{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "computers on Cliff538 ", "icon": "https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2026/38/1700855.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://cliff538.com/", "feed_url": "https://cliff538.com/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/10/16/learning-docker-immich-audiobookshelf.html", "title": "Learning Docker - Immich \u0026 AudioBookShelf", "content_html": "

Thanks to @jasper@dystopianpresent.club for a great Docker intro and for sending me some files to learn from. I learned the basics and got Immich running on my Mac Studio to see if I want to stick with it. The jury’s still out. My Mac Mini server doesn’t have enough drive space, and my NAS is old and underpowered.

\n

Next, I went looking for something I could actually use and found Audiobookshelf. My first big project was getting the Audiobookshelf server running in Docker on my Mac Mini.

\n

So far, so good. I have 209 audiobooks on the server, and I listen through a third-party iPhone app, AudioBooth. The official Audiobookshelf iOS app is still a TestFlight beta (and the beta is full, by the way), but I’ve tried two third-party apps, AudioBooth and ShelfPlayer, and both are very polished. Away from home, I reach the server over Tailscale for security.

\n

Docker keeps each app in its own compartment with its own software. That mattered here: Audiobookshelf needs Node 24, but the other apps on my Mini are pinned to Node 22. In Docker, Audiobookshelf brings its own Node without touching anything else. Audiobookshelf also has no official Mac version. On a Mac, Docker Desktop runs a small Linux virtual machine in the background, and Linux apps like Audiobookshelf run inside it. Think of a container as a sealed box holding one app and everything it needs. My books stay in a normal folder on the Mini that the container can see, so they’re safe even if I delete the container and start over.

\n

I used VS Code, which made it easy to see my files and work on the command line in one place. Microsoft’s Container Tools extension adds a handy view of your containers and images.

\n

The command line is good for building skills, but if that’s too much, the Docker Desktop app makes it easy to see what’s running and to start and stop things. It helped me understand which services were running. On a Mac, you still need Docker Desktop (or an alternative like OrbStack) installed and running, since it’s the engine, if you will. After that, you don’t have to open it.

\n

A few basic commands, run in the folder with your compose file, will get you started:

\n\n

There are plenty of great places to find images and apps to learn with:

\n

Docker Hub

\n

LinuxServer.io

\n

Awesome-Selfhosted (a giant list of self-hosted apps)

\n

If you get stuck, you can always ask your favorite LLM to help you understand something. Full disclosure: I needed plenty of help understanding why things worked the way they did. LLMs can be great teachers, and they never get tired of stupid questions. For example, when I first tried to start Immich, docker compose up kept failing with errors I didn’t understand. It turned out GitHub’s image server had briefly refused one of the downloads (“too many requests”), so Docker canceled the others and then couldn’t start containers without their images. Running docker compose pull first, then docker compose up, worked fine. Little problems like that can derail you, and understanding why they happened is how you learn. Ask the LLM to explain, not just to do it for you. And if you’d rather not use AI, there’s always Reddit and the Docker forums.

\n

I want to keep learning Docker, and I’m starting to think I need a Linux server, LOL. You know, in the interest of learning…

\n

A few courses I found that seem worthwhile:

\n

TechWorld with Nana - Docker Crash Course for Absolute Beginners

\n

NetworkChuck - Docker Compose will BLOW your MIND!!

\n

Docker’s official Get Started tutorial - this has been the most helpful for my project.

\n

Notes:

\n\n", "date_published": "2026-10-16T15:36:39-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/10/16/learning-docker-immich-audiobookshelf.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/04/28/denoise-lightroom-vs-dxo-pureraw.html", "title": "Denoise: LightRoom vs DxO PureRAW 5 ", "content_html": "

A quick down-and-dirty comparison between LR and DxO denoise. There is a very clear winner here.

\n

I was doing a fair amount of low-light shooting with my OM-1 Mark II, and the noise was just killing me during editing. I recently purchased DxO PureRAW 5 and haven’t really used it yet. I thought I’d do a quick comparison. Nothing scientific here, and I’m not even sure how much will show up in the screenshots below.

\n

The OM-1 is a 20.4 MP Micro Four Thirds sensor and does not handle low light very well. So noise can be a real issue at times. I’ve always just used LR denoise, and it’s been good enough, but after seeing what DxO can do, I’ll be using DxO for all serious noise issues.

\n

Here is LR denoise vs. out-of-the-camera ORF (raw): You can really see how noisy the OM-1 is in low light!

\n\"Auto-generated\n

Here is DxO denoise vs. out of the camera ORF:

\n\"Auto-generated\n

Finally, here is DxO vs. LR: I zoomed in to 200% for the best comparison.

\n\"Auto-generated\n

In Summary, I hope you can see the large differences in the screenshots. The clear, hands-down winner is DxO. I would love for Adobe to improve the denoise in LR so I could skip this extra step, but here we are. Something to look for with denoise is preservation of detail; denoise tends to soften your picture, leaving you with less detail where you may want it. DxO also did a much better job in preserving details.

\n

DxO also provided Optical Corrections: Lens Sharpness Optimization, Vignetting, Chromatic aberration, and Lens Distortion, but I did not take the time to analyze these.

\n

I’m extremely impressed with DxO’s performance. On the downsides, it takes a while to process, and it’s an extra step in your workflow, but if you have a lot of noise, it’s worth the extra time. My average processing time per picture was 17-25 seconds.

\n

I also learned that LR isn’t as bad as I thought. I’ll still use it for light noise issues, or when time is a factor, but for your good shots where you want maximum noise reduction and preservation of detail, DxO is worth every penny and your time.

\n

Whether this is worth it to you depends on the camera you are using and the conditions you are shooting in. At the time of this blog post, DxO PureRAW 6 costs $139.99 as a one-time fee. If you just post your shots to social media in low-quality JPGs, you may not even need to denoise. But if noise is an issue for you and you’ve been unhappy with the software you are using, it’s worth your time to test-drive DxO.

\n

Let’s go shoot some pictures tomorrow!

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-28T19:04:03-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/04/28/denoise-lightroom-vs-dxo-pureraw.html", "tags": ["photo","photography","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/04/18/custom-oura-ring-data-board.html", "title": "Custom Oura Ring Data Board ", "content_html": "

Poking around, I found out that Oura ring has a robust API, so I wanted to see what Claude Code could do with it. It took an afternoon of fiddling, but it seems to be a robust custom data board with about 4 years of data, that updates itself 3 times a day to a SQLite database. It runs on my Mac Mini home server.

\n

I can download my CSV data from the data board, and I also set it up to run a monthly report that makes an Apple Note for me and files it away. I had it run monthly reports for the past 4 years, and it’s an excellent way to digest sleep data.

\n

The best part is a second page on the dashboard called the Correlation Explorer, where you can see how tag data affects your sleep. You do have to remember to add tags, late meals, massage, medication, sauna, vaccinations, etc., and you can start to see what is helping and hurting your rest. You can see the evidence on my board. On this note, my wife swears that a hot shower before bed helps you fall asleep faster. That’s the next test that will be tracked with tags. We shall see.

\n

I know a lot of people don’t like A.I., but I’m still in awe of the things I can build with it. This is so far beyond my skill level. And the data analysis that I can now do is truly helping my sleep. The older I’ve gotten, the worse my sleep has been. I’ve increased my sleep by one hour per night just from the Oura ring data.

\n

I like the Oura ring app, and they have their own web view that is really nice, but being able to customize what you want to see and how is pretty neat.

\n

If you have any trouble with sleep, I highly recommend using the Oura ring for 6 months or so, using tags, and figuring out what helps and hurts your sleep.

\n\"Auto-generated\n\"Auto-generated\n

For the curious, here are some technical details.

\n

The Stack Snapshot:

\n\n

The Data Pipeline:

\n

Pulls 16 endpoints from Oura’s v2 API on a 14-day incremental window per run. Deliberately skips heartrate and interbeat_interval – those would 10x the DB for no visible dashboard benefit, and can be backfilled later if HRV analysis ever happens.

\n\n

Scheduling:

\n

launchd fires npm run ingest three times daily (8:00, 12:00, 16:00). The multiple fires exist because Oura’s detailed sleep endpoint publishes ~1–3h post-wake, so the 8am run catches the score, later runs catch the detail. A separate monthly launchd job fires on the 1st at 9:15am to produce a digest.

\n", "date_published": "2026-04-18T15:49:49-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/04/18/custom-oura-ring-data-board.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/02/27/cyberpower-ups-internal-battery-replacement.html", "title": "CyberPower UPS Internal Battery Replacement", "content_html": "

So, I’ve never done this before. I think this feature of having replaceable internal batteries is fairly new? Just wanted to make a post about the option and how easy it is.

\n

I have two UPSs in my office, one for the main desktop computer and one for the NAS. Yesterday, my main computer was off when I walked into the office. I restarted, and just a few minutes into startup, it dies again. Ugh! But I’ve seen this before, I know the drill. Unplug all peripherals, start up in safe mode, and then slowly open software and plug back in peripherals one at a time to see what is causing the issue.

\n

I couldn’t even boot up into safe mode; it just shut back off. I was thinking, this is serious, like, take it to the shop series. Turns out it was my old CyberPower UPS; it was barely alive. No warning, no beeping, no message, just was on its last leg and wouldn’t even let my computer start up.

\n

It’s like $300 to $400 bucks for a new one, I’m thinking, do I really need one? The power rarely drops off, etc. Then I remembered about battery replacement. Looked it up. Sure as heck, ordered a new lead-acid battery for $99 and replaced it. It takes removing two screws, popping off the front cover, unplugging the batteries, and sliding out the old battery to install the new one. Easy enough.

\n

Be sure to go into Settings/Energy/UPS Options/ to make sure your computer recognizes the UPS and your settings are where you want them.

\n

Back in safe waters with a good Surge protector and battery backup for the desktop.

\n

Note: I purchased an OEM battery for $99. You can get aftermarket batteries for considerably less to save even more.

\n\"Auto-generated\n\"Auto-generated\n\"Auto-generated\n\"Auto-generated\n", "date_published": "2026-02-27T15:49:48-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/02/27/cyberpower-ups-internal-battery-replacement.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/02/23/my-psion-series-a-palmtop.html", "title": "My 1993 Psion Series 3a Palmtop Computer Makes a Comeback", "content_html": "\"Auto-generated\n

Digging through some old boxes, I came across my 33 year old palmtop computer.

\n

I had forgotten all about this thing, and it flooded back some good memories. I loved this thing; I used to keep my logbook on it, write letters and spell check them, take notes, and work on spreadsheets.

\n

They were made between 1993 and 1996. It ran EPOC16, the ancestor of what became Symbian.

\n

What shocked me the most was that I put in fresh batteries, and it started right up!

\n

Now to dig in and see if I have any old files on there…

\n

Update:\nYou can still buy them refurbished.

\n

Here is the software to hook it to your computer. You’ll need two cables, listed in the software’s documentation.

\n\n

\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated\"Auto-generated

\n", "date_published": "2026-02-23T16:01:07-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/02/23/my-psion-series-a-palmtop.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/01/29/building-an-online-microblog-editor.html", "title": "Building An Online Micro.blog Editor", "content_html": "

Inspired by @numericcitizen and his editor, I set out to use Vercel and build a custom Micro.blog editor for my 3 blogs.

\n

I made a free (hobby) account at Vercel and then got to work in Claude Code. Told it what I wanted, and for the first try, it was pretty good. It took me about 4 hours working with CC to iron out all the kinks. The biggest problems were with the media folder, uploading photos, and making cross-posting work correctly. But we got through all the issues, and it is working very nicely.

\n\"Auto-generated\n

I can choose which blog to post to, and it automatically populates the media folder, cross-posting options, and categories. I can send it to MB as a draft or a post. I can save the drafts locally as a JSON file and/or download all files.

\n

Hats off to @manton for a nice API to work with, @numericcitizen for the inspiration, and Claude Code for the ease in making something like this, because it is way beyond my skill level.

\n

I put the web app behind a password-protected splash screen, since it is custom to my blogs only. I can only imagine the havoc if someone nefarious got into this. There are other security measures I can deploy as well. Vercel has been easy to use and understand. Their hobby plan seems sufficient for now. Interesting note: Vercel has its own AI agent. Once you connect your GitHub account, it can send its own pull requests. I let it send a PR for adding analytics, and it worked very well. Kind of fun to watch it all take place over on GitHub.

\n

I’m going to use this for a while and see if it sticks. It’s really not needed because there is such a nice Mac App for MB that this is not necessary, but it sure shows you the possibilities. One area where it may come in handy is on the road with just my iPad; I can use the Web App to post.

\n

I think my next project may be making an iOS app.

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-29T08:38:39-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/01/29/building-an-online-microblog-editor.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/01/28/claude-code-makes-a-cliff.html", "title": "Claude Code Makes A Cliff538 Status Board ", "content_html": "

I know, way too many posts out there about AI Agents making apps. But, in my opinion, this is what they are for. My coding skills are at a hobby level, and now I can code using English, and it’s really fast and really good.

\n

Today, “we” made an online Cliff538 Status Board web app. Not a single mistake was made; it went very smoothly. The only changes were asking whether certain APIs allowed more information to be displayed, and cosmetic changes to improve the look. I have a spare iPad on my desktop that keeps the page up and refreshing for me. Overkill, I know, but it’s a hobby. It’s damn fun.

\n

It refreshes every 30 seconds, runs locally on my Mac Mini, and is accessed using Tailscale.

\n

I love it.

\n

I can see more custom apps in my near future. This really cements the purchase of the Mac Mini as a home server; this web app running locally hardly uses any resources. “We” code locally on my office Mac and push to GitHub, then I screen share into the mini and have it download changes from GitHub. It’s a very nice system.

\n

I will soon investigate Vercel as an option for a VPS.

\n

Lately, another good use for Claude/ChatGPT has been to upload my HTML and CSS files for cleanup, commenting, adding a nice Table of Contents, etc. It makes me feel better to have my personal blog web pages neat and organized.

\n

Well, that’s it until the next web app or, hopefully, an iPhone app soon. I’ve taken many courses on iOS apps and Swift, and it never clicked for me; it’s a very hard language. I much more enjoy Python, HTML, CSS, and some JS. Excited to see how Claude and I work together on that.

\n

It’s been a wonderful day futzing with this.

\n

I can’t have you check out the live web app because it’s not on the internet, just on my Tailscale Network, but here is a screenshot:

\n\"Auto-generated\n", "date_published": "2026-01-28T14:29:36-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/01/28/claude-code-makes-a-cliff.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/01/06/excellent-information-about-safe-mode.html", "content_html": "

Excellent information about Safe Mode for Mac users, including what it is and when to use it.

\n

Howard’s website is a wealth of information and apps for understanding and diagnosing your Mac. Plus some great Art History lessons as well.

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-06T14:00:07-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/01/06/excellent-information-about-safe-mode.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/01/02/ive-had-it-every-time.html", "content_html": "

I’ve had it! Every time I take them out to use them… I’m ready to turn in my AirPods and look for something new. 🤬

\n

This happens all the time. They are brand new, so it’s not a cleaning issue. This happened with my last set of AirPods as well.

\n

The only saving grace is that they charge fast…

\n\"Auto-generated\n", "date_published": "2026-01-02T17:25:39-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/01/02/ive-had-it-every-time.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2026/01/01/working-with-hugo-and-your.html", "title": "Working with Hugo and your MicroBlog Locally", "content_html": "

Working with Hugo and your MicroBlog Locally with Claude Code for Testing and Learning

\n

There was some discussion about learning Hugo and making your own Theme for your Micro.blog. I’d love to do this as well and thought I would dive in and share the progress I’ve made so far.

\n

I will strive to update this post with my learning Hugo journey. If it turns into something more, I may make it a dedicated Page on my blog instead of a Post.

\n

Note: I’m a hobbyist programmer with 2 years of college programming in C++ and many online classes with Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I’ve produced one fully functioning Python web app where pilots could drop their logbook of flying for the year, and it would generate a map of all their travels. I’ll note that was before any A.I., so it was hard-won with lots of research and studying!

\n

I’ve taken long breaks from my programming hobby, which means I forget a lot of what I’ve learned and have to start over.

\n

All that to say, I don’t know much, just enough to be dangerous. Use anything I say with caution. My technical terms will probably be wrong, and my approach will probably be the hardest or the worst, or both!

\n

This will not be an exact step-by-step guide, but it will be enough to get you going with one way to do things. As you will see, Claude will give you the step-by-step.

\n

Why?

\n

I love tweaking my two blogs, mostly with custom CSS, but I have expanded into the guts of Hugo (the blogging engine) to alter posts with additional data. I love learning, and I love understanding how things work and why.

\n

I’ve done extensive custom CSS with Cliff538, all within MicroBlogs' online interface, and it is very dangerous to do it this way. It may be a function of using Safari with so many tabs open, but typing, cutting, pasting, and making a page active, my cursor can lag and jump around. I’ve had some terrible incidents where I’ve deleted stuff I didn’t mean to or copied/pasted that didn’t work right. All this to say it’s better to do your work in an IDE with a Hugo Server running, so you can see your changes. No weirdness, no risk of messing with your actual blog until you know everything works. Plus, working locally lets you use version control—big win.

\n

Now, with ChatGPT or Claude, you can have assistance and a teacher with precisely what you want to do and learn. This is what A.I. is for, in my opinion. If you can understand Hugo from reading the docs, I’m jealous. I’m a reader, but I need to see it in action and have someone explain the why to me. This is where Claude and Claude Code come in.

\n

How?

\n

Things you need

\n\n

The Process

\n

Open the Claude App, make a new Project so you can reference it later, and I believe this helps with memory also, and type in a prompt, something like what I did.

\n
My blogs are at Micro.blog service. I use their online code interface \nto work on my code, but I don't want to do this anymore. \nHow can I connect my current blog code to a GitHub repository \nto experiment with changes, or start a blank Hugo blog and learn \nto customize my own theme? I want to use Claude Code with VS Code. \nI want to use Git and GitHub for local and cloud version control. \nI want step-by-step instructions and explanations for why we are doing each step. \nMy blog, Cliff538, currently uses Tiny Theme.\n\n

Now, you can stop reading here and follow what Claude says. It brought me to the point of having my exact current blog running locally on my Mac. I make HTML/CSS changes and watch them live. When I’m happy with the changes, I save them locally with Git, and at the end of the day, I upload changes to GitHub for safekeeping in a private repository. Then, as of now, I copy and paste my changes into my actual blog. I haven’t researched whether you can connect a GitHub account to your active blog and how quickly it syncs. That may be the next step in the process.

\n

Anytime you don’t understand something or why, stop and ask Claude. It explains everything to you (hopefully correctly). This is not an exercise in Claude just doing all these things, unless you want that. Use Claude as a teacher.

\n

Tips and Suggestions Working With Claude and Claude Code

\n\n
\n

Continuing with my process, this will be a lot of pasted instructions from Claude. To give you an idea of the workflow. This is not a linear how-to, just an example. Scroll to the very bottom for a summary of this first step of learning.

\n

Exporting Your Current Micro.blog Sites

\n

In Micro.blog, go to ‘Design’, click on the 3 dots next to your domain name, then click “Export” and download your “Theme and Markdown” as a “.zip”. This gives you both your content and your current theme.

\n

Important note about photos: If you have posts with photos, you’ll need to replace the URLs as they don’t work correctly and won’t have been downloaded - you can go through each post and add your domain to the front of each URL.

\n

GitHub Experimental Repository__ (Recommended for learning)

\n

This approach lets you experiment safely while keeping your live sites on Micro.blog:

\n

Set up a local Hugo site on your Mac:

\n
brew install hugo\n   hugo new site cliff538-Local\n   cd my-blog-experiments\n\n\n

About here, Claude went off in a different direction and I had to steer it back on track with this:

\n
I have downloaded both of my blogs from Micro.blog. I would like to \nset up a local working HUGO environment that exactly matches my \ncurrent live blog. I can experiment with changes on my local blog \nthen see about making changes to it later. Right now it will mostly \nbe custom CSS changes. I would like to use Claude Code so I can \nlearn how to use it. Please guide me through the process please.\n\n

Perfect! Let’s get you set up with a local Hugo environment that matches your live blogs, and we’ll use Claude Code to help manage everything. I’ll walk you through this step-by-step.

\n

Step 1: Install Required Software

\n

First, let’s make sure you have everything installed on your Mac:

\n
# Install Hugo if you haven't already\nbrew install hugo\n\n# Install Claude Code\nbrew install --cask claude-code\n\n# Verify installations\nhugo version\nclaude --version\n\n

Step 2: Choose Which Blog to Set Up First

\n

Since you have two blogs (365pixels.xyz for photos and cliff538.com for general posts), let’s start with one. Which would you like to work on first? I’d suggest starting with whichever one you want to customize the CSS for most urgently.

\n

For this guide, I’ll use 365pixels.xyz as the example, but the process is identical for cliff538.com.

