Random engineering in infrastructure, data, open source, and the great outdoorshttps://blog.randoneering.dev/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3mpd2raacd323/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3mpd2raacd323/There are a few housekeeping items I wanted to address. First, I moved my personal blog from [https://randoneering.tech](https://randoneering.tech) to [https://blog.randoneering.dev](https://blog.randoneering.dev). This was simply because I wanted to put a separation between Randoneering, LLC and myThu, 02 Jul 2026 03:05:26 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icsvr22h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icsvr22h/## Couple, Too, Tree During Boise Code Camp this past weekend, pgFirstAid hit 500 stars on Github! Honestly, I really did not think it would gain the attention it has. Not to mention, in the thick of the AI craze. Especially, when everything I start to build triggers the typical impostor syndrome rThu, 07 May 2026 14:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icvrkk2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icvrkk2h/## We are only in March of 2026 {{< figure src="/images/scale23x.jpeg" alt="SCALE 23x conference scene" title="" >}} This March I had the pleasure of speaking at SCALE 23x, making this the first public speaking events that I have done in my industry. I only have positive things to say about the exFri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icucok2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icucok2h/# Making progress, one check at a time Since I publicly announced pgFirstAid in November 2025, the project is somehow at 477 (as of 2026-01-06) stars on GitHub! Honestly, I was absolutely shocked to see how quickly things escalated. I remember the anxiety of submitting the first public acknowledgemTue, 06 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ictlak2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ictlak2h/# pgFirstAid, your PostgreSQL Server’s health checkup I started my career in data as a SQL Server DBA and was quickly introduced to Brent Ozar. Many SQL Server DBAs will know the name, as well as Ola Hallengren’s infamous maintenance.sql SQL Server maintenance plan. In the years I supported SQL SerSat, 15 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icuz5c2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icuz5c2h/## Confessions As the AI Chatbot Hype-Train started chugging along at the first announcement of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November of 2022[^1], I will admit that I was an immediate skeptic. Between the blatent dismissal of licenses and tactics to scrape the internet for training, I felt that this tool woFri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icmct22h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icmct22h/{{< figure src="/images/scale22x.jpeg" title="Welcome to SCALE 22x!" >}} This year is my first, and hopefully not last, time attending SCALE (Southern California Linux Expo). Yes, it is a conference full of Linux enthusiasts, and yes, we all look completely different. That is the joy about our commMon, 10 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2iczyd22h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2iczyd22h/# ALF Chicago Marathon 2025 Liver Life Challenge Update We are approaching our $1000 mark, with a strong $937 already raised in January! Thank you all for your support. Keep sharing the link with whomever you come across, and do not forget to see if your employer matches your contributions! https:Sat, 25 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icz4y22h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icz4y22h/# ALF Chicago Marathon 2025 Liver Life Challenge Update First, I want to thank everyone for donating! In the week I made my first post, so many people reached out and shared the link across their networks. With the help of the initial outreach, we raised $785! Humbled does not begin to describe howSun, 12 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icydlk2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icydlk2h/# Notable Articles ## More RTO Nonsense (no, not Recovery Time Objective....) https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/nearly-half-of-dell-s-full-time-workforce-in-the-u-s-has-rejected-returning-to-the-office-they-d-rather-work-from-home-than-get-promoted/ar-BB1oBygb Avoiding this conversation hSun, 05 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icxfcs2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icxfcs2h/# Notable Articles ## Gordon Mah Ung https://www.pcworld.com/article/2564783/gordon-mah-ung-remembered.html Growing up in my PC Master Race years, I remember reading PCWorld articles, and eventually, watching clips with Gordon in front of the camera in the early days of youtube. And, if I can remeThu, 26 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icwjxs2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icwjxs2h/# Notable Articles ## The "Ideal" Pull Request Template https://ashleemboyer.com/blog/pull-request-template/ I started to see this more at the company I work with now when I get tagged for schema reviews. To be honest, I love templates; I used to have a go to template for my test cases when I was Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icjg2c2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icjg2c2h/# I Still Use This Website Yet another large gap in my posts, and the only answer I can provide to you is lack of time and motivation to do anything about it. However, I have told myself that I should hold myself accountable for posting and doing research on the things that I love. If some of that Fri, 06 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icpfhc2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icpfhc2h/# I have been busy You will notice how my posts are spread out, and my answer for that is simple; life. Between several life changes, a cross country move, and busy work life, it is hard for me to muster the energy to do anything other than meditate and go to sleep. So here are a few things I have Sun, 14 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ics6d22h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ics6d22h/# I gave up To save the trouble of leaving you all on a cliff hanger, I switched back to pop_OS. I'll explain, to my best ability why. But I do want to point out some of things I learned about NixOS that make it one of the best operating systems I have ever used. At the end of the day, I wanted to Tue, 05 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icrhuc2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icrhuc2h/# NixOS Journey, Part 1 So, for those who have yet to go down this path, it would be helpful to explain what NixOS is. NixOS is a free and open-source Linux distribution. What sets itself apart from Pop!os, Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, and many others is that its entire operating system is built by the NiFri, 29 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ickwus2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ickwus2h/# Time for mysqldump The script is identical other than two things. First, we have to use a separate secrets file to the user and password to execute mysqldump. Secondly, the parameter order is different for mysqldump, and it is very picky. I have included some source post and documentation that heSun, 29 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ickbfc2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ickbfc2h/# The Ask I was asked to do the following. First, I needed to run a backup of specific databases, both in Postgres and MySQL. Second, I needed to gzip the backup. Finally, it had to be uploaded to an S3 bucket. Seemed straight forward enough. # The How In a previous life, I worked in a Sysadmin/Fri, 27 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ico6fc2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2ico6fc2h/# This is a quick one To prove a point, and make it "easier", you could just use docker and run FreshRSS that way. It takes less time, honestly, and less complicated. So, why not: # Oh, linuxserver.io, how I adore you I went with the instructions and image curated by linuxserver.io: https://docsTue, 04 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icmyck2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icmyck2h/# I love RSS If you are like me and love RSS, I highly recommend hosting your own RSS Feed aggregator. A fellow community member in the TechnoTim discord (Thanks Blade) introduced me to FressRSS. It is free, lightweight, relatively easy to work with, and fully customizable. Though, it seems I likeFri, 23 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icqrfk2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icqrfk2h/**Davis Vantage Pro2 Acquired** A few years ago, my wife's grandfather gifted me a Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station. Originally, he was given this weather station by one of his sons who was deployed on active duty in the Middle East shortly after 9/11. This specific weather station was used at hSat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icq3w22h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2icq3w22h/As a true homelab enthusiast, I decided to swap out the middle fans of my supermicro 826 server chassis and the two X5860s with two L5640s. For months, I have left my lab running, but barely using the 20+ cores and 128GB of RAM I have in the box. Paired with a 1000w power supply, I was feeling pretSat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2iclndk2h/https://blog.randoneering.dev/blog/3moz2iclndk2h/# Getting Down to the Basics This will be an ongoing task and is in a private repo currently. However, I wanted to share the core of the playbook here. Check back periodically where I will make adjustments to include other best practices. Once I feel like this is in a solid state, I will open up thSat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT