Category: Tools

Things nerds commonly have, but I don’t

Posted on by Morgan

Inspiration: https://forkingmad.blog/things-people-commonly-have-but-i-dont/

In a conversation recently with a colleague I casually mentioned I didn't have something. He was shocked... "but how then do you..." was the response.

So here's my list of don't haves

  • Spotify account. I have CDs and I've bought a CD player from KLIM. I just find the CD to be a very nice looking and collectible object, pleasant to listen to. Also I feel it's mine, and I like the creative goodies and packaging that you don't have with a digital copy of an album.
  • A NAS. I don't need a NAS to backup pictures or stream videos through Plex. I have a VPS where I run a Cloudron which hosts most of my web apps, one is for sharing my family pictures. And I also use Syncthing, and Dropbox to keep my photos in sync and backed up in several places. And next to that I use Plex but I just don't host it on my infra, I pay a provider for their generous bandwidth and for the fact they take care of streaming my content through Plex. It's so fluid. I couldn't and wouldn't maintain this at home.
  • A gaming machine nor a gaming chair. Seriously I do not see the point, because I consider most games do not require super advanced graphics or material to be fun. In fact I love minimalistic games with pixellated art. I'm old and also feel nostalgic of specific games that are all forgotten now. Anyway I'm developing the best game ever, which is the only one I play. More about this soon, when I'll buy the domain for the website, after I decide on a name.
  • A mechanical keyboard. Seriously, what's the deal is with those noisy expensive impractical keyboards.
  • A 3D Printer. Seriously, this is so cool to possess one, I just don't have the space for this now. Maybe when I'll have my own space in our future home.
  • A VPN. Sure it sounds secure but it's just someone else glorified proxy, and it's vulnerable to authority requiring logs or to any part getting compromised. You have to blindly and naively trust the VPN and people behind it to not disclose your information when their company will be required to by the authority. If different contexts I use them, i.e at work, of course, wherever it's mandatory.


Prompting tips for maintenance tasks – Part 2

Posted on by Morgan

This blog is also a living document for myself so I can improve and reference this working pattern in the future.

Model selection

If using ChatGPT for coding tasks, especially maintenance tasks, opt for o1, other models are crap and will hallucinate or forget more of the original code.

Avoiding regressions

If the goal is to alter existing code, ChatGPT risks breaking existing code by removing as part of the end result, a good prompt is something like below, to reduce the amount of feedback loop and future debugging. This is the prompt I use when I want to optimize for retro-compatibility and avoid too much diff between old and new code.

[SPEC, aka insert-here your own description of your problem to be solved by ChatGPT/LLM, with instructions, followed by the text below]

Here is the code to be modified. I want the complete code as the final result, with the same number of functions as in the original.

Show me the final file with the modifications.
Do not omit code for brevity, keep untouched code same as before, with no new comments and no change to existing code styling, syntax, indentation and comments.

[CODE, aka Insert here the original code to be maintained/modified/debugged by the LLM]

When ChatGPT is done with the code generation, I output the original and newer versions of the code in something like my favorite diff viewer for code changes, or something like https://www.diffchecker.com/text-compare/, and I review the differences. When it seems good, I test, then I commit.

See also

A daily RSS summary for indieblog.page

Posted on by Morgan

As a gift to the community of content curators and RSS addicts, here is a simple script to generate a daily summary of all indie blogs visible in indieblog.page, because their RSS feeds only expose a few random posts while my FOMO obligates me to try to get them all 😅.

The script that resulted from my obsession is half cooked thanks to some LLM and is adapted to my needs so I'm excluding blog posts based on language or keywords in the title, feel free to adapt to your needs. So I encourage you to adapt the script to your need. And if not, just subscribe to the feed URL below.

Links

Demo

And here is a preview of what it looks like:

Hope it helps

Alternatives

Posted on by Morgan

In the recent years, as I feel powerless facing the enshittification in mainstream tech and social media, I've opted for alternatives to many of my previous favorite digital places and tools, namely:

  • Audible ➡ AudioBookShelf (or Plappa on iOs), alternatively Jellyfin (also supported by AudioBookShelf).
  • Google search engine ➡ DuckDuckGo.
  • Chrome browser ➡ Brave.
  • Google Calendar ➡ Fastmail.
  • Gmail ➡ Fastmail.
  • Google Tasks ➡ TickTick.
  • Google Office ➡ Obsidian.
  • Google Reader ➡ InoReader ➡ FreshRSS ➡ Miniflux.
  • Google Authenticator ➡ Aegis and Vaultwarden.
  • Google Play Store ➡ F-Droid, Aurora Store.
  • YouTube ➡ SkyTube (Android).
  • Browser* Passwords Manager ➡ Vaultwarden.
  • Trello ➡ Google Tasks ➡ TickTick.
  • Spotify ➡ Navidrome, Seeker (Soulseek client), DSub (Navidrome client), AntennaPod (Podcasts).
  • WordPress ➡ After looking for SSGs, I'll likely go raw HTML/CSS.
  • Wallabag ➡ Shaarli and with my own tool, Tapas.
  • InvoiceNinja ➡ Replacing with my own invoicing software.
  • Netflix, Amazon Prime Video ➡ Plex.
  • Windows ➡ Linux, MacOS.
  • GitHub ➡ Gitea.
  • LinkedIn ➡ Account closed, didn't attempt alternatives.
  • Facebook ➡ Account closed. Attempted Mastodon, didn't like it.
  • Instagram ➡ Account closed. Attempted Pixelfed, but it's too buggy.
  • WhatsApp ➡ I use it mostly because everyone is on it, but I use Signal instead ideally.
  • SensCritique ➡ Account closed due to their authoritarian moderators.
  • Lobste.rs ➡ Account closed due to their elitist culture.
  • Twitter ➡ Account closed due to their enshittification. Attempted Mastodon, didn't like it.
  • OVH ➡ Account closed. Hostinger.
  • Docker Hub ➡ Docker Registry self hosted.
  • Dropbox, iCloud ➡ Replacing some of it with Syncthing.
  • Zerobin ➡ Privatebin.
  • Most Newsletters ➡ Kill the Newsletter! + Miniflux, alternatively Changedetection.
  • Last.FM ➡ ListenBrainz / MusicBrainz.

This is an ongoing list and non exhaustive, plus it's only about my digital life. I have a lot to say about work and housing as well. Opting for alternatives has also expanded my technical knowledge and independence (see also https://sive.rs/ti).

The main lesson: diversify, stay in control of your life, stay curious and choose freedom, privacy and security over convenience.

Soulless code

Posted on by Morgan

Code isn’t just a tool—it’s a reflection of the coder’s mind, a part of their soul turned into logic. When I write code, it becomes mine. I take care of it, I understand it, I think about it. Even when I stop working, the code stays with me, like a thought I can’t let go. It feels alive, like something I’ve created, something that matters.

But when the code comes from an LLM or someone else, it’s different. I might use it, but I don’t really make it mine. I don’t take the time to fully understand it. I let others—or the machine—do the hard work. And often, it feels easier to just start over or forget it.

This kind of code feels distant, like it has no home. It’s less work for me, and that can feel good, like letting go of something heavy. But at the same time, it feels empty—like something is missing.

Maybe when we stop owning our code, we lose more than just control. Maybe we lose a piece of what makes coding human.

// Functionally correct. Morally bankrupt.  
// Just like the rest of us.