He’s Not Dead, He’s Resting!

Sunday, 13 Jul 2025

I’m not dead yet, I’m just resting! I took a couple weeks to tour Japan with my daughter and then a couple more weeks to get over whatever I caught at the end of our trip (I genuinely suspect it was the terrible throat variation of Covid going around. It wiped me out).

I have updates though!

Spotlighting Tahoe

First of all, I installed the Tahoe developer beta on my Mac, and I immediately started playing with Apple’s updated Spotlight. If I had to bet money, I would never have put any down on being able to replace Raycast with it, but that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ll have several posts on the hows and whys of this in the future.

I took many photos in Japan. Not nearly enough, as it turns out, but many. Before I left for Japan, I started whipping together an Astro site that I could post them to, imagining I’d live-post from Japan, but that didn’t happen. In fact, I just now have the site to a workable state I’m happy with. It’s at Photos and Words. I haven’t started adding my Japan trip photos yet though – stay tuned!

I created a public GitHub repo (scottaw66/astro-photoswipe: An Astro photo website with Photoswipe for the Lightbox functionality.) with the code so you can fork it and show me how much better of a programmer and designer than I am.

Tailscale and Travel Routers

The combination of Tailscale and my GL-AXT1800 / Slate AX - GL.iNet travel router was a huge win for me in Japan. The travel router is nice – it can connect to any wifi source so I was able to get it on the hotel networks and then all our devices could just connect to it. Even better, it supports Tailscale so I could use an exit node that is allowed to SSH into servers I help manage and web apps I need for paid work.

More to Come

Each of these probably deserves some coverage on its own, which is my plan. I’m really looking forward into coalescing my thoughts on Spotlight as a Raycast sherlocker, because I know many people will not believe it possible.

/Now Page Update – Podcast Episode Artwork

Thursday, 22 May 2025

Part of the Raycast series

I made a change yesterday to my /now page to make the Podcasts section look nicer by including podcast artwork next to the episode entries. I think it adds visual interest, and (most importantly) it was fun to update my recent podcast history script to include it.

This change was partially spurred by me switching from Overcast as my podcast app to Apple Podcasts due to a couple Overcast bugs that were annoying me. However, switching podcast apps did mean updating my /now page Podcast episodes would be a bit more manual, due to Apple Podcasts not saving the history in a way that I can retrieve via automation. I started looking at using the iTunes API to grab episode information, and while doing so, I figured I may as well perform the simple chore of also grabbing the artwork along with the other episode information.

But then Marco updated Overcast a couple days ago and it fixed some of the bugs that were bugging me, so I bugged right back out of Apple Podcasts land and back to Overcast.¹ At this point, I could have just gone back to my Recent Overcast History Raycast script command with no changes, and no one would have ever noticed based on what appears on my /now page, but the thought of showing podcast artwork as part of my recent listening history stuck with me. I decided I had to do it.

Understanding how this works requires a little background on other parts of this script. Rather than bore you to death with ALL the details, I’ll just give you some relevant code snippets and then give full python module code dumps at the end. First though, here’s a before and after comparison of my recent podcast listening history.

Then:

Now:

Podcast Listening History Overview

Basically the way I automate grabbing my recent podcast listening history for my /now page goes like this:

Log into my Overcast account and download my Overcast history OPML file.
Parse the OPML file for all podcast-episode elements with the played attribute set to 1.
Filter these down to a specfic number of days worth, order them with most recently listened first, and then filter them again so that only the last 10 of those are returned.
For each episode in this list, load the overcast episode details page and parse the URL of the podcast artwork image. Download it and shove it in a specific folder. Then create the markdown links (including images) for the episode for display on the /now page and append it to the full list of episode links.
Put this list of markdown links on the clipboard.
Run a Retrobatch action to scale the artwork way down and put it in the correct folder in the website source for site compilation.

All the above happens automatically when I run the script. I have it set up as a Raycast script command, so I trigger it to happen. I could have it update itself on a specific basis and automatically update, compile, and push the site, but I don’t. But that’s a logical series of next steps for anyone who wants a fully automated experience.

The Raycast Script Command

Here’s the Raycast script command. It’s called Recent Overcast History. Note that any Raycast script command can be run outside of Raycast like any other script of its kind (bash, in this case), but I do call this through Raycast.

1
#!/bin/bash
2

3
# Required parameters:
4
# @raycast.schemaVersion 1
5
# @raycast.title Recent Overcast History
6
# @raycast.mode fullOutput
7

8
# Optional parameters:
9
# @raycast.icon ../icons/Overcast.png
10
# @raycast.argument1 { "type": "dropdown", "placeholder": "Choose Mode", "data": [ { "title": "Normal", "value": "normal" }, { "title": "Force", "value": "force" } ] }
11
# @raycast.packageName Website
12

13
# Documentation:
14
# @raycast.description Grabs OC history and gets the most recent listened or in progress from it
15
# @raycast.author scott_willsey
16
# @raycast.authorURL https://raycast.com/scott_willsey
17

18
TYPE=$1
19

20
if [ "$TYPE" = 'force' ]; then
21
    /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/main.py -f
22
else
23
    /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/main.py
24
fi
25

26
/Applications/Retrobatch.app/Contents/MacOS/Retrobatch --workflow /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-images/OCPodcastArtworkResize.retrobatch &
27

28
wait
29

30
# delete all files in /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/images
31
rm -f /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/images/*

Recent Overcast History has one dropdown parameter I need to choose: “Normal” or “Force”. I have this because if it’s been less than 2 days, I don’t redownload the OPML file unless I choose “Force”. One nice thing about Raycast is it always remembers what your last choice was and defaults to that.

