The TRMNL Diaries
A few weeks after getting my TRMNL X e‑ink screen, I tried building my own plugins. The process was surprisingly different from what I expected.
Me4502's Blog
All articles by Maddy Miller, also known as Me4502
Latest posts
10 Year Q & A
To mark ten years of writing, I answered an overwhelming number of questions from readers I never expected to have.
IPv4 exhaustion is now a UX problem
Most discussions don’t touch on the places where CGNAT is an inescapable reality. For many users IPv4 scarcity still feels like a theoretical issue, and they design the internet accordingly.
Phone numbers are not life-long identifiers
Most services expect a user will have a phone number available, but many make the mistake of treating phone numbers as unique life-long identifiers. This is a customer experience and privacy nightmare.
Have we decided that JavaScript is bad?
Most JavaScript tooling is being rewritten in non-JS languages. Is this a sign that JavaScript is bad, or is it a sign that we’re finally taking it seriously and forcing it to mature?
Pride & Bug Reports
When people ask for help with an issue on social media, it’s common to see responses implying it is a common issue. This can dissuades people from reporting problems.
What's new in WorldEdit 7.4?
We've been hard at work on WorldEdit 7.4. This release has mostly focused on internal changes and cleanups, but there are a fair few new features, which I'll go over in this post.
The JavaScript Ecosystem: What to watch in 2026
Last year I wrote an article about what I was going to keep an eye on in 2025 in the JS ecosystem. It was fun and introspective to write, so here’s the 2026 edition.
The Risks of Modding - Community
Another risk when it comes to modding is the community. They can facilitate feedback and help your mod grow, but they can also be a significant risk.
I wish reply articles worked better
Something I’ve always loved about writing articles, is that it can start a conversation. Something that I felt was missing however, was the ability to find actual reply articles.
The Risks of Modding - Content Creation
Modding is a labour of love for a game or project, however it comes with some risks that I don’t feel modding communities are very good at resolving or mitigating.
Whole Genome Sequencing Part 3: Ancestry Analysis
A common use for whole genome sequencing data is ancestry analysis. This article covers both online and offline ways to perform this analysis.
Setting up a Mailing List for a Personal Blog
To help combat the effects of AI Search Engines on my blog, I have gone through the process to set up a mailing list. Here are my thoughts on the public offerings currently.
What do AI Search Engines mean for Blogging?
AI chat bots are becoming ubiquitous in many areas of life, such as replacing online search engines. How does this affect blogging?
The dark side of account bans
I recently lost my Facebook account for two months, and was significantly cut off from certain aspects of society during that time. This is the dark side of account bans.
What actually is optimisation?
If you’ve spent much time in online gaming or IT related spaces, you’ve likely seen people refer to optimisation. What does this actually mean though?
What are shaders in Minecraft?
You have probably heard about shaders in Minecraft, but what actually are they, and is Java or Bedrock better for them?
Self-publishing an eBook as a developer
I self-published an eBook, and found it to be a complicated process compared to tooling for software engineers. This article goes over the process and my thoughts around it.
How to understand Spark reports to fix Minecraft Server lag
Spark is the most popular tool for identifying performance issues on a Minecraft server. It can be difficult to read if you don’t fully understand how it works.
The cost of a block lookup in Minecraft
Minecraft block lookups have gotten slower over time, but just how much slower have they actually gotten?
Motion Sickness Accessibility in Video Games
Motion sickness is an issue that affects up to one third of people. Is there a way we can strive to make gaming more accessible to people who suffer from the more severe forms of motion sickness?
The JavaScript Ecosystem: What to watch in 2025
2024 has been an interesting year for JavaScript. These are the projects I'll be watching, as well as the projects that I'm leaving behind.
Whole Genome Sequencing Part 2: Using WGS Extract
Now that you've got your whole genome sequencing data, what do you do with it? This article covers using a common tool known as WGS Extract.
Moving from Gatsby to Vike
My site has used Gatsby since 2019, but that framework is abandoned. I've moved to Vike, a framework built on top of Vite, and I'm loving it.
What to expect when you're expecting Minecraft Malware
Malware can be scary, annoying to remove, and extremely disruptive. It’s important to be aware of what it can look like and how to avoid getting it, as well as how to remove it.
Whole Genome Sequencing Part 1: How to choose a provider
If you don't have your Whole Genome Sequencing, picking a provider is a tough choice. This article covers some of the factors when considering options.
Should you forceUpgrade when updating your Minecraft server?
Should you run the --forceUpgrade flag when updating your Minecraft server? What are the pros and cons? And ultimately, should you use it?
Announcing CraftBook 5 Beta Releases
CraftBook 5 has been in the works for a few years, and is now ready for general use. Betas are now available.
What is Bukkit?
If you’re a Minecraft server admin, chances are you’ve heard the term “Bukkit” before. So, what exactly is it?
Stop using CraftBukkit
CraftBukkit is Minecraft server software that first started development well over a decade ago. But should you still be using it?
What's new in WorldEdit 7.3?
This release has been a very long time coming. WorldEdit 7.3 is full of many new features and underlying system reworks, which I'll go over in this post.
Using Knip to find dead code in a high-traffic git repo
Knip is a great tool for identifying and cleaning up unused code, and you can make it even more powerful using their preprocessor feature.
Why doesn't WorldGuard exist for Forge, NeoForge, or Fabric?
A common question amongst Minecraft server administrators is whether WorldGuard, or a similar protection plugin, will work on modded platforms such as Forge, NeoForge or Fabric
Everything you can do to reduce bundle size for webapps
Web bundlers such as Webpack are a great tool to deploy web apps, but for more complex programs, bundle size can quickly become an issue.
What are plugin conflicts on Minecraft Servers?
You've likely heard of plugin conflicts. But what are they? What issues can they cause? How common are they? How can they be resolved? This article answers all these questions and more!
Should you use a hybrid Minecraft server?
When running a Minecraft server, having to choose between Forge or Fabric mods, or Bukkit plugin can be a difficult task. Hybrid servers can sound promising, but they do have some downsides that are important to be aware of.
How to fix zip file closed errors in Minecraft?
If you run a Minecraft server, you might have come across cryptic errors such as “zip file closed” from various plugins, mods, or even the server itself.
Why you shouldn't use Offline Mode on a Minecraft Server
Offline Mode is a feature of Minecraft servers that allows disabling user authentication. It does, however, come with security risks and less software support.
Why you shouldn't run a Minecraft server as root
When running a public Minecraft server, it's vital to understand the main security risks. Giving a server too much access to your machine can allow hackers or other malicious actors to do substantially more damage.
Why I ditched Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) for my blog
Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP, is a web technology championed by Google to improve the browsing experience on mobile devices. Throughout this article, I'll outline a few of the issues that led me to ditch AMP.
Flexible working location for ALL employees is essential for accessibility
Recently, the topic of companies ending their covid-19 work from home allowances has been a talking point across the internet. To keep workplaces accessible, ALL employees who can feasibly work remotely should be allowed to work remotely.
Okay Vercel, you've won me over... Sort of
NextJS is a framework that I've been using for a few years now. As a framework, I love it. In terms of deployment, though, I've never felt a NextJS site was 'stable'.
Name changes are an accessibility problem
I recently changed part of my name, and the experiences I've had with a vast majority of services has been kafkaesque. Tech companies should strive to make sure that this information should be user-modifiable.
Should you use a fork of Paper?
Over the past year, numerous forks of Paper have popped up. The question, though, is should you use a fork of Paper over Paper itself?
What is the Paper hard fork?
You may have heard rumblings in the community about a Paper 'hard fork'. This article covers what it is and what it means for Paper and the wider Minecraft server community.
Should you use plugins or data packs on a Minecraft server?
Back in Minecraft 1.13, Mojang added a feature to Minecraft called Data Packs. These are becoming increasingly popular over time, but should you use them over plugins for your Minecraft server?
Why do some emojis show as question marks or boxes?
When browsing the internet or social media, you've likely seen some question marks or boxes where an emoji should be. What causes this, and how can you fix it?
Why should you never use a Minecraft mob stacker?
Mob or entity stackers are a new craze in the Minecraft server administration space, with claims to massively improve performance. Is this true, though?
Are free or premium Minecraft plugins better?
Premium plugins are incredibly popular amongst Minecraft servers today, but should you use them instead of free ones?
My thoughts on Inland Empire
I watched Inland Empire last night. These are my thoughts and theories on the film.