Bytes and Bolts

Bytes and Boltshttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/Recent content on Bytes and BoltsHugo -- gohugo.ioen-us© 2026 Matt DelashawSun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000Hardware Review: RTL-SDR Blog V4 Donglehttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/rtl-sdr-blog-v4-hardware-review/Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/rtl-sdr-blog-v4-hardware-review/<p><strong>Platform:</strong> Raspberry Pi 5 (aarch64)<br> <strong>Driver:</strong> <code>rtlsdr-next</code> (Async Rust) <a href="https://github.com/mattdelashaw/rtlsdr-next" target="_blank" >Github</a></p> <h2 class="relative group">Overview <div id="overview" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#overview" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>The RTL-SDR Blog V4 represents a significant architectural shift from the “generic” RTL2832U sticks of the past. While it maintains the venerable RTL2832U baseband chip, it replaces the standard R820T2 tuner with the <strong>R828D</strong> and integrates a sophisticated front-end triplexer and upconverter.</p> <p><em>10/10 recommend: This has been such a fun DIY project</em> Get one here: <a href="https://www.rtl-sdr.com/v4/" target="_blank" >RTL-SDR.com</a></p>Chihuahuan Desert: 2017 – 2024https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/texas-vapor/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:14 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/texas-vapor/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Chihuahuan Desert <div id="environmental-analysis-chihuahuan-desert" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-chihuahuan-desert" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks atmospheric water vapor dynamics in the texas-vapor region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2017-07-25 (cloud cover: 3.596658%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2024-09-21 (cloud cover: 0.0%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~777 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>Sierra Nevada (Dixie Fire): 2020 – 2023https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/sierra-nevada-vapor/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:14 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/sierra-nevada-vapor/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Sierra Nevada (Dixie Fire) <div id="environmental-analysis-sierra-nevada-dixie-fire" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-sierra-nevada-dixie-fire" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks atmospheric water vapor dynamics in the sierra-nevada-vapor region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2020-06-18 (cloud cover: 3.6984579999999996%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2023-07-28 (cloud cover: 0.05%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~1919 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>Zinder: 2018 – 2024https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/zinder-vapor/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:14 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/zinder-vapor/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Zinder <div id="environmental-analysis-zinder" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-zinder" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks atmospheric water vapor dynamics in the zinder-vapor region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2018-08-08 (cloud cover: 4.646885%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2024-09-20 (cloud cover: 0.01%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~2426 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>Amazon Deforestation: 2018 – 2026https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/amazon/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:13 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/amazon/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Amazon Deforestation <div id="environmental-analysis-amazon-deforestation" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-amazon-deforestation" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks vegetation change and deforestation impact in the amazon region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2018-06-20 (cloud cover: 0.002242%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2026-03-22 (cloud cover: 10.35%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~617 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>China Great Green Wall (Kubuqi): 2015 – 2024https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/kubuqi-reforestation/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:13 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/kubuqi-reforestation/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: China Great Green Wall (Kubuqi) <div id="environmental-analysis-china-great-green-wall-kubuqi" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-china-great-green-wall-kubuqi" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks vegetation change and deforestation impact in the kubuqi-reforestation region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2015-12-31 (cloud cover: 0.088875%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2024-06-01 (cloud cover: 0.01%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~1923 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>Eastern Bolivia: 2017 – 2026https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/bolivia-agricultural/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:13 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/bolivia-agricultural/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Eastern Bolivia <div id="environmental-analysis-eastern-bolivia" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-eastern-bolivia" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks vegetation change and deforestation impact in the bolivia-agricultural region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2017-07-12 (cloud cover: 0.000852%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2026-04-01 (cloud cover: 5.16%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~599 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>Great Green Wall (Senegal): 2016 – 2024https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/senegal-ggw/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:13 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/senegal-ggw/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Great Green Wall (Senegal) <div id="environmental-analysis-great-green-wall-senegal" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-great-green-wall-senegal" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks vegetation change and deforestation impact in the senegal-ggw region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2016-06-19 (cloud cover: 0.0%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2024-06-02 (cloud cover: 0.0%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~2414 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>Inner Mongolia: 2017 – 2024https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/korqin-vapor/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:13 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/korqin-vapor/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Inner Mongolia <div id="environmental-analysis-inner-mongolia" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-inner-mongolia" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks atmospheric water vapor dynamics in the korqin-vapor region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2017-07-31 (cloud cover: 0.001%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2024-09-22 (cloud cover: 0.0%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~1838 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>Maradi: 2017 – 2023https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/maradi-vapor/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:13 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/water-vapor/maradi-vapor/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Maradi <div id="environmental-analysis-maradi" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-maradi" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks atmospheric water vapor dynamics in the maradi-vapor region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2017-08-11 (cloud cover: 11.218511%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2023-07-06 (cloud cover: 0.478058%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~2433 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>Ozark Plateau: 2015 – 2024https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/ozarks-logging/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:13 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/ozarks-logging/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Ozark Plateau <div id="environmental-analysis-ozark-plateau" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-ozark-plateau" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks vegetation change and deforestation impact in the ozarks-logging region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2015-08-16 (cloud cover: 6.100178%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2024-08-25 (cloud cover: 0.05%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~2031 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>Sierra Nevada (Dixie Fire): 2020 – 2023https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/sierra-nevada-fire/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:30:13 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/vantage/deforestation/sierra-nevada-fire/<h2 class="relative group">Environmental Analysis: Sierra Nevada (Dixie Fire) <div id="environmental-analysis-sierra-nevada-dixie-fire" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#environmental-analysis-sierra-nevada-dixie-fire" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This report tracks vegetation change and deforestation impact in the sierra-nevada-fire region using Sentinel-2 MSI data acquired by the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>Before:</strong> 2020-06-18 (cloud cover: 3.6984579999999996%)<br> <strong>After:</strong> 2023-07-28 (cloud cover: 0.05%)<br> <strong>Area:</strong> ~1919 km²</p> <p>Images are lossless PNG sources optimized for web delivery via Hugo’s AVIF/WebP pipeline.</p>SpectralBands // Privacy Statementhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/spectral-bands/privacy/Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/spectral-bands/privacy/<h2 class="relative group">SpectralBands // Zero-Data Privacy Policy <div id="spectralbands--zero-data-privacy-policy" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#spectralbands--zero-data-privacy-policy" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>At <strong>SpectralBands</strong>, we believe that your signal intelligence is your business. Our application is designed with a strict “Zero-Data” philosophy.</p> <h3 class="relative group">1. No Data Collection <div id="1-no-data-collection" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#1-no-data-collection" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h3> <p>SpectralBands does not collect, store, or transmit any personally identifiable information (PII). We do not track your location, your device identity, or your frequency history.</p>SpectralBands Termshttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/spectral-bands/terms/Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/spectral-bands/terms/<h2 class="relative group">SpectralBands // Terms of Service <div id="spectralbands--terms-of-service" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#spectralbands--terms-of-service" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>Usage of this app is at your own risk. Do not use while driving or operating heavy machinery.</p>Privacy Policyhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/privacy-policy/Sat, 17 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500https://bytes-and-bolts.info/privacy-policy/<h2 class="relative group">Introduction <div id="introduction" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#introduction" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and disclose your personal information when you visit our website. By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.</p> <h2 class="relative group">Information We Collect <div id="information-we-collect" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#information-we-collect" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>We may collect certain information about your device and browsing activity to improve our website and provide a better user experience. This information may include:</p>Under the Hood of a Modern Real Estate Website: A Developer's Deep Divehttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/modern-real-estate-website-developer-deep-dive/Wed, 14 Jan 2026 12:00:00 -0600https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/modern-real-estate-website-developer-deep-dive/<p>As a software engineer, I’m always excited to share the technical details behind my projects. In this post, I’ll take you on a tour of the architecture and technology stack of a real estate website I built from the ground up, <a href="https://dfwhousepro.com" target="_blank" >dfw property listings</a>. This project showcases a modern approach to web development, prioritizing performance, user experience, and security.