Blog Posts

More updates...

I am still working at updating the site to modernize and add additional functionality. Keep an eye out for new changes, and please let me know if you run into a problem. That can even be done through the new contact form if you choose!

What is new since last time?

• The previously mentioned contact form is available with cloudflare protection.
• Added a Picks page with recommendations that are filterable by category. The description area is small, so be sure to click the pick for a pop up with more information!
• Revamp of YouTube videos section (not that there is anything new there at this time) to clean up the view.
• Updated the Twitch banner to match the site and provide a live (muted) preview on the side.
• Added API integration to automatically update my WoW history, so that should be updated automatically going forward. Some minor tweaks may be required, and I had to go back in and remove incorrect raid clears from later farm runs based on Warcraft Logs history.
• Updated About page with additional information including a link to my linktree style socials page.
• Uploaded more photos of games and cats.
• Optimized image sizes and formats for banners to improve loading speed.
• Updated thumbnail styles to behave in a similar way with a zoom on hover animation and red border.
• Various other quality of life on the CMS side of things for me maintaining the content.
  • Added multiple image upload support.
  • Added drag and drop image uploads.
  • Added dragging of raid history to reorder.
  • Fixed issue where some modals were not accessible when adding tags on certain pages.
• More I am sure I am forgetting...

I have been working on adding some functionality and modernizing the site, some things that have been long over due. Feel free to provide me any feedback or suggestions on things. Still a lot more to potentially do, but I think this is a good start.

A quick overview of the changes made includes:

• Revamped the theme: colors, fonts, spacing, etc
• Added a filterable gallery section to share photos and screenshots
• Added an about page with some details
• A bunch of behind the scenes tools for managing these and existing functionalities to make continuing to add and modify content easier

Keep in mind the history and downloads are not very up to date at this time, but as I add more tools for managing these I hope to made additional updates.

Site Update

• Finally made some long over due upgrades to libraries and frameworks running the site.
• Added Bluesky link for the best social to follow me on.
• Removed Mastodon link as I rarely use it now (though still better than most other alternatives).
• Updated to consume the newer Twitch API to display my live banner at the top. Also added a viewer count and modified how the hide button works.

Twitch Update

I am currently streaming my raids and mythic plus dungeon runs in WoW. I am also doing some random Age of Conan streams as well. I do have some other plans of games to stream in the future, but the main streams will likely continue to be WoW with some other games as time permits.

Additionally, I am working on improving the quality of the stream for viewers. I have some additional plans, but here are some of the changes I have made recently.

1. Stream down to 720p. Due to not being able to reliably get the transcoding option (clicking the gear cog on the stream to pick from a list of resolutions) from Twitch for now, I have dropped the quality down to 720p to help those on mobile or with limited connectivity have a smoother viewing experience. When I can reliably get transcoding from Twitch, I will stream in 1080p again.
2. New scenes. I have switched to a new, more personalized set of scenes and transition.
3. Stream music. I am now running background music while streaming. Luckily I chose to subscribe to a service to provide this for this purpose, so I should not run into any issues with copyright like many streamers are getting on Twitch now.
4. Camera changes. I have been testing different lenses, settings, and crops to find something that works best for my setup. I have also included additional cameras for the cat cam and overhead view as well as an option to display video directly from my phone.
5. Background updates. I have worked on cleaning up and improving the background in my streams. You may notice the floating skull or the Ragnaros statue on the desk in the background now. I am still considering some other options to make things more interesting.

Twitch Schedule

• Tuesday 8-11pm CT - WoW Raid
• Wednesday 8-11pm CT - WoW Raid
• Saturday 8-11pm CT - WoW Mythic+

YouTube Update

I have not posted much content here recently. I did post my full DOOM Eternal play through, but I have not had time to create any boss kill videos. If I can find the time to do this I may bring these back in Shadowlands.

Site Update

I have not been adding or maintaining this site very frequently. My current role has moved me away from the technology I have used to develop this site, so I have been focusing in other areas. That said, I am looking to rewrite and improve the site using some different technologies. I am still planning which parts I want to keep and what I want to add. Currently I am testing out some theme options and a toggle for light/dark mode.

For now there is some broken functionality on the site. Twitch has updated their API, so the live banner is not displaying properly. My host has changed their configuration, and that is breaking the call to YouTube to get the latest videos. I am looking into what I can do to resolve that problem for now until I get something new created and online.

Update 24-JUN-2020

Decided to do a quick pass on some site issues that were bugging me. Still need to decide on a good color scheme and some other things before really working on making a big overhaul. For now I updated a few, smaller things that don't rely on those other decisions.

• Defined custom fonts (lost original set up with some other changes)
• Removed the default link underline decoration
• Removed some extra space at the bottom of the home page blog post section
• Conditionally added a separator between the blog content and topics if topics are associated
• Reduced the size of the blog topics