Changelog

2025-01-19 - Series Landing Pages

Added

• Series landing pages at /series/[slug]/ for all multi-part content
• Dedicated overview pages for each series with full descriptions and context
• Complete series metadata in src/content/series/ collection
• Series index page at /series/ showing all series with published posts
• Featured series section highlighting key frameworks and deep dives
• Series navigation component now links to landing pages
• Sidebar series collection updated to link to series pages instead of first post
• "Series" link added to main navigation
• 10 series landing pages created:
  • AI Observability (featured)
  • Confidence Engineering (featured)
  • Platform Resiliency (featured)
  • Decide or Drown (featured)
  • What Architects Actually Do
  • Beyond Azure Monitor
  • The Platform Layer
  • Intro to Log Analytics
  • Operational Change
  • The Poetry of Code

Changed

• Series discovery improved - series are now first-class content with dedicated pages
• Series pages show complete overview, all parts in order, and metadata
• Only series with published posts appear on series index
• Series cards display post count and tags
• Documentation updated for series workflow:
  • Blog content standards include series creation guide
  • README updated with series management section
  • Pre-commit hook includes series validation checklist

Technical

• New content collection: src/content/series/ with Zod schema
• Dynamic routing: /series/[slug].astro generates pages for each series
• Filtered display: Series without published posts don't appear on index
• Responsive design: Mobile-optimized series cards and navigation
• Dark theme support: Full theme compatibility for series pages

Impact

• Content discoverability - readers can now explore complete series frameworks
• SEO improvement - dedicated pages for series with rich metadata
• User experience - clear entry points for multi-part content
• Content organization - series are structured bodies of work, not just related posts

2025-01-15 - Homepage Load More & Archive Thumbnails

Added

• Load More functionality on homepage for better content discovery
• Increased initial post display from 7 to 12 articles (1 featured + 11 grid)
• "Load More Articles" button with smooth horizontal progress bar animation
• Client-side pagination compatible with static site generation
• All post data embedded in page for instant loading without API calls
• Archive page thumbnails for visual content browsing
• 60x60px article thumbnails between date and title
• Hover effects and lazy loading for performance
• Responsive sizing (50x50px on mobile)

Changed

• "Ready to Dive Deeper?" section now includes three action buttons
• Load More Articles (new - stays on homepage)
• Browse All Articles (existing - goes to archive)
• Explore by Topic (existing - goes to tags)
• Loading indicator upgraded from spinning hourglass to modern progress bar
• Horizontal bar with gradient animation for better visual feedback

Technical

• Static-first approach: No server-side API needed
• All posts embedded in initial page load (~48 posts, minimal overhead)
• JavaScript handles pagination client-side for instant response
• Graceful degradation: "Browse All Articles" works without JavaScript

2025-01-10 - Recruiter Chat Feature & AI Observability Series

Added

• AI-powered recruiter chat widget for career opportunities
• Floating chat button in bottom-right corner
• Powered by Groq API with Llama 3.1 70B model
• Personalized responses based on resume and blog content
• Azure Functions backend for secure API key management
• Mobile-responsive design with proper z-index management
• AI Observability series (5 parts) added to backlog:
  • Part 1: Infrastructure Layer - Azure OpenAI metrics and cost attribution
  • Part 2: Retrieval Layer - RAG pipeline monitoring
  • Part 3: Semantic Layer - Response quality and user outcomes
  • Part 4: Governance Layer - Policy compliance and audit trails
  • Part 5: Implementation - Workbooks, alerts, and deployment
• Unified series images for visual consistency across multi-part content

Changed

• Chat positioning adjusted to prevent overlap with Back to Top button on mobile
• Chat prompt enhanced with personal story and website CTA
• API migration from Hugging Face to Groq for better performance

Fixed

• Dependency vulnerability in diff package resolved
• URL encoding for architecture diagram filenames with spaces
• Azure Functions configuration for proper SWA API integration

Technical

• Backend: Azure Functions with Node.js 22 LTS
• API: Groq API with streaming responses
• Security: API keys stored in Azure environment variables
• Error handling: Comprehensive logging and user-friendly messages

2025-01-05 - Node.js 22 LTS & Automated Publishing

Added

• Automated scheduled post publishing via GitHub Actions
• Daily workflow runs at 9 AM UTC
• Automatically moves posts from backlog to published when date arrives
• Updates series navigation links automatically
• Triggers site rebuild and deployment

Changed

• CI/CD upgraded to Node.js 22 LTS from Node.js 18
• Improved build performance and security
• Updated all GitHub Actions workflows

Fixed

• Test suite failures resolved across all test files
• Broken links identified and fixed
• Content migration tests updated for Astro structure

2024-12-25 - Turbo Encabulator Satire & KQL Standards

Added

• New blog post: "Hydrostatically-Balanced Token Valves" - AI architecture satire
• Technical parody of AI hype and buzzword-driven architecture
• Complete with fake architecture diagrams and technical specifications
• KQL writing standards applied to backlog articles
• Consistent query formatting and best practices
• Improved readability and maintainability of code examples

2024-12-20 - Hero Redesign & Site Streamlining

Changed

• Homepage hero section completely redesigned for cleaner, more focused experience
• Removed animated terminal component and popular topics section
• Simplified to centered title, description, and single "Start Here" call-to-action
• Removed "Explore Azure" button for single focused action
• Improved text alignment and responsive layout
• Sidebar reorganization for better content discovery
• Moved Series Collection to top position
• Positioned Tag Cloud directly under Series Collection
• Kept Stay Connected at bottom, removed About section
• Start Here page enhanced with interactive terminal
• Moved terminal animation from homepage to Start Here page
• Replaced static "About This Blog" section with animated terminal
• Removed all emoji icons for cleaner, more professional appearance
• Resume page improvements
• Moved contact information from bottom to header area for prominence
• Repositioned Professional Philosophy between Summary and Core Competencies
• Left-aligned contact information text for better readability

