AJ's Blog
This is a personal blog focused on computer software and hardware. Most
projects are implementing software and hardware for a homelab. What is a
homelab? I would say a homelab could be a single computer or dozens of
computers connected in a network. You can also integrate with computers
in the Cloud.
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Recent Posts
02-07-2026
If you spend a lot of time in a terminal, GNU coreutils are probably part of your muscle memory. Commands like ls, cp, mv, rm, and cat have been around for a very long time. They are found on small embedded computers and the BSD version lives on all macOS systems. The reason they have been around so long and so widely used is for their reliability.
Still, many people do not spend a lot of time in a terminal especially now with so many apps available to make interacting with a computer easier with buttons and interfaces. In 2025 and 2026 I see a resurgence of terminal based workflows as many people rush to try out new agentic AI coding tools that were first released as terminal based applications. By far the most popular in 2026 is claude code.
01-24-2026
I have not touched the CI / CD pipeline in Gitlab that deploys this blog in several years. It was set up with a project that is now deprecated: Kaniko. The project built a Dockerfile (container image) without requiring root access or the docker socket mounted somewhere to build a container. In the years since I set up this blog, other projects have become available to build containers. I ended up switching to the buildkit project which I believe is directly from the company behind Docker.
01-18-2026
To close out my weekend, here is a post about setting up ZShell in 2026. In case you are not familiar with a shell:
What is a shell?
The shell is a program that translates human readable words (commands) and converts them into binary data that the Operating System kernel can interpret. The shell can interpret commands entered from the keyboard or a file commonly referred to as a script. Shells mostly follow standards set by the Unix operating system of the past. On modern Operating Systems like macOS and GNU + Linux, the shell allows you to control your computer and control other computers remotely.
01-17-2026
This is a quick weekend post looking at a tool (just for macOS unfortunately).
When it comes to running containers, docker is the most widely used tool with millions of container images available on the public Docker hub. If you are not familiar with containers, check out a previous post to get an introduction. Running containers on macOS is not the best experience compared to even a simple Linux server like a Raspberry Pi. In the past, I have explored other options such as Colima.
01-11-2026
After several years I received a new MacBook Pro from my employer. This post is a walk-through of how I set up a new macOS device right at the start of 2026.
Setup
When you get a new macOS device, you must follow the setup wizard provided by Apple. If you have multiple Apple devices, you may consider enabling iCloud. I think you can still use a mac without and Apple ID.
12-31-2025
Today I am reflecting on the year 2025. I try to avoid my personal life on this blog but this year has been more eventful than most.
My first son was born this year, we said goodbye to a feline friend, my vehicle was totaled, AI tools have made big changes in my day to day work, and I have renewed my interest in photography with a Sony mirror-less camera.