\n

Step 3: Create Your Local Hugo Site

\n
# Create a directory for your blog projects\nmkdir ~/hugo-blogs\ncd ~/hugo-blogs\n\n# Create a new Hugo site\nhugo new site 365pixels-local\ncd 365pixels-local\n\n

Step 4: Extract and Copy Your Micro.blog Export

\n
    \n
  1. Find your downloaded .zip file from Micro.blog (probably in your Downloads folder)
    2. \n
  2. Extract it
    3. \n
  3. Now let’s copy the files into your Hugo site:
    4. \n
\n
# Navigate to where you extracted the Micro.blog files\n# Then copy them to your Hugo site\n# (Replace the path below with your actual extracted folder location)\n\n# Copy content\ncp -r /path/to/extracted/microblog/content ~/hugo-blogs/365pixels-local/\n\n# Copy data folder if it exists\ncp -r /path/to/extracted/microblog/data ~/hugo-blogs/365pixels-local/\n\n# Copy static files (images, CSS, etc.)\ncp -r /path/to/extracted/microblog/static ~/hugo-blogs/365pixels-local/\n\n# Copy the theme\ncp -r /path/to/extracted/microblog/themes/* ~/hugo-blogs/365pixels-local/themes/\n\n

Step 5: Convert and Copy Configuration

\n

Your Micro.blog export includes a config.json file, but Hugo typically uses config.toml or hugo.toml. Let’s handle this:

\n
cd ~/hugo-blogs/365pixels-local\n\n

Now, open the config.json from your export and we’ll need to convert it. Can you paste the contents of your config.json file here? I’ll help you convert it to the proper format.

\n

Step 6: Initialize Git and Start Claude Code

\n

Once we have the config sorted:

\n
# Initialize git repository\ngit init\n\n# Create a .gitignore file\ncat > .gitignore << EOF\n# Hugo default output directory\n/public/\n/resources/\n\n# Mac files\n.DS_Store\n\n# Hugo cache\n.hugo_build.lock\nEOF\n\n# Make initial commit\ngit add .\ngit commit -m "Initial commit: Imported from Micro.blog"\n\n# Now start Claude Code\nclaude\n\n

Step 7: Working with Claude Code

\n

When Claude Code starts, you’ll see a command prompt. Here’s how to use it effectively:

\n

First, give Claude Code context:

\n
This is my 365pixels.xyz photo blog imported from Micro.blog. It uses Hugo and I want to:\n1. Make sure it runs locally and matches my live site\n2. Experiment with custom CSS changes\n3. Learn how Hugo themes work\n\nCan you first analyze the structure and tell me what theme I'm using and where the CSS files are located?\n

Claude Code will explore your files and report back. It can:

\n\n

Then ask it to test the site:

\n
Can you help me start the Hugo server and check if there are any errors?\n

Claude Code will run hugo server for you and diagnose any problems.

\n

Step 8: Fixing Photo URLs (Important!)

\n

Remember, Micro.blog exports don’t include the full photo URLs. You’ll need to fix these. With Claude Code, you can ask:

\n
My posts have photo URLs that are incomplete. They need my domain prepended. \nCan you find all image references in my markdown files and update them \nto include https://365pixels.xyz at the beginning?\n\n

What to Do Next

\n

Before I continue with more detailed CSS customization guidance, let’s make sure you get through these initial steps.

\n

Can you:

\n
    \n
  1. Run through Steps 1-4 above
    2. \n
  2. Share your config.json contents so I can help convert it
    3. \n
  3. Let me know which blog you want to start with
    4. \n
  4. Tell me if you encounter any issues during installation
    5. \n
\n

Once we have your local site running and matching your live site, we’ll use Claude Code to help you experiment with CSS changes in a really efficient way!

\n

Does this plan work for you? Any questions before you get started?

\n

Excellent! Tiny Theme is developed by Matt Langford and is designed to be as fast as possible while supporting all features of Micro.blog and popular plugins, and is the easiest theme to customize on the platform Anthropic. Let’s get it installed!

\n

Complete Setup Process for Tiny Theme

\n

Here’s your step-by-step guide:

\n

Step 1: Set Up Your Hugo Site with Tiny Theme

\n
# Navigate to your projects directory\ncd ~/hugo-blogs\n\n# Create your site if you haven't already\nhugo new site cliff538-local\ncd cliff538-local\n\n# Download Tiny Theme from GitHub\ncd themes\ngit clone https://github.com/MattSLangford/Tiny-Theme-for-Micro.blog.git tiny\ncd ..\n\n

Step 2: Add the Hugo Config

\n

Save the hugo.toml file I created earlier (from the artifact above) as hugo.toml in your cliff538-local directory. Then add this line to it:

\n
# Open the file in your text editor and add this line near the top:\ntheme = "tiny"\n\n
\n

OK, you get the idea here. You’ll get your information from MicroBlog and insert it into the proper directories, then start the Hugo Server. If you’re like me, you’ll have 3 or 4 errors, and your site won’t load. Screenshot your errors and give them to Claude. You’ll get detailed instructions on how to fix them.

\n

Once I had my site up and running locally, I opened VS Code and activated Claude Code. This way, you can look directly at your files and Claude Code on one screen. It’s invaluable. I haven’t used VS Code very much at all. Claude will tell you how to set it up, which packages to download, and how to configure the perfect Hugo development environment. If you don’t understand something, ask.

\n

I asked a ton of questions about how Git and GitHub worked within VS Code and what all the red and green bars meant. It was all new to me. If I were working with somebody, they would have fired me and walked out of the room in disgust with all the questions! LOL.

\n

When things are set up, you have a basic understanding of working with VS Code and Claude Code, you can get down to the business of tweaking, learning, and experimenting. You can ask Claude Code what problems do you see with my current custom.css file? It unloaded on me about how inefficient my CSS was and how and why to use variables. I asked a ton more questions, let it give me an example, and then got to work. My CSS is a lean, mean machine now, with a Table of Contents and proper variables, so I can make global changes without searching all over the place.

