Bilingual

Here we go
16 hours ago
- Author's old Hugo blog broke after a Hugo update, prompting a decision to build a simple blogging platform.
- Static site generators like Hugo have UX issues: writing in code editors, publishing via git, and lack of easy image uploads.
- Ghost and WordPress are problematic: Ghost is too commercial, WordPress is intimidating.
- Small platforms like Bear, Pika, and Mataroa are almost perfect, but the author wants to build a custom platform.
- New platform named Exotext focuses on simplicity, beautiful design, speed (<0.5s), old web UX, portability, community features, an online markdown editor with image uploads, and RSS.
- Finding a good markdown editor is difficult; TinyMDE is used but lacks undo functionality.
I wish your bespoke React-Tailwind-etc static site generator had RSS
16 hours ago
- Many blogs lack RSS feeds, especially those built with modern frontend stacks by passionate programmers.
- Adding RSS to a custom static site generator is straightforward, as it's similar to HTML generation.
- Common RSS issues include missing meta tags for automatic discovery, invalid XML, mismatched content, and lacking permanent IDs.
- Standard blogging platforms like WordPress, Ghost, and newsletter platforms (Substack, Buttondown) generally provide working RSS.
- Static site generators like Jekyll and Hugo usually include RSS, but customization can lead to problems.
A Year of Writing for Myself (That 230,000+ People Read)
16 hours ago
- Started a blog a year ago to organize thoughts on management and engineering with modest expectations.
- Received over 230,000 unique visitors in the first year, much more than anticipated.
- Viral posts included 'The Hidden Cost of AI Coding' and 'Stop Avoiding Politics', both hitting #1 on Hacker News.
- Favorite personal posts highlighted topics like seniority, strengths vs weaknesses, influential CS papers, and workplace politics.
- Realized the blog fills a gap in content about the human side of engineering, soft skills, and interpersonal dynamics.
- Writes mostly for personal organization but is grateful for the positive impact on readers.
<antirez>
16 hours ago
- The author's blog writing process involves two steps: thinking about topics for weeks or months, then writing and publishing in 30 minutes without much concern for form.
- Blogging is prioritized to be quick (under 30-60 minutes) to avoid abandoning it, leading to poorly written English posts due to limited vocabulary, grammar errors, and Italian-influenced sentence construction.
- For a post on LLMs and programming, the author tried writing in Italian and translating to English with GPT-4, resulting in a better post with a personal voice, comparable time, and detection as human-written.
- The author is uncertain about future blogging methods, fearing loss of English writing confidence, but notes their true voice may emerge in translated posts using their full native lexical ability.
- The choice available in 2024 evokes both hope for human possibilities with talking machines and fear that AI may discourage hard tasks like learning new languages.
Blog about things you don't understand yet
16 hours ago
- The author writes about topics they don't fully understand as a method to learn more through research and writing.
- Every blog post argues a specific, controversial point, which forces deeper thinking and research.
- Structured writing (like arguing a point) is easier than unstructured self-expression because it narrows choices.
- Writing helps clarify thinking; the author often changes their mind and improves conclusions during the process.
- Blogging about unfamiliar topics is acceptable because beginners can explain concepts more clearly than experts.
- Public consensus on topics can be wrong, and even basic research can offer valuable corrections.
- Feedback, whether from readers or LLMs, is essential, though thick skin is needed for public criticism.
- The author recommends blogging as a tool for clearer thinking, and suggests signs of effective writing: changing your mind and improving your conclusion.
- Private blogging with AI feedback is also beneficial for learning.

blogging

Here we go

I wish your bespoke React-Tailwind-etc static site generator had RSS

A Year of Writing for Myself (That 230,000+ People Read)

<antirez>

Blog about things you don't understand yet