Nash Browns Blog
Purpose
I don't think of this website as a project showcase, although it closely resembles one. I don't care if anyone ever sees this. I don't care if I am writing into the abyss. I think that it is important to document and measure what you do while you are alive. My hope is that in 1000 years someone will stumble upon this website and see who I am. In a way, I may never truly die.
I am most interested in writing and creating content about topics closely related to the outdoors. Skiing, climbing, mountaineering, methodology, trip reports, testing gear. The same bullshit that everyone is trying to do. That is not a limit. I intend to write about anything that I find interesting or useful. Unrelated articles about tech and other random topics may just be harder to find. In fact, you may find some of those articles linked below.
Additionally, I find that this website gives me a reason to create. It gives me a reason to visit every place that you can mountain bike in Kansas City instead of just going to the one I like the most. It gives me a reason to skin the extra few miles to see what is over the saddle. It is a process that I have come to love, and I cannot imagine a life not written down.
Lastly, while I make works that are going to end up on this site, ideas start pouring out. I think that creating and writing about ideas makes me really think everything through, and that leads to another idea, and then another.
Name
A play on my name! Being able to include a Waffle House plate into the logo was just an added bonus!
Construction
I used a few different technologies to build the site. MDX was definitely the focal point. I wanted to be able to freely type out a document and not have to reformat it, but I also wanted the flexibility to add extra functionality that you would not get from a standard WordPress website. MDX was perfect for this; however, there was definitely some setup and learning required to get everything that I wanted.
Tech Stack
The tech stack for this site is pretty much just Next.js, React, and MDX. I use a few libraries but try to keep it to a minimum.
Database
There is currently no backend (I am using Firebase Storage for photos) or database. It is 100% static. There are some files that contain data that might look awfully similar to a NoSQL database, but that is just complexity. I want to model the data very quickly, and at the end of the day, it is static. At some point if the need arises I am open to adding a database. This may be sooner than later!
What Text Editor Do I Use to Write
Neovim & Tmux are the only useful tools:)
Related Articles
Surviving Winter in the Tune M1
A complete guide to surviving winter van life in the Tune M1 truck camper — 103 nights, 10,357 miles, and 56 ski days across 11 states and 3 countries. Real-world tips on heating with the Truma VarioHeat, managing power with the EcoFlow Delta Pro, insulation, propane, parking, and living on the road all winter.
