Happy Backending

GoAccess Configuration with Real-time Nginx Statistics

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 16:46:12 +0200

A few days ago, I received an email from Google informing me that I needed to migrate my Universal Analytics properties to Google Analytics 4. The basic problem is simple: GA4 doesn’t seem to be supported by the theme I use for my blog. However, many other considerations emerged as well.

Ethical Considerations #

Google Analytics is a service that allows tracking of users who visit a website, collecting information such as the browser used, operating system, geographic location, etc. While this data is useful for gaining insight into who visits my site, I also realize that it’s not ethical to collect this data for Google without user consent (yes, I haven’t put up the banner yet, you can call the police). For this reason, I’ve decided to remove Google Analytics from my site.

Little Bots Grow Up: HCryptoPrice Reaches Version v1.0.0!

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 21:46:12 +0200

Quite some time has passed since our bot’s activation, and all the basic features I had in mind during the design phase have been implemented. So, I think the time has come to proudly announce HCryptoPrice’s first stable version!

Features #

In the previous article I already described the bot’s main features in detail, so I’ll keep it short:

I Created a Creature and Its Name Is HCryptoPrice

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 12:56:12 +0200

I’ve given birth to a little creature — a Telegram bot capable of querying CoinGecko’s API and returning data on price, market cap, ATH, ATL, and other acronyms in a message.

Introduction #

I’ve been hanging out in Telegram groups where people discuss cryptocurrencies for years, but it’s more of a hobby than fanaticism. Each group had a different bot, and I often didn’t like them at all — all with similar features but always some detail that didn’t satisfy me. So, as soon as I had the ability to do so, I wrote my own bot.

NFTs Are Absolute Bullshit

Fri, 06 May 2022 16:56:12 +0200

NFT is the new bitcoin, the new blockchain, the new term abused by everyone to dress up the wildest ideas. A few years ago, buying skins in a video game was considered insane behavior, but today just say you sell NFTs and everything immediately takes on a futuristic veneer — a bit like a startup that runs a cinema’s ticketing system on blockchain.

What the hell is an NFT #

Let’s start with the basics: Non-Fungible Token. But what does fungible mean? Simply put, not replaceable. Unlike any cryptocurrency, where one BTC is equal and identical in value to another, an NFT is unique and is assigned to a specific public address that “certifies ownership”.

What's Wrong with Apple?

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 08:50:12 +0200

“iPhones are easier to use, I could never use an Android” — a phrase I’ve heard to the point of nausea, yet so widespread that it convinced me it was actually true. A few days ago, I became the proud owner of an iPhone 12 Pro. It was a moment of jubilation destined to last only a short while — just enough time to begin the troubled migration from my dear old Samsung S10.

Bye Disqus, Welcome remark42!

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 20:56:12 +0200

If there’s one thing I’ve always wanted, it’s comments on my blog. Even if it goes against the minimalist philosophy, in my opinion it’s necessary to provide that minimum of interaction between content creators and readers, as well as giving users the ability to interact with each other and ask questions.

Staticman #

My first choice was staticman, the most well-known solution in this space. In short, the software creates a form on the site and when a user comments, it opens a pull request on a git repository to store it, after which the site is regenerated including the comment. This system, already convoluted on its own, caused me quite a few issues: first of all, the blog is generated locally by me and then synced to the server via rsync. To make staticman work, I would have had to create a process that periodically checks for new comments and regenerates the site each time one appears — something I wasn’t thrilled about. Then there’s the editing problem: apparently users can’t modify the comments they’ve created.

Setting Up Disqus on Hugo

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0200

God forgive me, for I have sinned. #

I dreamed of a fully static blog — fast, snappy, without even a shadow of PHP. Instead, I’m forced to bow to harsh reality to avoid descending into madness.

Unfortunately, setting up staticman is proving more complex and troublesome than expected, with a thousand unknowns and difficulties, so I’ve decided to fall back on the good old Disqus.