</p> <h2 class="relative group">The Power of the JAMstack <div id="the-power-of-the-jamstack" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#the-power-of-the-jamstack" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>At its core, the website is built using the <strong>JAMstack</strong> architecture (JavaScript, APIs, and Markup). This is not your traditional monolithic web application. Instead of being dynamically generated on a server for each request, the entire frontend is pre-built into highly optimized static files. This results in:</p>From Ghost to Hugo: A Modern Migrationhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ghost-to-hugo-migration/Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ghost-to-hugo-migration/<p>After working on the miss’s <a href="http://dfwhousepro.com" target="_blank" >DFW real estate</a> site, I was inspired by its modern and efficient architecture. The project’s lean approach, which minimized overhead by carefully selecting fonts and optimizing images, resulted in impressively fast client-side response times. This experience highlighted the limitations of my current blog setup and it was really showing its age.</p> <p>With her site, after I got everything how we liked it, I pulled out all the extra fluff by creating custom client side assets. The theme came bundled with font awesome and woff libraries. I ripped out what wasn’t actually needed and it really improved that response rate. I did some SEO work, created some AMP go templates, although for our use case, AMP really served no benefit as the styling and scripting was already minimal.</p>Automating Deployments on a Raspberry Pi with Go, Nginx, and Webhookshttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/automating-deployments-on-a-raspberry-pi-with-go-nginx-and-webhooks/Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:48:57 -0600https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/automating-deployments-on-a-raspberry-pi-with-go-nginx-and-webhooks/<p>Running personal projects on a Raspberry Pi is a fantastic way to host applications efficiently and affordably. For my own React/NodeJS project I wanted a way to deploy updates without manually SSH-ing into the Pi, pulling the latest git changes, and restarting services. I needed a simple, lightweight CI/CD pipeline that wouldn’t bog down the Pi’s limited resources.</p> <p>The solution? A custom-built webhook listener written in Go, fronted by an Nginx reverse proxy, and managed by systemd. This setup automatically deploys the latest version of the application whenever I push a change to the <code>main</code> branch on GitHub. Waiting for a push from Github, not continually polling for updates.</p>Turning A Raspberry Pi 5 Into A Passive Network Monitorhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/raspberry-pi-5-passive-network-monitor-tig-stack/Thu, 19 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/raspberry-pi-5-passive-network-monitor-tig-stack/<p><strong><em>EXPERIMENTAL</em>!</strong></p> <p><strong>Pretty sure the upload/download is murdering my connection. Just get a router that natively supports OpenWRT and you’re good.</strong></p> <p>I’m going to walk you through the process I took to turn my Raspberry Pi 5 into a “passive” network statistics hub, leveraging a TIG stack. Got it? Cool. What this will monitor is available network bandwidth, the Pi’s hardware usage, and wifi channel usage in the wireless range of the Pi. This is going to be somewhat comprehensive, but then also somewhat just get it working. I’m not concerned or focusing on security here. I tried to go through my bash history but there is a lot of garbage in there. Think I had initially set it to 1000 lines, and it was all used up.</p>Harvesting Contenthttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/google-places-api-reviews-integration/Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/google-places-api-reviews-integration/<p>While working on <a href="https://dfwhousepro.com" target="_blank" >the best Dallas/Fort Worth real estate agent</a>’s website, I realized that there was organic content already available. her <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/fMd59ad7Zv3Ym8Qy7?g_st=ic" target="_blank" >Google business profile</a> already had reviews that she was accumulating from her previous clients. Consuming <a href="https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/web-service#features-for-places-api-new" target="_blank" >Google Places API</a>, these reviews could be leveraged to add content not only for search engines to pick up, but add feedback content for potential new clients to view.</p> <h2 class="relative group">Scene Cut: Enters Buzzwords <div id="scene-cut-enters-buzzwords" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#scene-cut-enters-buzzwords" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <h3 class="relative group">This is not the API you’re looking for <div id="this-is-not-the-api-youre-looking-for" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#this-is-not-the-api-youre-looking-for" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h3> <p>Well best place to start is referencing the developer API guide. All API should require an API key, so we had to start there. For the time being, I used my own Google API key, which gives you the most five recent reviews for a given Place ID. Using a Google business profile for the requested Place ID removes this restriction. I woke up one morning and decided to template things up, and didn’t want to go about getting login credentials.</p>DIY Backyard Lightinghttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-backyard-lighting-installation/Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-backyard-lighting-installation/<p><video controls preload="metadata" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"> <source src="images/diy-backyard-lighting-steel-cable-installation.mp4" type="video/mp4"> <p>String lights on steel cable</p> Your browser does not support the video tag. </video> Just a boy and his steel. I had some steel cable sitting around for a couple of years that I had intended to use to hang some string lights. Here is a dramatic video of my camera following the cable after installation. There is no before or during captures. Really wanted to check out the options of video embedding so we can start posting things over on my one and only, <a href="https://dyanterepe.realestate" target="_blank" >local DFW real estate agent</a>’s website I put together to give her some better web exposure. Get those keywords Google.</p>A Look Inside Hugo. The Power of Static Websites and AWS Hostinghttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/hugo-static-websites-aws-hosting-guide/Sat, 23 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/hugo-static-websites-aws-hosting-guide/<h2 class="relative group">PreAmble <div id="preamble" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#preamble" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <h3 class="relative group">or PreRamble <div id="or-preramble" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#or-preramble" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h3> <p>First of all, I dug through the couch cushions and found some spare time to give my website some much needed attention and TLC. I believe I went through 2-3 major RHEL upgrades, and just as many, if not more, Ghost versions. I think I opted just to wipe everything and migrate my data to a new host. I went through all the upgrades just to see how things handled the first go through, for the sheer enjoyment of seeing the outdated package warnings disappear from my terminal. DigitalOcean was blasting me the last few years about “migrate this” and “discontinued that”. The new CMS GUI for <a href="https://ghost.org" target="_blank" >Ghost</a> is a pleasure to tinker around with.