Firehose

Bad AI-generated images are a guaranteed way to cheapen your content and drive away users. Creating high-quality visual content is essential for engaging your audience. Take the time to make something good, or don’t bother at all. Quality matters.

In the same vein as “Is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all?” I propose:

Is it better to make something and have it scraped for an AI or to have never made anything at all?

My links page has been going really well!

  • My analytics show consistent visits, which indicates to me that people are coming back to check out more cool sites.
  • I’ve been enjoying exploring all my bookmarks and archives to add to it.
  • People are checking out cool, unique websites.

https://vale.rocks/links

Video

Implantation of My xG3v2 Bio-magnet

The procedure of me getting an xG3v2 bio-magnet from Dangerous Things implanted in my hand via injection.

😀 🤪 🤩

I had a great time building the website for Revolt’s Mutant Remix emoji pack! The project was all about blending creativity with functionality to showcase these fun and quirky emojis. It’s great fun capturing that energy in a site!

I designed and developed the site using my static site generator, Adduce, creating a simple, accessible layout that captures the playful spirit of the pack. It was a fun challenge to bring the emojis to life online!

Check out the website here: https://mutant.revolt.chat

Were you all just gonna let me keep on living without telling me about the rch unit?

This is so insanely useful for one specific thing I ended up fixing with JS the other day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My plan for 2025 is to put out more everything and focus on what sticks. The goal is to experiment, learn, and double down on what works.

2024 has very much been a year of general experimentation and exploration for me. Now I want to start testing things more aligned with my goals and putting the knowledge I gain to use!

I love the process of creating and refining things to perfection!

  1. Build something.
  2. Put it out there.
  3. Observe how it’s received and gather feedback.
  4. Identify, plan, and enact action to improve it.
  5. Repeat until it’s as close to perfection as possible!

The OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop is a powerful framework—not just for decision-making, but for building better products and experiences.

It’s also invaluable in avoiding wasting time building things that nobody wants or needs.

I ensure I write crap that I don’t publish so that if I ever become a super famous writer and then cark it, there’ll be something to tack to the end of special editions.

Sloppy AI-generated thumbnail images serve as a good litmus test for whether something is worth clicking.

Seriously, it’s great to know what is gonna be slop without even having to even click through.

Instead of pulling up the ladder behind you, why not add some more rungs or lower it a bit for the next person? Helping others succeed is not just a great way to give back—it creates a stronger, more inclusive community for all. Let’s build each other up.

My article on HTML’s legacy colour parsing was featured on Manuel Matuzović’s HTMHell today. 🎉

For those unfamiliar, the HTMHell Advent Calendar is a fantastic publication bringing together authors from around the world to share insightful articles on web development topics like security, accessibility, UX, and performance.

In my article, I dive into the quirks of HTML’s legacy colour parsing, exploring just why the value ‘chucknorris’ outputs red and talk about the resilience of the web.

https://www.htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2024/20/

Lost my pet chicken of 8 years today. She was with me from primary school all the way through high school and beyond.

She hasn’t been well these past few days. Today when I came out to see her, she really wasn’t well but was still hanging on. I think she was waiting for me to see her before she went.

I picked her up and cradled her for a while before she passed in my arms. There is a bit of comfort knowing I was with her in her last moments and that she wasn’t alone.

I’ll miss you Garbin. Love you.

A brown chicken being cuddled on a couch. I'm behind her and blankets surround us.

I might have neglected to re-add the analytics script to the head of my website. That’s a few days of data I won’t be getting back…