Giantpaper.org

Category: The Paper

  • LiveBlog | GPORG Dullahan Ed. | The Making of

    LiveBlog | GPORG Dullahan Ed. | The Making of

    Context: I updated something on my laptop and MySQL decided to stop working (even running mysql in the command line would get me a /tmp/mysql.sock not found` type error). Which means I can’t work on my site locally (since the CSS files compiled locally from SCSS and then uploaded). And after spending probably 2-3 of months trying to fix this, I just gave up, and looked into other options. I need something that I can run a separate dev environment, like a Docker container, but I tried running OpenLitespeed in a Docker container and I had no idea what I was doing. 😬

    My other options:

    • Roots? Once upon a time, I could get Trellis to run on my computer, but now I can’t anymore.
    • Docker? Uhhhh….this was when I still new to Docker and didn’t know how volumes worked and how to actually put my files into the container so the server could run them.
    • Lando? I dunno why, I kept running into errors when trying to get this setup.

    I looked into blog software that wasn’t WordPress. A lot of self-hosters are really into Ghost. I tried Ghost. It was nice. But it seemed like it was made for news site-type blogs (like 404 Media), rather than personal blogs (I mean, it comes with a built in newsletter feature for you to send newsletters to subscribers, and also a membership tier module). There’s also WriteFreely, which comes automatically integrated with the Fediverse, which is something I’m looking for. But both WF and Ghost have one major problem I couldn’t look past.

    Ghost apparently, lets you customize the theme by editing theme files, but I couldn’t get it recognize the files I put in the theme folder for the Docker container. I COULD just edit them locally and upload them, but it’s just not practical when developing. And WriteFreely, I couldn’t find anything about customizing the theme at all. The whole point of me wanting to have a personal blog is for me to make it my own.

    Not just the theme, but I wanted the permalinks to be structured a certain way: /category/optional_subcategory/post_id/slug (this is possible with Ghost, but I would need to change this in the theme files).

    And then…

    I knew headless sites were becoming a thing. I just didn’t know how big. But my workplace is getting into headless builds. I already knew how to use Vue (and then Nuxt), and tried a headless WP + Nuxt site. It did not go well. There was not much support for Nuxt (compared to Next), and I was resistant to having to learn Next, because I tried learning React (which Next is based off of), and had trouble understanding how all the pieces fit together. So Next.js was just imitating to me.

    But I wasn’t getting anywhere with Nuxt, so eventually (2025), I gave up and resolved to learn Next. I started hosting my own Claude agent1 on a VPS (with LibreChat), so I would bug it repeatedly for coding help (beginning prompt: “I’m a complete beginner with Next.js. I have experience with Nuxt. What are some tutorials/methods for setting up a headless WordPress site using next.js?”).

    This is progress!

    Once again, Next.js has a lot more support than Nuxt. Nuxt is great if you want to get into headless builds, since it’s easy to understand. Either way, Claude (actually the agent name is Lux) was able to walk me through some of the more complicated parts.

    Since it’s headless (and not relying on WordPress’s theme code), I could make it look however I want. I could also make the permalinks however I want.

    So I have 4 top categories: The Paper, Photoblog, Microblog, Linklog.

    This is what I have so far:

    • /: The homepage, which would be a feed of most recent posts from all 4 blog types
    • /blog: Blog/The Paper landing page
    • /blog/information: A subcategory under The Paper
    • /blog/information/[id]/[slug]: How a post categorized under Information Station would have a permalink
    • /photoblog: Photoblog landing page (based off of Instagram)
    • /photoblog/[id]/[slug]: A post under Photoblog
    • /microblog: Microblog landing page (based off of Twitter)
    • /microblog/[id]/[slug]: A post under Microblog
    • /linklog: Linklog landing page (based off of Reddit)
    • /linklog/[id]/[slug]: A post under Linklog
    1. Using a Claude model to code = literally just that. I think it can vibe code, but I haven’t asked it to do that for me, so it hasn’t offered. Years ago, there was an argument from digital artists (including myself) that “handdrawn” = anything that was drawn using your hand. This includes artwork that was created on a computer using a mouse/keyboard or drawing tablet. Because literally, we created it ourselves. We didn’t make this image by entering a prompt in a computer program. We wouldn’t have been able to call the artists of these artworks if we had someone/something else create it for us. Same thing with building websites. I would not be able to say I built this site if I had Lux do it all for me. Also as mentioned earlier, I have a very specific look for this site, and the tokens needed to feed to Lux to tell it exactly what I wanted would’ve destroyed my wallet. I love Lux for a lot of things, but I would rather leave fulfilling my hobbies up to me. ❤️
  • Warframe: Rank 9 Mastery Test FINALLLLLY complete

    Warframe: Rank 9 Mastery Test FINALLLLLY complete

    See, the first two stages of this test weren’t that bad if you use a certain build.

    But that last stage…

    😨

    The only requirement is kill all enemies without being noticed.

    You only get a melee weapon.

    You can pick your Warframe.

    You can pick your melee weapon.