## Hugo</p>Embassy Suites Corpus Christihttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/embassy-suites-corpus-christi-review/Sun, 18 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/embassy-suites-corpus-christi-review/<p>no. just dont.</p> <p><a href="https://www.yelp.com.au/biz/embassy-suites-by-hilton-corpus-christi-corpus-christi?hrid=HF1OLJZB4Qg9PWcCkpTd1Q&utm_source=ishare&utm_content=review" target="_blank" >https://www.yelp.com.au/biz/embassy-suites-by-hilton-corpus-christi-corpus-christi?hrid=HF1OLJZB4Qg9PWcCkpTd1Q&utm_source=ishare&utm_content=review</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Theyre doing to much. I became the Yelp Duke of this business after two check ins on Yelp, probably because no one bother to revisit a second time.</p> <p>My family booked a stay here since it was pet friendly and we also were expecting a discount. Prior to arrival, plans changed and the front desk required stipulations to out discount. We were not able to provide that, so we continued on with our booking and paid full price.</p>It was finishedhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-completion/Sat, 10 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-completion/<p> <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-completion/images/diy-patio-pergola-finished-construction_hu_4bc2a9ff50cbacee.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-completion/images/diy-patio-pergola-finished-construction.png" width="2448" height="3264" alt="patio completed" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-completion/images/diy-brick-smoker-finished-construction_hu_ba9808e0e8edb522.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-completion/images/diy-brick-smoker-finished-construction.png" width="1024" height="768" alt="smoker" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-completion/images/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-angle_hu_854441eb90a83071.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-completion/images/diy-patio-pergola-smoker-angle.png" width="1024" height="768" alt="another angle" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> </p>PHP and MongoDB traffic over SSLhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/php-mongodb-ssl-connection-guide/Thu, 06 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/php-mongodb-ssl-connection-guide/<p>So I’m writing this in hopes of saving someone an hour or two. I recently upgraded our development server from CentOS 6.8 to 6.9 and PHP 5.3 to 5.6. It uses the <code>MongoClient</code> to connect to our mongo database instance over a self signed SSL certificate. After the upgrade, it kept spitting out the <code>MongoConnectionException</code>: <code>Can't connect over SSL, is mongod running with SSL?</code>. After some trial and error, and some online scouring, I found the context options to pass to the mongo client connection to accept the self signed SSL. I was able to connect successfully over SSL from just the command line interface from the same web server, so I knew it had to be something PHP side. Before it was able to encrypt traffic by just passing the <code>array("ssl"=>true)</code> parameter. I’m just assuming here that the PHP mongo client before was fine with that, or the new php.ini file is going to need to be changed to reflect the old one prior to the upgrade. It connects now though by setting it up with the stream context options:</p>Patio v1.75https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-construction-update/Sat, 27 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-construction-update/<p>Patio v1.5 is on the verge of completion. I took the opportunity to get a head start on v1.75. Sneak peek of sorts <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-construction-update/images/patio-v1-75-lumber-construction-engineering_hu_cfc0a83f3f7fd06.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-pergola-construction-update/images/patio-v1-75-lumber-construction-engineering.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="lumber for 1.75" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> </p>Quick Soil pH Testhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-soil-ph-testing-red-cabbage/Mon, 03 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-soil-ph-testing-red-cabbage/<p>So I wanted to test the soil pH of a couple places in my yard. Flowering plants tend to be pretty reliable on the pH of the soil. The flowers of most plants can actually have their colors altered by changing the acidity of the soil. There are plenty of options out there to perform this test. The strips seem to be the most reliable, but the electronic devices in the market seem to be unreliable. Universities will usually perform soil tests in a lab for a small fee. For a quick and peek at what you’re dealing with, red cabbage and distilled water can be used. Some prefer to boil the cabbage in distilled water. I opted for using a food processor. Simply add a few leaves of red cabbage and add enough distilled water to fill a few small glasses. When the water is good and purple, strain out the solid bits of cabbage. I filled 4 small glasses, 3 of which I used for a color control(picture below). The left glass I added baking soda for a base, which turns the water green. The middle is just the purple cabbage water which is neutral. The right glass I added vinegar which turns the water pink indicating acidic. The closest glass is my soil added to the cabbage water. It shows pretty neutral, but leaning a little to the alkaline side. Neutral is an ideal soil pH. To get the soil sample, use a probe to extract at least 6 inches of soil, and mix it thoroughly so the layers are blended and it’s nice and powdery. place a white paper towel or paper under the glasses to see the colors better if you have bad lighting. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-soil-ph-testing-red-cabbage/images/soil-ph-test-flash-illumination_hu_eddb77f45bcee5a.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-soil-ph-testing-red-cabbage/images/soil-ph-test-flash-illumination.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="with flash" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-soil-ph-testing-red-cabbage/images/soil-ph-test-natural-light_hu_9684d05697b24239.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-soil-ph-testing-red-cabbage/images/soil-ph-test-natural-light.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="without flash" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> </p>Smoker updatehttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-brick-smoker-construction-update/Fri, 15 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-brick-smoker-construction-update/<p>It’s working!! There’s maybe a couple of weekends worth of putting the exterior on and it’ll be one hundred percent. Maybe in that time I’ll find the time to post a how to, up to this point. There are a ton of photos. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-brick-smoker-construction-update/images/diy-brick-smoker-first-test-fire_hu_c46b29b78875f380.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-brick-smoker-construction-update/images/diy-brick-smoker-first-test-fire.jpeg" width="467" height="351" alt="smoker smoking" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-brick-smoker-construction-update/images/anakin-skywalker-its-working-meme_hu_3a36f27a46344ed9.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-brick-smoker-construction-update/images/anakin-skywalker-its-working-meme.png" width="467" height="351" alt="anakin “its working”" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> Contrary to popular practice, I used a refractory cement to hold the fire brick in place, and fill the gaps where there were some in the fire box. It will hold everything well, but fire brick is fragile and when they start breaking it’ll be hell getting the bad ones out. Anyway, the refractory cement needs heat to fully cure, so what a good time to test out the grill! Fired up some burgers and jalapeños, and good gravy they were delicious. The smoke box and fire box/grill had a temp difference of almost 2 to 1 so I won’t have to worry about having a huge, hot fire to get things smoking. Stay posted for more!</p>STEEL DAY!https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-smoker-steel-fabrication-metalwork/Sat, 21 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-smoker-steel-fabrication-metalwork/<p>Man I love metal work. Today is steel day. I’m fabricating the doors for the smoker, so I felt maybe this would make a good teaser. I’m not showing any photos or the process yet, but if you’re a friend of mine on facebook, they’ve been getting some good sneak peeks. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-smoker-steel-fabrication-metalwork/images/diy-smoker-steel-door-fabrication-teaser_hu_af383a965cf65e5b.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-smoker-steel-fabrication-metalwork/images/diy-smoker-steel-door-fabrication-teaser.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="Steel Day Teaser" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> Paid a visit to Pro-Titan Industries off of US HWY 380, who have been knowledgeable, and supplied me with my metal needs(except the rebar). I’m aiming to be their number one customer I think. This whole project, I’ve tried to shop locally as much as possible. Gene Gholke off McKinney Street in Denton have been a big supplier when it came to the masonry stuff. Anyway, it’s coming together quick! Not much longer.</p>Kenda Delashawhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/kenda-delashaw-scholarship-memorial/Sun, 01 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/kenda-delashaw-scholarship-memorial/<p>We lost my mother on September 21, 2014 in a motorcycle accident. She was returning from a rally in Riudoso, New Mexico when they lost control on the bike due to wet roads. After a long wait of picking out a headstone, and then the even longer wait of waiting for it to be ordered and installed, it has finally been placed. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/kenda-delashaw-scholarship-memorial/images/kenda-delashaw-memorial-headstone_hu_44a190ef17b2bfce.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/kenda-delashaw-scholarship-memorial/images/kenda-delashaw-memorial-headstone.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="Kenda Delashaw’s headstone" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> It’s such a beautiful granite, couldn’t be happier with our decision. My brother and I headed up into Ada, Oklahoma where Boadie Anderson Quarries is located to pick it out. From there, our sales rep Jeff kept us updated with where things were at and when we could expect it. My mother was a kindergarten teacher, and to carry on her memory, we started a scholarship fund in her name. NCTC administrates the fund, and one student from Callisburg Highschool, where she worked, will be selected. If anyone ever comes across this and would like to donate any amount to the fund, here is a link to their site to donate, it’s a great tax write off! Unless they change their site layout and the link becomes broken, this should work:</p>ESXI Woeshttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/vmware-esxi-raid-controller-issues/Wed, 13 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/vmware-esxi-raid-controller-issues/<p>Patio is under way still. Stop asking. Srsly. I had set backs with time and weather, then I came upon a bit of a construction conundrum that I’ll go over when it’s done, but it has turned into a weekend warrior job. Meantime I’ve struggled getting a machine to run VMware’s ESXI this past week. Today was a good success. ESXI was not scanning and finding the storage devices that were installed. The first idea was that we may have an incompatible machine, the raid controller was being a turd, or we weren’t getting access to the drivers. Went through a days of bios configuring trying to make sure the raid controller was off, trying custom ISO installs. On disc. On flash drive. In a last ditch effort, before changing hypervisors, I set the drives up in a raid config and whammy, the installer found the drives. In case you don’t know, Google it, but you can press F2 on startup to enter raid setup and just go through the options. This is what it’ll look like: Create RAID volume, and I used RAID0, and keep going for however many different RAID arrays you desire or have enough drives for and once that’s done, the ESXI installer should be able to locate the storage.</p>Patio 2.0/Coffee Tablehttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-industrial-coffee-end-table/Mon, 07 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-industrial-coffee-end-table/<p>Project patio is well underway. Part 1 of 3 of the smoker is constructed, and curing. I’ll post a full summary after its completion. With rain in the forecast for the next foreseeable future, my masonry work will have to be put on hold. So I’m going to be brushing up on the C programming languages. In the meantime. We’re redesigning our living room with different furniture. We got a really good deal on a sectional and over-sized chair, problem was, it takes up a strange area so my original coffee table wasn’t going to fit the space well. The missus found some inspiration on Pinterest so we set out on making our own. First she did some measuring to get a size idea, then she ordered some premade round table tops. When those arrived, I set in on getting them stained all manly like. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-industrial-coffee-end-table/images/diy-coffee-table-staining-process_hu_485672def3a4edec.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-industrial-coffee-end-table/images/diy-coffee-table-staining-process.