\n

I WILL UPDATE AS I LEARN MORE

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-01T17:32:04-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2026/01/01/working-with-hugo-and-your.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/12/29/setting-up-a-mac-mini.html", "title": "Setting Up A Mac Mini Home Server", "content_html": "

I’ve always wanted one, but I knew I didn’t need one. Money/Time spent on something that you really don’t need. TailScale and how much I travel were the reasons I finally justified the purchase and took the time to set it up. 

\n

I purchased a low-end Mac mini, an HDMI dummy plug, and an external HD for Time Machine. Hardwire the Mac mini into your router. To start the headless operation, you need to plug in a screen, keyboard, and mouse initially. If you don’t have a spare screen lying around, you can use an iPad and the Orion App with a USB-C Capture Card. This is what I did, and it worked brilliantly. Set up sharing, enable screen sharing, and configure the power-saving options you want. I recommend turning off power saving and leaving it running all the time, as that’s its purpose. Turn on auto-login for the account you will use to manage it. If the mini restarts, you want it to log in automatically and start Plex and TailScale. You’re still protected, because you’ll set the screen saver to require the password immediately.

\n

After that is set up, you can unplug your attachments and plug in the HDMI dummy plug so the mini thinks a screen is always attached. Head to your main computer, find the mini on your network, and screen share into it. You should never need to attach anything to it now. Keep things updated, and work on it using screen sharing from now on. 

\n

Numerous blogs, YouTube videos, and LLMs offer guidance on home server settings, so I won’t go into more detail.

\n

I deleted the apps I didn’t want on the mini, logged into my Apple account, turned off cloud sync for desktop items, and installed Plex Server and TailScale. Plugged in a 4TB external HD for Time Machine and set that up. 

\n

I opened Plex, pointed it to my home NAS, and ensured it started automatically at login. TailScale setup can be a bit involved, and here is where I reached out to ChatGPT for some guidance: I wanted an Exit Node and Subnet for my home LAN. There is some command-line work here that was beyond my skill level. 

\n

Now, when I’m traveling, which is every week, whether I have my iPad, Mac, or iPhone, I activate TailScale, turn on the Exit Node for my mini. It’s just like I’m sitting at home. I’m protected as well, or better, than any commercial VPN, and I have access to any computer, NAS, router, or external HD on my home wifi network. 

\n

I can open Plex and watch live TV or media on my NAS. I was nothing short of frustrated with Plex Server running on my NAS. I had nothing but problems, and eventually just deleted it. But so far, Plex running on my mini has been rock-stable. I still prefer using Infuse for the front end to Plex. It just works. 

\n

The one area I have been unable to make work is printing to my home printers from the road. In theory, you can do this. I can make the printer print pages, but they’re blank. There is a communication error in the printer setup somehow. I found my printers on the home network, renamed them, and attached them in a Finder window. Tried to print, but it doesn’t work. I went into Printer settings on my home computer and added the printers by their IP addresses, trying every available communication protocol, but that didn’t work either.  I can open a Note and print it, but it prints blank. I’ve tried every different setting, consulted ChatGPT, and no dice. I don’t see a reason ever to print anything at home from the road, but I wanted to know if I could make it work. 

\n

Another advantage of the mini server is an additional place to store user documents on your home network. If you’re uncomfortable having a document you’re working on in the cloud, save it to your mini with the security of Time Machine backing everything up. \nYou could also set up a web server to run a website. The internet offers many options and ideas for your home server. 

\n

It was a fun process; I really enjoyed setting it up and tweaking things. My primary purpose and justification are the TailScale benefits; as much as I travel, having the ability to browse the internet safely and access my home LAN is peace of mind. So far on the road, I’ve had zero issues with performance or speed, doing all my internet needs through my home wifi. 

\n

To put a finer point on this Exit Node/Subnet feature, when you log into TailScale on your iPad, iPhone, Mac, any device, and then activate your home mini server Exit Node that is also setup to be a Subnet, your device thinks it’s on your home LAN, you can do a IP address lookup and you’ll show back at home. You have full access to everything on your home wifi. (Except maybe your printers) When you surf the internet, you are using your home wifi. Any website that cares where you are physically (I know some financial institutions won’t let you log in if you are out of the country) will think you are home. This can also come into play with some streaming services. \nThe Exit Node gives you access to your home internet. The Subnet provides access to your home LAN. You can set up an Exit Node with or without a Subnet. 

\n

I’m no expert, and my terminology could be wrong in places; for that, I apologize. You networking experts will cringe at reading this (actually, no networking experts are reading my blog, ha!) Set up a home server and play with it; you’ll gain some good things. 

\n

If you have any questions, please post them below, and I’ll do my best to answer them. As always, thanks for stopping by.

\n", "date_published": "2025-12-29T09:54:36-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/12/29/setting-up-a-mac-mini.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/12/28/ive-always-wanted-a-stat.html", "title": "365Pixels Stat Page ", "content_html": "

I’ve always wanted a stat page on 365Pixels that showed my current streak, posting percentage and other info. That skill is beyond my current abilities, so I worked with ChatGPT and came up with a really nice, simple Stat Block that sits on the homepage. I think it’s pretty fun.

\n\"Auto-generated\n", "date_published": "2025-12-28T17:26:14-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/12/28/ive-always-wanted-a-stat.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/11/28/remember-this-appletv-fashback-to.html", "title": "AppleTV Flashback to First Gen Model A1218 circa March 2007 ", "content_html": "

Doing an office deep clean, came across this beauty. The first-generation Apple TV (the Apple and the TV were not attached back then) Model A1218, announced in January 2007 and released in March 2007.