    Soooo…

    • The Redeemer is considered a melee weapon (it’s a gunblade, but yeah). The gun part is a shotgun with a ridiculously long range.
    • Banshee can fire guns without enemies hearing (even if you can hear the blast). With any other frame, the noise level would be “alarming”, but with Banshee, it’s “silent”.

    (People also had success with other builds, like using Umbra’s sword, which makes you invisible after killing an enemy or the Glaive. I’ve never used Umbra’s sword for this test, but I found the Glaive EXTREMELY difficult to control when throwing it.)

    ANYWAY, even with Banshee + Redeemer, I STILL had trouble with the last stage. I’ve completed the test several times in practice mode, but when I went to do the actual test, I would just fail.

    What’s Different Now?

    The requirement is kill all enemies without being noticed, using whatever Warframe or melee weapon you want. There are also no requirements to where you need to be when killing them.

    The end of the Stage 2 area overlooks the Stage 3 area. But enemies in Stage 3 won’t spawn in until you actually land on Stage 3. BUT once they’ve spawned, they’ll stay spawned. Soooo…

    [1:16] Jump onto the Stage 3 area. Don’t shoot anyone, otherwise they’ll notice you. There’s about 5 or 6 enemies in Stage 3 vs. Stage 2’s 4. Turn around and dash jump back onto the bottom floor of Stage 2.

    [1:16 – 1:40] Massive bloopers 😬 I’m playing on PS5 this time and not used to the controls. So…yeah, see me fail all those jumps.

    [1:40] And then! Just snipe at the Grineer with the Redeemer. Duck behind cover after each shot and wait about 10-15 seconds, especially if you take one out while there was another standing next to him. They won’t hear the gunfire, but they’ll notice their buddy got killed, raising their internal sus alarms. If you’re not careful, they’ll see you.

    When I took out the last Grineer, Banshee just stopped and stood there, but even though I never got the message from the Lotus, saying I failed the test, I for sure thought I failed.

    And then I got the Rank 9 Mastery Test Complete screen! 😮‍💨

    Since the MR points stack up, even if you have a rank test pending, I already had another test queued up, but due to rank test rules, I couldn’t try it out for another 24 hours. And since I’ve been stuck at MR 8 for a really long time, I probably have a huge backlog of rank tests. So….yeah…

  • I See You, Fern Doucette

    I See You, Fern Doucette

    FYI, I got this super amazing email today:

    The funny thing about this email is that it looks super legit. It came from an actual Paypal email address (service@paypal.com). The links lead to the actual Paypal domain (I didn’t click them, so I don’t know if the pages are real).

    (Obviously, the point of the scam is get people to call the number, which btw is not even Paypal’s actual contact phone number.)

    Who is Fern Doucette?

    No one I know for sure. But even before looking this up online, you might start hearing all the sus bells:

    • I cropped this out of the screenshot above, but the email was sent to unfamiliar address:
    • I’ve never gotten a money request email (not even sure if they exist), but it’s rather skimpy on the details (under the “Note from Fern Doucette”, it just says “Don’t recognize the sender? Call us now. [number]” Uh huh.
    • I checked my Paypal account and didn’t find any mention of a request like this.
    • The “note” is worded oddly. “Quickly let us know [number]” instead of something like “Call us ASAP at [number]”, which sounds like this person’s English is not 100%.
    • Also there’s no space in front of the “Quickly”, a mistake Paypal wouldn’t make.

    After looking up this person online, I found that “Fern Doucette” brings up A LOT of posts about scams. Yikes, dude. You’d think after a while, they’d use a new alias?

    More info: https://www.ibisik.com/fern-doucette-paypal-money-request-scam/

  • The Hate U Give

    The Hate U Give

    Guys, I think everyone needs to read this book. It was such an emotional ride. The author will put you in Starr’s shoes, and you will feel when she’s feeling (her anger, her fear, etc). The part where her friend is murdered by the cop was pretty terrifying and devastating, but the aftermath was rage-inducing and just as terrifying. It was actually written in 2017, starting as a short story by Thomas after the murder of Oscar Grant, but I’m reading this in 2024, four years after the murder of George Floyd, so I was comparing the aftermath (activism, riots, vandalism, looting) to the aftermath of Floyd’s murder. When people were saying it’s ok that Khalil died because he was a “thug” reminded me of how people kept justifying Floyd’s death was ok because he was on drugs. And guys???? Even rapists and murderers get fair trials.

    Also toward the end of the book, Starr lists a number of police brutality victims, including Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, and last but not least Emmett Till (killed in 1955).

    Also on a less serious note, there is a portion where Starr describes her dad’s theory about the Hogswarts houses being street gangs:

    Okay, so it is a good theory. Daddy claims the Hogwarts houses are really gangs. They have their own colors, their own hideouts, and they are always riding for each other, like gangs. Harry, Ron, and Hermione never snitch on one another, just like gangbangers. Death Eaters even have matching tattoos. And look at Voldemort. They’re scared to say his name. Really, that “He Who Must Not Be Named” stuff is like giving him a street name. That’s some gangbanging shit right there.

    The Hate U Give

    And if you’re a sci-fi nerd like me (of Star Wars and very specifically, of The Acolyte), Amandla Stenberg, who portrays the twins, is Starr in the movie version.