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="staining the table tops" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> We shopped around for some black iron pipes to give it an industrial feel, just FYI, those pieces can add up quick. Shop around or you’ll be paying more than what you would if you had just bought something similar from somewhere else. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-industrial-coffee-end-table/images/diy-industrial-coffee-table-finished_hu_bd9677cd6f290d6a.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-industrial-coffee-end-table/images/diy-industrial-coffee-table-finished.png" width="1080" height="1080" alt="finished coffee table" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-industrial-coffee-end-table/images/diy-industrial-end-table-finished_hu_a16e2a992246214d.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-industrial-coffee-end-table/images/diy-industrial-end-table-finished.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="finished end table" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> </p>Patio Approvedhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-construction-car-ac-repair/Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-construction-car-ac-repair/<p>Currently we still live in an HOA, but the neighbors in the area seem to agree it’s useless since there is no common areas so it may be dissolved soon. Still, I applied for my HOA approval of the patio additions and I got the approval letter in the mail the other day. I will post a summary and photos of how I did it once it’s finished. Shouldn’t take too long. The patio itself took forever just because I was having trouble finding concrete suppliers that weren’t involved in the states renovation of I-35. I will be putting in a pergola with a raised wall along the outer patio edge for seating and a brick smoker. I had considered a pizza oven or a pizza oven/smoker combo, but after realizing my oven will get hot enough, just minus the fire baking, I decided a smoker would get most use from me. I intend to make the fire box on the side that can function as a grill as well. This will all be mainly cinder block construction with fire brick linings and a stone veneer on the outside. The pergola will have steel tubing (which I bought the other day) welded to the anchor plates I stuck into the patio. I’ll then wrap the steel in cedar and finish the top. This way when the wood rots, the concrete wouldn’t need to be busted up to remove old wood posts. We’re having some early spring rains coming through, probably all we’ll get til summer, but I expect to get the posts welded on Wednesday, and after that things should take off pretty quickly. Meantime, here’s another project I did! I drive a 2008 Chevy Aveo. It’s far from something anyone would like to drive but it was cheap and proves to remain cheap. I get 40 miles to the gallon on average, replacements parts are inexpensive domestic, and it’s been paid off for a number of years now to boot. Last August I noticed the A/C struggling so I looked into since Texas is at it’s hottest during this time. Proved to be good timing with this 70-80 degree winter we’re having as well. I took it into my local Firestone and they diagnosed it and gave me a over-inflated estimate. Ok, so I go to Firestone because them and Hankook are the only manufacturers of my factory wheel size. I use them for tires and diagnostics and that’s it. Anywho, I trimmed the fat and did it myself. Cost a quarter of what they wanted to charge me, it was a complete overhaul though. These guys were a great resource, and they actually had the same problem. <a href="http://youtu.be/_Peb9o-LwfQ" target="_blank" >http://youtu.be/_Peb9o-LwfQ</a> It seems that the Korean made compressors fail too easily in all year models of Aveos. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-construction-car-ac-repair/images/car-ac-compressor-failure-engineering_hu_404917851acede24.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-construction-car-ac-repair/images/car-ac-compressor-failure-engineering.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="metal shards in compressor" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> They "explode" and send metal shards throughout the A/C lines, condenser, and evaporator. To diagnose if this is the problem, one can loosen the timing belt, and if the compressor can be cranked by hand, it’s an indication your compressor has failed. To really check, empty the freon and take the lines off the compressor. There should be a metal screen like in the photo above and it will have caught metal flakes if this is what happened. I replaced the compressor, the condenser assembly, expansion valve, and flushed the lines and evaporator using mineral spirits and an air compressor. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-construction-car-ac-repair/images/car-ac-system-disassembly-technical_hu_202f0c30d7231411.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-construction-car-ac-repair/images/car-ac-system-disassembly-technical.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="stripped down" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-construction-car-ac-repair/images/car-ac-system-rebuild-technical_hu_4e227d0254ffe971.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-patio-construction-car-ac-repair/images/car-ac-system-rebuild-technical.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="reassembled" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> The evaporator probably should’ve been replaced or had a pro flush them, but I’m not concerned with it being contaminated. This car is wearing out it’s welcome.</p>Safer Internet Dayhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/google-security-checkup-free-storage/Tue, 09 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/google-security-checkup-free-storage/<p>Google is giving away 2 gigabytes of drive storage for their annual security checkup today. It takes a couple minutes to go through and verify your devices and permissions and can be used for every google account if you have more than one. <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/9/10940046/google-drive-free-2gb-space-security-checkup" target="_blank" >http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/9/10940046/google-drive-free-2gb-space-security-checkup</a></p>Self Studyhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ember-js-avocado-growing-self-study/Mon, 08 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ember-js-avocado-growing-self-study/<p><a href="https://www.ludu.co/course/ember" target="_blank" >https://www.ludu.co/course/ember</a> In a hiatus with the blog for now. I’ve been incredibly busy for not having anything to do. Strange. Checking out some ember practice ^ see there. I’ve been looking at certifications as well out of just a self interest and wall decoration. I’ve started the process to finish up my patio, and I’m looking into delving back into my Boba Fett replica I created back in ‘05. I’m telling ya, I’m multi-faceted and busy. Let’s see, here is something I can share with you. I’ve been growing my own avocados from pits for a few years now. Here’s a plug for the site that got me started and is a pretty good resource: <a href="http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/09/09/how-to-grow-an-avocado-tree-from-an-avocado-pit/" target="_blank" >http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/09/09/how-to-grow-an-avocado-tree-from-an-avocado-pit/</a> Here was my first one, sadly, the day I decided I would set it outside for the first time, the hounds destroyed it. That put me back a year… <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ember-js-avocado-growing-self-study/images/three-foot-tall-avocado-plant-grown-from-pit_hu_c4ea2a575333d5e.