\n

I was so excited for this to come out, I ordered it the first day that I could.

\n

Researching it online, I’m told Steve Jobs demoed it in September 2006 and called it “iTV”.

\n

I’m looking through my old Apple boxes to see if I kept the box. I’m told it’s highly sought after.

\n

When I get time, I’m going to plug it in and see if it still fires up.

\n

\"A\"A\"A\"A\"A\"A\"A

\n", "date_published": "2025-11-28T15:56:37-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/11/28/remember-this-appletv-fashback-to.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/03/28/well-im-uploading-tb-of.html", "title": "Koofr and pCloud ", "content_html": "

Well, I’m uploading 2TB of photos to Koofr, so far, so good.

\n

I’m new to them, and setting everything up has been straightforward so far.

\n

I also signed up with pCloud and set it up, but I haven’t used it much yet. I can say I prefer pCloud’s interface, which looks and feels better to me.

\n

After using both, I’ll let you know the pros and cons.

\n

#koofr

\n

#pcloud

\n", "date_published": "2025-03-28T18:28:46-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/03/28/well-im-uploading-tb-of.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/03/28/custom-css-for-your-markdown.html", "title": "Custom CSS for your Markdown in DEVONthink - Who Knew! ", "content_html": "

This link comes from MacStories, but it’s too good to not share.

\n

If you are a DEVONthink user, this is a really nice touch. I’ve downloaded and used jsloop’s custom CSS, and it’s terrific.

\n

I had no idea you could do this in DT, and it makes all the difference in the world.

\n

There are directions for both DEVONthink 3 and DEVONthink To Go 3, and you are free to use jsloops CSS to get you started. Then it’s easy to make tweaks after that.

\n

The two links:

\n

www.devontechnologies.com/blog/2025…

\n

https://tanx.net/2025/03/22/markdown-theming-in-devonthink-3

\n", "date_published": "2025-03-28T16:01:09-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/03/28/custom-css-for-your-markdown.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/02/25/i-have-tail-scale-up.html", "content_html": "

I have Tailscale up and running on the Synology NAS. There is very good step-by-step instruction here. It’s pretty cool to be able to use the Sharesheet and send whatever you need to it from any device.

\n", "date_published": "2025-02-25T08:20:34-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/02/25/i-have-tail-scale-up.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/02/18/bringing-just-a-little-joy.html", "title": "Bringing a Little Joy Into My Day and Weekly Planning", "content_html": "

There are endless blog posts about the latest to-do apps and systems. My goal is not to proclaim from the rooftops that I’ve found the secret to daily planning success but to share some thoughts on a few options that I have found very rewarding.

\n

I have a constant struggle with Analog vs Digital; it perturbs me how much I think about this. I’ve given up worrying about which type of system it is, and I do what feels right and what keeps me on track. And, if that system brings a little joy to the process, even better.

\n

I’ve been a Things app user for years now and love it. It’s quick and easy on all my devices and syncs well. It’s always on my desktop at home as a gentle reminder to keep me on track for the day. My problem with it is planning my week or my day. Things is an ever-growing constant list that mostly sits stagnant, and I have little interaction with it on a daily basis. I’ve tried building my day in calendar apps, and that works, but they don’t stay open. I close them at some point, and the day aimlessly drifts off down rabbit holes. One requirement I’ve found is that the day planner must always be visible.

\n

When planning my week and day, I was missing something and wasn’t staying on track throughout the day. It’s all there in Things, but I don’t have any draw to it; I can’t touch it or grab it and alter it. I’m primarily digital, but I need/crave some pen and paper touch—not too much, though; I’ve tried paper journaling, and that’s too much. I love journaling in DayOne.

\n

Enter Ugmonk. First, this is not a cheap system upfront, but by the time you read this, they will have a much more affordable metal version for sale (launching February 19th, 2025), which has been much needed. Also, this system is not complex; you could easily make your own with some woodworking skills or a 3D printer and 3x5 cards. The cost for me is worth it; it brings me a little joy, it looks great sitting on the desk, and I’ve stayed on track better throughout the day.

\n\"Auto-generated\n\"Auto-generated\n

I’ve been using the system for over a month and love it. I’m still not sold on using the weekly and daily views together, but for now, it’s both. It comes down to how your brain works and what you need to see. I’m a person with an odd job. I’m away from home for 3 to 4 days a week. So, when I’m home, I need to see what is left of my week and what I want to accomplish that day. I never know what day of the week or day of the month it is; it just doesn’t matter to me. I have large calendar widgets on all my devices to help me remember. All I want to know, what I need to know, is how many days off I have until I go back to work and what I want to get done on those days.

\n

I use the weekly card for this. On my first day off, I grab a fresh card and my favorite pen and map out my week in broad strokes; it sits on my desk, so I’m constantly reminded. Then, each day, I formulate a plan with the daily card.

\n\"Auto-generated\n\"Auto-generated\n

There is something special about grabbing that thick, beautiful paper and writing on it with your favorite pen. It gives substance to the plan; it sinks it just a little bit deeper into memory by writing it out. It makes me smile; it brings just a little joy, and I like that. Plus, I always have paper to quickly grab to make quick notes using the backside of the weekly or daily card. When done with the day or the week, I can store them away, or I’ve been using them for bookmarks.

