HTML Day: How to Join the Annual HTML Energy Event
An annual global event where people gather to write raw HTML and learn about the basics of a webpage. Beginners guide, tips for Hugo users, and resources.
BurgeonLab: Full-text
Full-text Atom feed of BurgeonLab: A Tech Enthusiast's Logbook
Latest posts
Costs: Price of a Personal Site on the Smallweb
How much does it cost to start a blog or personal website? Naty lists all the costs of running her sites as a smallweb / IndieWeb blogger.
A Dating Matter: Hugo, Indiekit, and Node
How an issue with dates in Hugo triggered me to go on a learning journey with Indiekit and Node.js, and ended up creating my first npm package Indiekit plugin. While writing this troubleshooting log, I ended up creating a new Hugo feature: a shortcode that fetches OG images from external links!
Junited 2026: Blog Sharing Month
An annual blogging event by Robert Birming where bloggers share others’ posts and help others discover cool individuals in the IndieWeb / small web community.
Style Guide: A Reference to Visual Elements
A reference page documenting how most visual elements are rendered on BurgeonLab.
How to Prevent Hugo From Publishing Draft Posts Accidentally
See how I added a pre-build step using a Bash script in my Hugo deployment workflow to check for the draft status of Markdown content. By using stricter linting rules than Hugo’s default draft behaviour, it can catch and prevent drafts from being accidentally published.
url2md: A URL to Markdown Link Converter using Python Script
Learn how to batch convert plain URL links from a TXT file into a list of Markdown links using Python, handy for link dumps or link lists.
How I Use Feather Wiki as a Private Brain Dump Tool
Discover Feather Wiki, a FOSS lightweight and customizable personal private web notebook, with multi-device sync via Syncthing and Android support using Termux.
How to SSH into Raspberry Pi over Ethernet on a Mac
How I fixed high latency and laggy SSH after getting a new router. Steps on how to SSH into Raspberry Pi over Ethernet with direct connection on Mac devices.
Offline LanguageTool: Free Open Source Grammarly Alternative
As a long-time user of LanguageTool’s offline server on macOS, I thought I’d share how I set it up. It’s a great way to get a pretty accurate grammar and spell checking / proofreading software without relying on online services. I’ll go through how to configure this open source tool, get extra optional improvements like n-gram data processing, and script shortcuts.
Set Hugo Navigation Menus with Active Class Without pageRef
Quick how-to guide on setting active class to nav links in Hugo menus without pageRef. A simple string comparison method works with any content structure. Code examples included for my top nav and footer menus.
Caw Caw: Trapped in the Terminal
A small, niche creative slash page inspired by fractalkitty, who’s an IndieWeb blogger and bird enthusiast.
How I Blog with Hugo on Android with Termux (CLI Emulator)
See how I enhanced my Hugo blogging workflow with Termux on Android: run a Hugo server locally, manage Git with Termux instead of relying on a separate Git client app (like PuppyGit or GitSync), resolve a fatal Hugo image processing error causing server to fail, learn to set up everything from scratch. I also share my portable computing setup.
Contributions: FOSS Log
Track my open-source journey—a log of projects, pull requests, issues, and merges I've contributed to over the years in the FOSS community.
How to Find Orphan Pages on Static Sites: Python Checker
This blog goes through the process of creating a Python script to find orphan pages (pages without internal links) on a website, Hugo static site files in this case. The script extracts all links from the site and compares it with the full list of pages to get pages which are orphaned.
How to Add Bear Blog Upvote/Like Button to Hugo with iine
Add a privacy‑first appreciation button to your Hugo site: iine features, install steps, and partial template code. Improving small web interactivity.
How to Automate OG Images with D2 and Bash Script
Read how I moved from third‑party free tools (like OG Image Maker) to D2, a text‑to‑diagram language, for local, customizable OG image generation. Combining D2 with a Bash script helped automate the process and produce ready‑to‑use OG images. The workflow uses CLI image tools (pngquant, cwebp, ImageMagick) and I talk about the benefits of text‑based templates, offline generation, and automation.
How to Fix Tuta Calendar Timezone Issues in Hardened Firefox
Fix timezone display issues with websites by bypassing Firefox fingerprinting protection, either globally or for specific sites like Tuta Calendar.
How to Add a GitHub Style Hugo Calendar Heatmap Widget
Turn your Hugo blog posts into a GitHub-like contribution calendar with Apache ECharts. I’ll show you how to extract blog post metadata to build a heatmap calendar using the Open Source JS Library. Including how to integrate it with Hugo partials and CSS, full code snippets, and tips on how to customize styling, scaling, and tooltip behavior.
Web Syndication: RSS and Atom Feeds
Explaining basics of web syndication feeds for websites. Two feeds are available: a RSS summary feed and an Atom full-text feed. Fit your reading preferences and get BurgeonLab blog updates easily.
Response to The Worst Community Report Podcast: Blogging
This blog shares my personal reflections on key blogging topics inspired by ‘The Worst Community Report’ podcast interview questions. I discuss my site’s name choice, writing motivations, social media habits, writing setup, and publishing process. I also explore ideas about smaller web communities and end with some recommendations just like in the podcast episode.
Quick Setup: Second Device (Linux) For Blogging With Hugo
A quick rundown of setting up a multi-device Hugo workflow, and accessing your static site files on three different systems (macOS, Android, Linux). I go through some practical tips, app recommendations, and config/commands to make cross-device blogging straightforward.
GitHub Pages Alternative: SourceHut Builds + Bunny.net
Learn how to replace GitHub Pages with SourceHut Builds, Bunny Storage and Bunny CDN. Set up a CI static site deployment workflow replacing GitHub Actions, with tools like SFTP, Rclone, and Curl using SourceHut’s CI platform running on Alpine Linux.
Uses: Dependable Services and Tools I Rely On
Discover the tech, gear, and essentials Naty relies on; from hardware, software, and services to daily tools like bags, coffee gear, EDC, watches, and more.
Leaving GitHub Pages for Bunny.net: My New Static Site Host
I share my experience moving away from GitHub Pages to Bunny.net for static blog hosting, prioritizing privacy and budget. Comparing load speeds and using Bunny’s FTP options. Codeberg and SourceHut are considered as alternatives to GitHub.
Retext Markdown Editor: Code Block Syntax Highlighting Bug
Fixed a syntax highlighting bug in ReText with guidance from genAI. Learned Git basics, made a pull request, and got merged.
Making My First Pull Request on GitHub
This post breaks down the pull request process into simple steps, perfect for Git beginners. I share my experience making my first contributions, including setting up your repository, working on a forked branch, and submitting a pull request. Plus, get maintenance tips to keep your GitHub repo clean and organized.
How to Customize ReText: Python Markdown Editor
Learn how to customize the ReText Markdown editor with this guide. Explore configuration file tweaks, style sheet adjustments for both the WebEngine preview and Markdown editor panes, and how to use Python Markdown extensions for enhanced functionality. Includes code highlighting setup with Pygements.
Blogroll: Interesting Sites and Creators
A curated collection of Naty’s favourite websites and creators, and inspiring blogs.
Add Captions to Featured Images Without Plugins on WordPress
Add featured image captions in WordPress with the Code Snippets plugin & a simple shortcode. No theme editing needed.
Hugo (Static Site Generator) CMS: Tips and Tricks
A collection of notes and learnings from using Hugo as a primary CMS. This post will be updated periodically.
Open Graph Meta Tags on Hugo and WordPress Blogs
This post explains how to properly configure Open Graph meta tags to enhance your blog's appearance when shared on social media. It goes over setup tips for Hugo themes and WordPress plugins, common pitfalls like firewall blocks, and best practices for images and descriptions. Useful for making visually engaging social previews.
Cloudflare Auto Injected Tracking Scripts To My Sites
Discover how Cloudflare’s auto-injection of tracking scripts led to privacy concerns. Learn how to disable Cloudflare Web Analytics (Real User Monitoring) and explore privacy-first alternatives for CDN and DNS. Services like HE.net, Bunny.net, Fastly, and others are being considered. Share your favorite Cloudflare alternatives!
My Blogging Pursuit with Hugo and WordPress
Dive into my blogging journey across Hugo, WordPress, and learning about IndieWeb. I reflect on webrings, RSS, and the pros of static site generators. Discover why I'm shifting focus to BurgeonLab as my main blog, overcoming challenges of managing multiple blogs, and embracing the joy of customizing themes, writing offline, and exploring IndieWeb principles.
Changelog: Hugo Development and Blog Updates
A log of changes to the structure, functionality, and design of BurgeonLab.com.
Colophon: The Inner Workings of This Blog
A rundown of all the resources that was used to create BurgeonLab.com, including sections on AI usage and privacy.
Things I Learnt About RSS Feeds
RSS feeds are still relevant, so I will share how to validate them and optimize their functionality in WordPress and Hugo. Learn to add featured images, exclude pages, and fix common bugs like invalid XML. With tips on improving RSS descriptions and templates, this guide ensures your blog’s feed is reader-friendly and visually appealing.
ReText: Markdown Editor (How to Install Python Apps on Mac)
Explore my love for Markdown editors, starting with Mou and evolving to ReText, a Python-based editor. Learn why Markdown is a powerful tool for writing, its pros and cons, and how to set up ReText on macOS using Python virtual environments (venv). Plus, discover tips like creating a minimal app bundle for easier use of Python apps on a Mac.
Use GitHub Actions to Automate Hugo Hosting on GitHub Pages
This guide demonstrates how to automate Hugo site deployment to GitHub Pages using a GitHub Action workflow. It covers prerequisites, the workflow itself, and the basic steps to get started.
Hardening a New Android Phone
Harden your Android phone by replacing Google apps with FOSS alternatives, minimizing Big Tech and optimizing privacy settings for better security.
How to SSH into KOreader (Kobo eReader) from macOS
Guide to use KOReader on a Kobo eReader with SSH mode to wirelessly transfer ebooks. Includes instructions and config file template.
Fixing TOC Anchor Links Behind Top Navigation Header in Hugo
How to prevent anchor links from hiding behind the sticky top nav bar using only CSS scroll padding and media queries for responsive screen size changes.
Customizing Neofetch: Load Weather Data Faster
Customize Neofetch to display weather data faster. Using a Bash script to update weather hourly, significantly reduces delays when running Neofetch frequently.
Mac Mini M1 Problems
Problems encountered on a new Mac Mini M1, e.g. Universal Control issues, apps not opening, and drive ejection problems. Workarounds provided.
How to Add a Scroll-To-The-Top Button to Your Hugo Site
Learn how to easily add a basic scroll to top button to your Hugo site with just HTML and CSS, without the need of JavaScript.
How to Boot DietPi from a SSD on a Raspberry Pi 4B
Booting DietPi Linux from an external SSD on a Raspberry Pi 4B for faster performance. Install using backup images to preserve an existing /home partition.
Sudden Influx of New Gear
Post about upgrading my over a decade old MacBook Air, problems with the new Mac Mini M1 and a new Raspberry Pi purchase.
Hello Hugo: Starting My Static Site Generator Journey
Introduction to using Hugo static site generator for blogging, choosing Hugo over WordPress and how to deploy your first site to GitHub Pages.
About: Naty the Tech Dabbler and Tinkerer
Some background about Naty S, author of BurgeonLab.