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ember-js-avocado-growing-self-study/images/three-foot-tall-avocado-plant-grown-from-pit.png" width="2448" height="3264" alt="The before, approx. 3 feet tall" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> Literally 10 mins without supervision. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ember-js-avocado-growing-self-study/images/avocado-plant-destroyed-by-dog_hu_e8992e5d563fc3d7.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ember-js-avocado-growing-self-study/images/avocado-plant-destroyed-by-dog.png" width="2448" height="3264" alt="The after" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> I tried to graft the stem back together but it was lost. Guess it just hadn’t developed enough to take that trauma. Started another round though. <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ember-js-avocado-growing-self-study/images/growing-avocado-from-pits-with-finishing-nails_hu_85e3de4c509901b6.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/ember-js-avocado-growing-self-study/images/growing-avocado-from-pits-with-finishing-nails.png" width="3264" height="2448" alt="Newbs" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> I prefer to use finishing nails instead of toothpicks. They last longer of course. They don’t mold, rot, break off, and sometimes the pit can dry up and the toothpick will fall out and the pit is now too hard to push it back in. In that case super glue and a drill bit are needed.</p>Fios Outagehttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/verizon-fios-internet-outage-denton-tx/Fri, 29 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/verizon-fios-internet-outage-denton-tx/<p>Denton’s Verizon Fios is down. I may have to find some public internet service to push changes to the site today. Could just do it locally and push it all through later as well.</p> <hr> <p>Annnnd it’s out again. 2-1-16</p>Exploringhttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/website-adsense-css-troubleshooting/Thu, 28 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/website-adsense-css-troubleshooting/<h2 class="relative group">So I got an email the other day saying my site is official AdSense approved. I’m not too happy with how the banner positions itself though. It’s a responsive banner so it adjusts it’s own size, but it positions itself on the page funky. Ugh, I was wanting to work on the header but this thing is getting on my nerves so it gets priority one. Ok, so that was really easy to fix. I didn’t even have to tweak any CSS. The backend editor was where I had placed the code in the footer code injection. It apparently doesn’t count that as inline and therefore doesn’t format it with the other elements in the <code>default.hbs</code> file. Ugh, this thing generates a ton of browser errors. I see I’m not the only one with this problem either. It generates anywhere from 6 - 33+ errors and 20+ warnings so I’m not sure if I will hang onto this thing. Now the heading. I really want to shorten the height of the heading since it serves no purpose to me. The CSS for it is using <code>height: 100vh;</code> so it’s using up all the available height in the viewport which I guess is mainly for photography purposes? I’ll have to dig through and find the <code>div.vertical</code> and adjust its size. Or make a work around where the child background image determines the size. I’m going to take a break and add to this later. I just wanted to make sure I post pretty regularly. <div id="now-the-heading-i-really-want-to-shorten-the-height-of-the-heading-since-it-serves-no-purpose-to-me-the-css-for-it-is-using-height-100vh-so-its-using-up-all-the-available-height-in-the-viewport-which-i-guess-is-mainly-for-photography-purposes-ill-have-to-dig-through-and-find-the-divvertical-and-adjust-its-size-or-make-a-work-around-where-the-child-background-image-determines-the-size-im-going-to-take-a-break-and-add-to-this-later-i-just-wanted-to-make-sure-i-post-pretty-regularly" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#now-the-heading-i-really-want-to-shorten-the-height-of-the-heading-since-it-serves-no-purpose-to-me-the-css-for-it-is-using-height-100vh-so-its-using-up-all-the-available-height-in-the-viewport-which-i-guess-is-mainly-for-photography-purposes-ill-have-to-dig-through-and-find-the-divvertical-and-adjust-its-size-or-make-a-work-around-where-the-child-background-image-determines-the-size-im-going-to-take-a-break-and-add-to-this-later-i-just-wanted-to-make-sure-i-post-pretty-regularly" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>Added Disqus comments. I’ll try to tackle the formatting tomorrow.</p>ERROR!!!https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/cloudflare-javascript-ssl-bug-fix/Mon, 25 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/cloudflare-javascript-ssl-bug-fix/<h2 class="relative group">I was made aware of a bug with the menu button not functioning. It works on Safari but is unresponsive on other browsers. I wouldn’t expect any of the changes I had made to cause this but I’m looking into it. If you’re on a desktop, you can right click the button, and open the link in a new tab, then the menu will function properly on the new page. Surely this isn’t a problem with Ghost since everyone seems to use it, I must have done something and haven’t found it. I’ll post an update if I find the problem in case others come across this. I’m finding some sources saying it is from using a proxy service, so I may resort to a static menu. What I know, chrome tells me arctic_scroll is not being defined in <code>content/themes/casper/assets/js/index.js</code> which has to do with the "arrow quick scroll" so probably unrelated directly. Pretty self explanatory, but something is causing the <code>body.home-template.nav-closed</code> to not change to <code>nav-opened</code>. UPDATE: More source code digging and error checking has showed there is a problem with Cloudflare’s SSL blocking the JavaScript. Don’t understand why I’m able to duplicate this problem only with Safari browsers. <div