konzentrik October Summary

Development

As October rolls around, we've been busy building, launching, and expanding! Here’s a roundup of what we’ve been up to in the past month, including exciting project launches and updates to our workflows.

🎙️ Podcast Launch: Server Side Stories

We’re thrilled to announce that our new podcast, Server Side Stories, is officially live! Every two weeks, Mark and Maurice will chat about tech topics that shape our lives as developers, often exploring beyond the code. Unlike our blog posts here, the podcast will be in German, but we’ll discuss everything from web development trends to unique insights into our daily work. You can now subscribe to Server Side Stories on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcatcher.

🌐 Mark’s Website Goes Live

For those following Mark on LinkedIn, you may know he recently spent a month in China. During that time, we set ourselves a fun challenge: to launch Mark’s new personal website in just two weeks. Spoiler alert—it went live even faster! We used KirbyCMS for the setup, and Mark has been busy blogging and refining the site since then. If you’re curious about the build process and how we optimized it, you can read more about it here and here. Check out Mark’s site to follow his latest posts!

📸 OG Image Plugin Now Available

A core principle for Mark’s website was automation, including the auto-generation of OG images—those preview images you see when sharing a link on social media. Maurice had previously built a custom OG image solution for his own site, and we’ve now made it publicly available as a flexible Kirby plugin. It’s easy to install and can generate eye-catching images automatically, making social sharing seamless. Install the plugin via the usual ways and set it up on your own projects.

🔄 Crossposter Progress

Back in July, we shared that we were building a crossposting tool, and we’ve made significant strides since then. The goal is to enable content to be easily distributed across various platforms, starting with a blog as source and Medium as target. The initial version is almost ready, and we’ll soon invite select testers to try it out. Our focus is on a minimal tech stack, using serverless functions as a lightweight backend to keep things simple and efficient. If you're interested in being a tester, feel free to sign up here.

📚 Book Challenge: Mark’s 20 Most Influential Reads

To keep his content fresh, Mark is participating in a Book Challenge. Every day for 20 days, he’s sharing a cover of one book that has influenced him. No reviews, no explanations—just the cover. You can follow the daily updates on his website or LinkedIn.

🔗 Links We Love

We often come across resources that inspire or entertain us. Here are a few of our current favorites:

  • Announcing Deno 2: This videos shows the new features of Deno 2 a alternative to NodeJS which looks very promising. A good introduction of what is possible right now and why Deno might be a better choice for certain projects.

  • The Pure Joy Of A Handwritten Journal: A journey into the world of journaling. A video on why handwritten journals can be more joyful than notes apps and other tools.

  • A timely post on digital ethics: A discussion on the importance of ethical considerations in digital spaces, particularly around privacy, user consent, and the responsibilities of tech companies in shaping online behavior.

  • Buttondown: A streamlined email newsletter tool: Buttondown offers a minimalist approach to email newsletters, with features focused on simplicity and ease of use for writers looking to connect with their audience. We now use it for Marks website and also for the Crossposter. It's our go to newsletter tool.

  • 10 bad Typescript Habits to break: This article identifies common Typescript mistakes developers should avoid, offering advice on best practices for writing cleaner, more maintainable code in 2024.

Our New Approach: Monthly Recaps

You may have noticed we’re posting less frequently here on the blog. With our focus now split between this blog, our individual blogs, and Server Side Stories, we’re transitioning to a monthly summary format for this space. Of course, if special topics come up, we’ll still share those as standalone posts.

Thank you for following along on our journey! Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t hesitate to check out the links, podcasts, and tools mentioned above.