Removed

• Migration artifacts cleanup - removed completed migration documentation
• Deleted cutover checklists, rollback procedures, and cross-browser test reports
• Removed deployment test files and other migration-specific artifacts
• Homepage complexity - removed terminal animation and popular topics for faster loading

Fixed

• Security policy updated to reflect current Astro stack
• Updated from Jekyll/Ruby to Astro/Node.js/TypeScript
• Changed contact method from Twitter to email
• Updated hosting platform to Azure Static Web Apps

Impact

• Performance improvement - faster homepage loading without complex animations
• User experience - cleaner, more focused navigation and content discovery
• Professional appearance - removed emoji clutter for more business-appropriate design
• Maintenance - cleaner repository without outdated migration artifacts

2025-12-19 - Astro Migration

Added

• Complete Astro migration from Jekyll static site generator
• Enhanced 404 page with animated terminal showing realistic error messages
• Improved theme toggle with cloud/storm cloud icons matching site's Azure focus
• Back to top button for long articles with smooth scroll animation
• Modern build system with Vite, TypeScript, and property-based testing
• Content collections with Zod schema validation for type safety
• RSS feed generation and sitemap automation

Improved

• Performance - Static site generation with optimized builds
• Developer experience - Hot module replacement and TypeScript support
• SEO - Automatic meta tag generation and structured data
• Accessibility - Enhanced keyboard navigation and screen reader support
• Mobile experience - Improved responsive design and touch interactions

Technical

• Framework: Migrated from Jekyll to Astro 4.x
• Styling: Maintained exact visual parity with Jekyll version
• Content: All blog posts, pages, and assets migrated successfully
• Features: Series navigation, reading time, social sharing preserved
• Testing: Property-based tests ensure content integrity

2025-12-15 - Series Navigation & File Formatting Standards

Added

• Complete series navigation system across all blog series
• "What's Next" sections for all non-final series parts (5 posts updated)
• Cross-references between series parts with proper linking
• Automation markers for GitHub Actions workflow integration
• File formatting standards and validation
• Unix line endings (LF) requirement for all markdown files
• UTF-8 encoding standards without BOM
• ASCII quote requirements (no smart quotes)

Fixed

• Series navigation inconsistencies across all blog series
• Decide or Drown series: Added missing Part 2→3 and Part 3→4 navigation
• Platform Layer series: Added missing Part 1→2 navigation
• Log Analytics series: Added missing Part 1→2 and Part 2→3 navigation
• File formatting issues causing editing difficulties
• Converted all markdown files from CRLF to Unix line endings (28 files)

2025-12-13 - Professional Resume Page

Added

• Complete professional resume page at /resume/
• Comprehensive career history from 2006-present
• 20+ years of cloud architecture and technology leadership experience
• Detailed work experience including Rackspace Technology, Avanade, Children's Mercy Hospital
• Complete education background (Oklahoma Baptist University)
• Extensive certification portfolio (17+ professional certifications)
• Key projects and achievements with quantified business impact

Changed

• Site navigation updated to include Resume page
• Professional contact information standardized across site
• Updated LinkedIn profile URL to correct handle (rinehart76)

2025-12-11 - Series Collection Widget & Theme Fixes

Added

• Article Series widget in sidebar for content discovery
• Displays multi-part article series with post counts
• Shows series with 2+ published posts only
• Sorted by most recent post in series

Fixed

• Light mode text contrast issues across the site
• Hero section titles now properly display light text on dark backgrounds
• Subscribe widget text now readable in light mode
• RSS button centering - "Subscribe to RSS Feed" text now perfectly centered

2025-12-07 - Kiro Configuration & Image Optimization

Added

• New blog post: "How Kiro Turned an Architect Into a Developer"
• Complete Kiro AI assistant configuration guide
• Personal story of discovering Kiro at Rackspace Technology
• Cross-platform image optimization script
• Works on both macOS (sips) and Linux (ImageMagick)
• Auto-detects OS and uses appropriate tools

Changed

• Image optimization: Optimized 45 images, saved 16MB (70% reduction)
• All blog images now standardized to 1200x630px
• File sizes reduced from 23MB to 7MB total
• Steering rules optimization: Reduced token consumption by 89%

2024-11-25 - Terminal Theme & Automation

Added

• Animated terminal component on hero section with "mental health deployment" theme
• Typing animation showing deployment of calm, confidence, and work-life balance
• Terminal window with macOS-style controls
• Custom "Deploying..." loader with spinning circle animation
• Custom favicon with terminal prompt ("> TA") branding
• Automated scheduled post publishing via GitHub Actions
• RSS feed subscription widget replacing newsletter signup
• Enhanced 404 error page with terminal theme

Changed

• Hero section layout redesigned with 3-column grid
• Left: Hero text with title, description, buttons, and stats
• Middle: Animated terminal window
• Right: Popular topics cards

2025-11-14 - Light/Dark Mode Toggle

Added

• Light/dark mode toggle button (floating bottom-right)
• Complete light theme with optimized colors
• CSS custom properties for theme switching
• localStorage persistence for user preference
• Smooth theme transitions (0.3s ease)
• Animated sun/moon icons

Themes

• Dark theme (default): Perfect for nighttime reading
• Light theme: Perfect for daytime reading
• Both themes meet WCAG AA contrast standards