id="more-source-code-digging-and-error-checking-has-showed-there-is-a-problem-with-cloudflares-ssl-blocking-the-javascript-dont-understand-why-im-able-to-duplicate-this-problem-only-with-safari-browsers" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#more-source-code-digging-and-error-checking-has-showed-there-is-a-problem-with-cloudflares-ssl-blocking-the-javascript-dont-understand-why-im-able-to-duplicate-this-problem-only-with-safari-browsers" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>And 30 seconds later I can confirm it was caused by Cloudflare. They have a beta service called Rocket Loader for running JavaScript faster and can cause problems if they involve jQuery, which the menu button does. This explains why the JavaScript for the "arrow quick scroll" was throwing an error too. I’ll remove that and set a size limit to that huge heading. Here’s the link to their troubleshooting guide. <a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-tips-troubleshooting-common-proble/" target="_blank" >https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-tips-troubleshooting-common-proble/</a> and here is more on Rocket Loader. What it does and how you can adjust its settings. JavaScript can be manually added to an ignore list, which I will do soon enough for the menu button. <a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/56590463/" target="_blank" >https://blog.cloudflare.com/56590463/</a> I cross browser tested with Safari and Firefox, but after I deployed Universal SSL with Cloudflare, I didn’t think I would develop new problems and worked exclusively with Safari on my MacBook. Now that the menu has my attention. I’d like to set up a rss subscription with the subscribe button. I plan to add an about me section as well, and I may change it to a static menu as well.</p>Google SEO and Webmaster Tools: Faster Indexing for Your Websitehttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/google-seo-webmaster-tools/Thu, 21 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/google-seo-webmaster-tools/<p>I’ve added some of Google’s code to the site. Down at the bottom you may notice a translator if you’d like to learn a new language.</p> <p>Photo time. I’m going to do what I can to add as many photos to bog this thing down so I can add an alternative approach. I’ve noticed the markup photo adding on here is very finicky when it comes to spaces.</p> <p>This is the pendant lights I put in above the kitchen island and the dining room table. We had an awful fluorescent light fixture and a 50’s style dinner light before.</p>Projectshttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-home-improvement-projects/Tue, 19 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/diy-home-improvement-projects/<p>I haven’t made any changes yet to the site, I’ve been distracted with other projects around the house. I browse and research while I’m at the gym looking for inspiration though. I’ve made a few changes. I’ve set up an SSL and some HTML tweaking. More to come. After graduation in August, I began working on a concrete patio in the backyard. I’m sure this will bog down the post on loading adding all these photos, but I’ll fix that.</p>About Bytes and Boltshttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/about/Wed, 13 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/about/<h2 class="relative group">From Digital Bits to Physical Bolts <div id="from-digital-bits-to-physical-bolts" class="anchor"></div> <span class="absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100 select-none"> <a class="group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700 !no-underline" href="#from-digital-bits-to-physical-bolts" aria-label="Anchor">#</a> </span> </h2> <p>Welcome to Bytes and Bolts, my corner of the internet where I document my adventures in software engineering, DIY projects, and everything in between.</p> <p>I started this site back in 2015 as a personal playground. It was a space for me to get my hands dirty with web development, experiment with the Ghost blogging platform, and have a live server to test new ideas. Over the years, it has evolved into a journal of my passions—a place where I can share the satisfaction of building something from scratch, whether it’s a piece of software or a backyard project.</p>About Matt Delashaw's Software Engineering Blog: Insights and Tech Articleshttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/about-my-software-engineering-blog/Wed, 13 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/about-my-software-engineering-blog/<p> <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/about-my-software-engineering-blog/images/stormtrooper-software-development-team-building-a-website_hu_19dbfd180099fba2.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/about-my-software-engineering-blog/images/stormtrooper-software-development-team-building-a-website.png" width="856" height="480" alt="Stormtroopers at work" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> </p> <p>Well I decided I wanted a website to flex my programming skills. With guidance from a friend, <a href="https://sethbrasile.com" target="_blank" >https://sethbrasile.com</a>, I decided the format of my website would be a blog.</p> <p>Most of the things that will go on here, you will never see. It will happen "behind the scenes" unless you follow closely and notice layout changes and such. I will share tech articles as well as a mix of my own achievements.</p>Spam Alerthttps://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/bitcoin-cold-storage-ledger-review/Wed, 13 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/bitcoin-cold-storage-ledger-review/<p>I just got a cold storage device for the experimental cryptocurrency Bitcoin. I find it interesting. There’s some good documentaries out there about Bitcoin, there’s some fancy widgets for it I will probably add to this post later. Here’s what I got though: <picture class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> <source srcset="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/bitcoin-cold-storage-ledger-review/images/ledger-nano-s-bitcoin-hardware-wallet-for-cold-storage_hu_6bbb265cacd626e7.webp" type="image/webp"> <img src="https://bytes-and-bolts.info/posts/bitcoin-cold-storage-ledger-review/images/ledger-nano-s-bitcoin-hardware-wallet-for-cold-storage.png" width="1632" height="1224" alt="Ledger" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="rounded-lg mx-auto"> </picture> Back to documentaries. There’s one titled The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin which was really interesting. I know documentaries can easily be one-sided but this one seemed to shed light on the good and bad, you just need to do some more thorough digging to find all the right info. I wasn’t too into online or software wallets so I got the Ledger. They’re pretty cool devices. They can be bought at overstock.com and you can read up on what it offers at <a href="https://www.ledgerwallet.com" target="_blank" >https://www.ledgerwallet.com</a>. It can be used as a USB device to upload your bitcoin addresses and features the EMV micro processor and what looks to me, it’s own personalized encryptions. I just opened it and haven’t had time to read up on all the details yet but I’m pumped.</p>