Working on a stream

@reply 2024-06-09-20-57-07

Is this good syntax for a thread?

Setting up my stream.

Seeing the OG images I generate for this blog has me thinking. If you split a blog post by paragraphs and generated PNGs, and then you stitched those into a GIF with the frame time based on text length... that would maybe be a portable / embeddable blog post? Not good for accessibility and not to replace the post, but maybe an interesting derivative.

This site is a bash build script that concats HTML together. I also put together a little start script using fzf that has some common task options new_post / build / commit. I really like the feel of the starting bash script - it makes it feel like writing in this blog is its own little dedicated computer program.

The source for this one is viewable on github.

I think I'm going to try a new blog concept (a continuation of the thread-focused blog idea), that combines what I do on feed.

Building a general purpose image uploader.

Thinking about things that make you see the world around you differently: ARGs, birding, mushroom hunting, simulating physical phenomena in code, drawing.

I was listening to the Egglant podcast interview with the Animal Well maker and they mentioned "secrets in plain sight" in the game and compared it to ARGs, where your street becomes something new/different to you because there is a geocache (or pokemon station there).

That made me think about a tweet I saw yesterday from Jer Thorp about how birding helps you to see more details around you. Someone else mentioned taking up mushroom hunting had a similar effect.

What if I made a blog like this blog but also more like Twitter. Where I could make little posts, or I could also reply to old posts, bumping that 'thread' of posts to the top. But (like Twitter) it would show the update, with an indication and ability to click through to see the full thread.

That seems kind of cool? Like it'd be good for long-running thoughts I keep returning to and also for WIP posts...

Maybe structuring stuff in the code gets weird, but it's going to be small-scale so I think I could figure something out. I think I'd just do markdown files with like a link at the top, and use the filename for the date slug like I've been doing. I would still like titles I think. But maybe that's just otional.

I would say this garden has been a relative success in terms of helping me write more. I kind of want to combine it with my feed, and maybe my homepage?

Feed would be the thing to do first I think. It's interesting trying to categorize the differences between posts. Garden is more writing based. Feed is structured around an image. Feed was designed to make sure I wasn't blocked trying to think of a title, that I could do more work-in-progress stuff. Maybe that's different now that garden is here.

Overall I want to keep things simple. But I also want to have some fun. I'm pretty confindent I can figure out ways to do what I want, and as long as I keep the file format relatively stable, markdown for garden and a common structure for feed, I think I can do it without really risking anything.

Finally got my gif setup working again in Sway. This recording featuring the pokemonsay oblique strategies.

One of the best things I had going with my old linux set up was my gif recording workflow. I had a few helper scripts connected to dmenu (and then I think rofi and fzf), where I could record the screen and then convert into gif. It was still a bit janky. But it made it pretty quick to take work-in-progress clips and post to my feed.

Since I tore down my set-up and rebuilt on Ubuntu server install and Nix home-manager I haven't had a good gif set up. Tonight I think I got it fixed up though I'm sure I will continue to tinker.

The bulk of what makes it work is in gif.sh. The majority of which is from this comment by IntelligentPerson_ on Reddit. Slightly modified to fit with keyboard shortcuts. It's even got nice little notifications.

Prototypes should look like prototypes

Prototypes shouldn't look too nice. They should look like a work-in-progress. They should show their joints.

This keeps discussion at the right level of abstraction. You want to be talking about the capability, not the color scheme.

I've always liked building systems where the joints are visible: legos, Minecraft. Lately I've been thinking about the process of learning how to find the joints in systems where they're less visible. Of 'carving at the joints'.

The concept

Apparently Plato talked about "carving nature at the joints". I think my recent reference is the show Delicious in Dungeon, where they explain how to cut and prepare dungeon monsters into unlikely meals. The show has a lot of fun with the instructions reveal, where something that looks inedible is made appetizing through a precise set of steps.

Image to link map test. From: https://gemini-spatial-example.grantcuster.com/

Through work, I've been playing with the Gemini model's ability to return bounding boxes for an image. I think I want to try and use it to make some sort of image (sketch or photo) to website generator. Maybe leaning into skeuommorphism of like a photo of a physical desktop that contains all the links to my projects as items on the desk.

A very sketchy proof of concept

Here's a brainstorm:

Through work, I've been playing with the Gemini model's ability to return bounding boxes for an image. I think I want to try and use it to make some sort of image (sketch or photo) to website generator. Maybe leaning into skeuommorphism of like a photo of a physical desktop that contains all the links to my projects as items on the desk.

A very sketchy proof of concept

Here's a brainstorm:

I'm not sure if it was from reflashing the keyboard firmware or resetting the computer software but it's working now. It is nice. I'm not sure what lesson to take from this.

Am I writing too many posts now? Still getting a feel for this thing. It is fun the ways different writing environments seep into the writing.

I'm having trouble pairing my wireless keyboard with my mini PC. I keep trying new things and searching the proglem in different combos.

My current theory is maybe the bluetooth driver isn't up to date enough? But I think it actually may be.

The haunting thing is maybe it's just a bad state issue, and if I reset the right thing (firmware on the keyboard, bluetooth status on the keyboard) it will be all fixed up.

Trying to keep up the habit of quick writing in here. Now morning writing from the couch, the dog beside me, the baby exploring a cardboard box. A nice spring-like morning.

Did some organizing syncing the setups yesterday. Still liking the Ubuntu + Nix configuration. Getting better and faster about keeping it up to date across the laptop and the mini PC. The server's a bit behind.

For the glassese set-up I got audio and bluetooth working yesterday, so I think everything I wanted to do with that thing is proved out. I ordered a cross-body bag that I hope will fit everything well. Porch use has been good so far, interested in trying a commute with it. The battery pack has been working well, I'm surprised how much having an exact percent readout, rather than something like 4 lights, helps me feel secure about power draw.

Hopefully the first of many posts written while sitting on the porch. This is the first one I've got set up with the AR glasses.

It was cool earlier when the light meant I could see more of the background, so it felt like a floating transparent screen. Now it's darker and the screen is less transparent.

I'll do a bigger post on the set up later, but I can list out briefly what I have going: