NOTES AFTER HOURS
Practical notes on Linux, small servers, and the web, plus short pieces from after hours.
Docker Compose Healthchecks That Actually Help
Write a Docker Compose healthcheck that shows whether a service can actually do its job, without letting one shaky dependency mark everything unhealthy.
The Parcel for Apartment 4B
A package for a nonexistent apartment sends one resident door to door through an increasingly complicated building.
Inspect a TLS Certificate with OpenSSL
Check the certificate a server actually presents, including names, issuer, validity, and chain details.
The Last Train Was Not My Train
A tired commuter boards the final train with complete confidence and arrives somewhere entirely unfamiliar.
systemd Timers Without the Guesswork
Create a small systemd timer, inspect its next run, and make missed jobs predictable after downtime.
The Office Microwave Negotiation
Six coworkers share one temperamental office microwave and draft a lunchtime treaty that outlives the microwave itself.
Git Worktree for One Repository and Two Tasks
Use Git worktrees to keep a hotfix and ongoing feature open at the same time without cloning the repository twice.
The Umbrella Exchange
A borrowed umbrella moves through an apartment building and returns with a history of its own.
A Calm SSH Host Key Check
Check what really changed when SSH warns about a new host key, before deleting the old entry from knownhosts.
Five Quiet Minutes After the Lights Went Out
A brief neighborhood blackout turns five ordinary minutes into an unexpectedly social evening.
Docker Bind Mounts or Volumes? A Practical Choice
Choose between Docker bind mounts and named volumes by ownership, portability, backup needs, and failure modes.
The Plant I Was Asked Not to Name
An office plant arrives with a note asking people to water it and not name it, and the office struggles with both.