy!
The miracle product that removed the ballpoint pen ink from our new sofa
Family
PHP Templating
Templating can be very simple with PHP, no other frameworks needed for basic templates.
PHP
Welcome me!
My first blog post ever. Jan 18, 2005
Dustin