Jesse Builds Software

I recently went about setting up a home server to replace a failed NAS appliance. This time, instead of proprietary software, I used Debian Linux and configured everything myself. Because it is storing a bunch of important files, an automated online backup system was an important part of the new build.

I had previously used Arq for backing up our home network. It is awfully powerful and easy to use. I especially appreciate that it lets you run backups to numerous cloud providers. Unfortunately, it only runs on Windows and Mac. I could keep using it by letting my main Windows computer back up the contents (by reading from a shared drive), but something running on the Linux server itself would be much better.

Done well, background processes are a fantastic way to save time, and more importantly, save focus. Handing off monotonous chores so you can do something more challenging can be a true relief. Unfortunately, background processing isn’t always implemented well. When it’s done poorly, it can undermine trust in the system.

A lack of trust can have negative effects beyond just making people miserable. It can discourage exploration and discovery. It can force painful and inefficient workarounds. It can also cause data to be duplicated, forgotten, corrupted, or lost entirely.

Over the holiday break I decided to give GitHub Spark a try.

GitHub Spark is a new feature in GitHub Copilot that helps you build web applications quickly using AI. The Spark platform is based on React with Tailwind CSS. It also provides user authetication (via GitHub account), and user-specific data storage (via Azure).

At the time of this writing it seems like it’s still an early version of the platform, so depending on when you’re reading this, you may need to do your own research.

I recently needed to copy a few small text files into a container running in AWS Fargate. I assumed it would be an easy matter of copying it through the terminal session, but that is, unfortunately, not the case.

I was accessing the containers via the aws ecs execute-command --interactive --comand "bash" mechanism. If you’re not familiar, this is a quick way to get a terminal inside an ECS container running in any cluster. It’s especially helpful when you have containers that do not receive incoming traffic from the internet. It is almost like SSH, but it is not exactly SSH. And one of the limitations is that there is no equivalent to scp. There is also no ability to forward ports, so you can’t use it to access SSH either.

I recently wrote about the system I use to purchase Minecoins for my son. Not long after I got this figured out, my son informed me that all his friends were playing Roblox, and he would like to start using that now too. Fortunately, the process for Robux is a lot simpler than Minecoins and Minecraft Tokens.

Robux are a type of token that you can use to buy stuff in the various Roblox worlds. There are links to buy things everywhere, in your face, all around you, always. This is because Robux are a way for creators in the game to earn money. It’s unfortunately difficult for younger children to understand exactly what the big numbers beside cool things mean, or what the impact of buying them is, so I suggest considering how you want to approach this as a parent before dumping your kids into it.

I have a Windows workstation sitting under my desk at home. This is where I do all of my professional development. I like this setup because it keeps my work completely separate from my personal stuff. If I’m honest, though, my main reason for buying it was because I poured a glass of water over my development laptop. But now that I have it, I highly recommend it.

When I’m working at home, I connect to this workstation using Remote Desktop (RDP). It’s a fantastic protocol for accessing a Windows machine across a network. It’s built in to the operating system, and it’s generally pretty smooth. Most times I can’t even tell that I’m using it.

At the end of last year we got ourselves a new coffee maker: the Philips LatteGo 5500. This is a lovely machine. It’s a super-automatic espresso maker that grinds beans, pulls espresso shots, and steams milk all on its own. If you fill it with good beans, it can make delicious coffee drinks at home with little effort.

The 5500 can make a lot of drinks. I couldn’t find a description of what the differences are, so I made my own list. It took months for me to try every drink. This was partially because I prefer iced drinks in hot weather, but also because I didn’t want to waste good coffee.

My son is getting really into Minecraft right now. It’s a game that exercises design, creativity, exploration, and even teaches some basic programming skills. The stock game has quite a lot to do and explore, but at some point it’s natural to want more.

Minecraft has a built-in store with a wide assortment of extension, skins, and even whole worlds. Some of them are free, but most require some form of credit.

I’ve written before about our hallway whiteboard. It’s been helpful, and we still use it, but we are now transitioning to a digital display mounted on our refrigerator.

The digital display has two major advantages over the whiteboard. We can access it from anywhere, even outside the house. And it can include dynamic elements that are updated automatically, such as the weather, our calendars, and various bits of information from our home automation system.

I spent a few years studying Japanese with my wife. It was challenging, interesting, and fun. We met a lot of cool people in our classes, some of whom are still good friends. I found it so interesting, in fact, that I have also developed a love of talking about it. Fun for me, and a nuisance for anyone around me.

There are a lot of things I could write about, but I’m just going to share one Japanese word. It is my favourite word. If I could wave a magic wand and import it into English, I would do so with little thought.