Ben Holmen

2025-07-12 • web development prototyping 3d printing cnc kilopixel

The author describes the development of a unique display project called Kilopixel, which consists of a 40x25 pixel grid that assembles images inefficiently through a motorized gantry system. The project involves various aspects su...

2025-08-22 • art community hacker news live streaming kilopixel

The author shares the journey of launching their ambitious project, the 'kilopixel,' which combines a physical drawing machine with a livestreaming setup. They aimed for a balanced viral reception and achieved significant success ...

2025-01-31 • photography 30 years

The author was inspired by a friend to take a photograph each day for 30 days, finding it challenging but ultimately rewarding. They learned more about their personal style and what brings them joy, and were encouraged to realize ...

2024-12-07 • open graph software development bluesky api laravel

The text discusses the creation of an app called howtall.is, which allows internet friends to guess each other's height. The app is built using Laravel and integrates the Bluesky API for authentication, user data, and autocompleti...

2024-08-26 •

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2024-07-14 • chemistry soup food safety

The text discusses the concept of a 50-year-old soup and calculates the number of molecules remaining in the soup after 50 years. It concludes that the soup is not actually 50 years old, but rather only about two weeks old.

2024-07-09 •

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2024-06-30 • open source laravel php time zone

The text discusses timezone management in Laravel, emphasizing the importance of using UTC and other people's code to avoid pain. It also provides tips on easily converting to an application or user timezone and a fun tip on DateT...

2024-04-11 • internet social media developer terminal programming

The author shares their experience of pairing with strangers on the internet, which turned out to be a great way to connect with other developers and make new friends. They encourage others to try it and provide a list of people o...

2024-03-29 • mysql laravel homebrew cache meilisearch

The text explains how to migrate from Homebrew MySQL, Meilisearch, and Redis to Laravel Herd Pro Services. It provides step-by-step instructions for each migration.

2024-02-13 • markdown laravel scope scoped by

Laravel v10.44 introduces a new approach to global scopes with the #[ScopedBy] attribute. The author explains how to use this syntax and how to remove global scopes fluently using a new builder macro.

2024-01-30 • macos hyper key karabiner elements

The text explains how to map a hyper key on MacOS using Karabiner Elements. It provides a simple version of the process and explains the purpose of a hyper key. It also includes a quick how-to guide and examples of how the hyper k...

2024-01-29 • laravel webhooks message queues shopify

The text discusses the process of processing Shopify webhooks with Laravel queues. It explains how to register webhooks via the Shopify API, handle large amounts of traffic, and respond within 2 seconds. It also addresses handling...

2024-01-28 • diy projects woodworking passive solar heating

The text discusses the use of passive solar heaters to heat a wood shop in Wisconsin during harsh winters. The author built two dark boxes attached to the south wall of the shop to absorb sunlight and warm the air inside, with the...

2024-01-24 • php software testing defragmentation

The author discusses the idea of making test output look more like a defragmenter to keep things interesting. They created a PHPUnit extension that registers Subscribers for a variety of events and calls a method on a DefragPrinte...

2024-01-15 • aws backup solutions restic s3

The text provides a guide on how to back up production servers to specific S3 buckets using Restic. It includes steps to create a new S3 bucket, generate AWS credentials, install and configure Restic, make the first backup, restor...

2023-05-05 • 3d printing cnc web application g-code kilopixel

The author discusses the idea of building a large, inefficient display with a web interface called Kilopixel, which consists of a 40x25 pixel grid of pixels turned one by one by a motor on a gantry. The project involves a web app,...

2023-01-30 • shower thoughts manifesto temperature management

The author proposes a more refined and humane control strategy for shower temperature control, arguing that the current control strategy is inefficient and uncomfortable. The manifesto presents experimental results and survey data...

2023-01-23 • craftsmanship woodworking cribbage custom

The text describes the process of building a custom cribbage board as a graduation gift. The author recreated the board based on reference photos and designed the pegs and track for the CNC. The board was made from walnut and mapl...

2022-12-02 •

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2021-10-06 • setup synchronization data transfer lsyncd

The text explains how to set up lsyncd to synchronize files between two or more servers. It provides step-by-step instructions for installation, configuration, and testing of the synchronization process.

2021-09-27 • laravel queue horizon send multi-model server

The text explains how to set up Laravel Horizon to manage queues in a multi-server environment using Laravel Forge and Envoyer. It provides instructions for installing Horizon, running Horizon, and testing it out.