\n\"Auto-generated\n

As an option to this analog version, I just learned about Tweek. I’ve used this alongside my Ugmonk/Things system just for testing. I think Tweek is really cool; I wish I had come up with it. If I ever want to drop Ugmonk, I’d go with Tweek. They have full function under their free plan, so you can test it to see if it fits into your world. But it’s sterile for me; I need some analog, I need to touch some nice paper, and I need to use my favorite pen. I need that little piece of joy to start my day, the constant visual reminder, and that satisfaction of marking off an item with my Sharpie.

\n

I hope some of this helps you with your task list. Thank you, as always, for visiting my little piece of the web. Cheers!

\n

Things

\n

Ugmonk

\n

tweek.so

", "date_published": "2025-02-18T15:22:31-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/02/18/bringing-just-a-little-joy.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/02/10/so-ya-this-kiwix-is.html", "title": "KIWIX - A User Report", "content_html": "

I’ve seen this posted about Mastodon a lot, and then @amerpie posted about it yesterday, and I thought, why the heck not? Let’s check it out; I’ve got some time to kill.

\n

So, yeah, this KIWIX is really cool. I’m not a Super Bowl kind of guy, so I downloaded Kiwix and then proceeded to download the entire Wikipedia, then iFixit, then Gutenberg. Sheesh, why not? I have a Synology with ample space, so why not lock some of this stuff in and have it on local storage?

\n

If you read some of the reviews on Kiwix, you’d think it doesn’t work well, but I’ve had zero issues with it; I’m using the Mac App. So now I’m a downloading fool, gathering what I can for no apparent reason other than because I can…

\n\"Auto-generated\n

Here is their Library of downloads. Check it out and see if there is anything you may want to have stored locally.

\n

Some of the files are huge, so good storage capacity is a must, but they have tons of different download options if you are interested in just sections of, say, Wikipedia.

\n

You can even run a local Wi-Fi network from a Raspberry Pi with all your downloaded data. This would be great for classrooms, but I may do this just for the fun of it.

\n

It’s good to have it stored locally, but clearly, the mission is for folks who have limited or no internet access. It’s free to use and looks like a worthy endeavor to support with your skills or finances.

\n

Here is their About Page. Some pretty cool stuff here, like:

\n
\n

The Short Story\nDid you know that you could store the entirety of Wikipedia on your phone? And read it anywhere, at anytime?

\n
\n
\n

The Long Story\nWe can make highly compressed copies of entire websites that each fit into a single (.zim) file. Zim files are small enough that they can be stored on users’ mobile phones, computers or small, inexpensive Hotspot.

\n
\n
\n

Kiwix then acts like a regular browser, except that it reads these local copies. People with no or limited internet access can enjoy the same browsing experience as anyone else.

\n
\n
\n

The software as well as the content are fully open-source and free to use and share.
\n
\nThe Challenge
\n50% of the world’s population has no reliable access to the internet. This can be because of cost, lack of infrastructure, or censorship.
\n
\nThe Solution – How Does It Work?
\nWe copy educational websites and compress them into files that people can take with them and browse anytime, anywhere.\nKiwix Is Also A Nonprofit\nMost of our revenue comes from donations. We do not display ads, nor do we collect personal data.

\n
", "date_published": "2025-02-10T10:15:43-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/02/10/so-ya-this-kiwix-is.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/02/03/i-need-an-online-course.html", "content_html": "

đź“ť I need an online course that teaches problem-solving in web design. How do you systematically track down issues in your HTML, CSS, JS, etc? I know the best teacher is just plain ol' experience, but some foundational training on which tools and how to use them would be good.

\n", "date_published": "2025-02-03T09:59:28-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/02/03/i-need-an-online-course.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/01/30/here-is-the-full-update.html", "content_html": "

Here is the full update to Reader, a lot of good stuff:

\n

Reader Public Beta Update #11 (Chat With Highlights, Apple Notes Export, YouTube v2, and more)

\n", "date_published": "2025-01-30T19:07:12-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/01/30/here-is-the-full-update.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/01/16/new-toys-arrived-looking-forward.html", "content_html": "

New toys arrived. Looking forward to some speed testing.

\n\"picture\n", "date_published": "2025-01-16T08:54:12-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/01/16/new-toys-arrived-looking-forward.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/01/16/create-an-external-bootable-disk.html", "content_html": "

‘Create an external bootable disk for Apple silicon and Intel Macs’ đź”— Hoakley / eclecticlight.co

\n", "date_published": "2025-01-16T07:56:07-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/01/16/create-an-external-bootable-disk.html", "tags": ["computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/01/14/trying-out-a-new-hepa.html", "content_html": "

Trying out a new HEPA 13 & Carbon Combo Filter from Voxel for the Bambu X1 Carbon 3D Printer. Always in search of reducing particles/smells from printing. #3D-Printing

\n\"Auto-generated\n\"Auto-generated\n", "date_published": "2025-01-14T08:57:14-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/01/14/trying-out-a-new-hepa.html", "tags": ["photo","computers"] }, { "id": "http://cliff538.micro.blog/2025/01/06/this-is-sad-news-its.html", "content_html": "

Sad news… I’m a big fan of daily bootable backups and consider them essential.

\n
\n

🔗 It’s Time to Move On from Bootable Backups - TidBITS (Adam Engst / tidbits.com)

\n
\n
\n

The latest installment in the story of how bootable Mac backups will eventually disappear started with a blog post by Shirt Pocket Software’s Dave Nanian

\n
\n", "date_published": "2025-01-06T22:34:49-07:00", "url": "https://cliff538.com/2025/01/06/this-is-sad-news-its.html", "tags": ["computers"] } ] }