The Python Scripts

Recent Overcast History’s first action is to run scottwillsey-overcast-history/main.py, which is responsible for initiating the series of steps I outlined above.

1
#!/Users/scott/Scripts/python/venv/bin/python
2
import argparse
3
import os
4
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
5
import constants as const
6
from oc_history import load_oc_history
7
from oc_opml_parse import oc_opml_parse
8

9
p = argparse.ArgumentParser()
10
p.add_argument('-f', '--force', action='store_true', help='Force local OPML file parsing')
11

12
args = p.parse_args()
13

14
def file_is_old(file_path):
15
    if not os.path.exists(file_path):
16
        return True
17

18
    file_mod_date = os.path.getmtime(file_path)
19
    display_date = datetime.fromtimestamp(file_mod_date)
20
    print(f'OPML file created on {display_date.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")}')
21
    file_datetime = datetime.fromtimestamp(file_mod_date)
22
    print(f'file_datetime = {file_datetime}')
23
    stale_date = datetime.now() - timedelta(days=const.OPML_AGE_LIMIT_DAYS)
24
    print(f'stale_date = {stale_date}')
25

26
    return file_datetime < stale_date
27

28
def main():
29
    history_was_loaded = False
30
    if file_is_old(const.OPML_FILE_PATH):
31
        print(f'OPML file is older than {const.OPML_AGE_LIMIT_DAYS} days or doesn\'t exist. Downloading new data...')
32
        history_was_loaded = load_oc_history()
33
    else:
34
        print(f'OPML file is less than {const.OPML_AGE_LIMIT_DAYS} days old. Skipping download.')
35

36
    if history_was_loaded or args.force:
37
        print('Parsing OPML file...')
38
        if oc_opml_parse():
39
            print('Done!')
40
        else:
41
            print('You have to update your podcast list manually.')
42
    else:
43
        print('No new Overcast history generated.')
44

45

46

47
if __name__ == "__main__":
48
    main()

I’m not going to go through all the scripts like the login script and the downloading of the OPML file, but the OPML parsing script is interesting so you can see how I’m finding the episode history I want, getting podcast artwork for it, and then creating the markdown for each episode that goes on the /now page.

1
import pyperclip
2
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
3
import constants as const
4
from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta
5
from oc_artwork import load_episode_artwork
6

7
def find_podcast_name(root, episode_id):
8
    for podcast in root.findall(".//outline[@type='rss']"):
9
        for ep in podcast.findall("outline[@type='podcast-episode']"):
10
            if ep.get('overcastId') == episode_id:
11
                return podcast.get('text')
12
    return "Unknown"
13

14
def oc_opml_parse():
15
    with open(const.OPML_FILE_PATH, 'r') as f:
16
        content = f.read()
17
    try:
18
        with open(const.OPML_FILE_PATH, 'r') as f:
19
            content = f.read()
20
    except FileNotFoundError:
21
        print(f"File not found: {const.OPML_FILE_PATH}")
22
        return None
23

24
    root = ET.fromstring(content)
25

26
    # Find all podcast episode entries
27
    episodes = root.findall(".//outline[@type='podcast-episode']")
28

29
    current_date = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
30

31
    # Filter episodes with played="1"
32
    # played_episodes = [ep for ep in episodes if ep.get('played') == '1']
33
    played_episodes = [
34
        ep for ep in episodes
35
        if ep.get('played') == '1' and
36
        (current_date - datetime.strptime(ep.get('userUpdatedDate'), "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z")).days <= (const.OPML_AGE_LIMIT_DAYS + 1)
37
    ]
38

39
    # Sort episodes by userUpdatedDate, most recent first
40
    played_episodes.sort(key=lambda ep: datetime.strptime(ep.get('userUpdatedDate'), "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z"), reverse=True)
41

42
    # Get the most recent episodes
43
    top_episodes = played_episodes[:const.NUMBER_OF_EPISODES]
44

45
    # Print the results
46
    episodes_list = ""
47
    for ep in top_episodes:
48
        episode_artwork = load_episode_artwork(ep.get('overcastId'), ep.get('overcastUrl'))
49
        image_link = f"[![{ep.get('title')}]({episode_artwork})]({ep.get('overcastUrl')})" if episode_artwork else ""
50
        episodes_list += f"{image_link}[{find_podcast_name(root, ep.get('overcastId'))} – {ep.get('title')}]({ep.get('overcastUrl')})\n"
51

52
    print(episodes_list)
53
    pyperclip.copy(episodes_list)
54

55
    return True

All the real fun happens in the function oc_opml_parse(), which is called by main.py. First it tries to open the OPML file and then uses the xml.etree.ElementTree module to get the XML model of the data.

1
def oc_opml_parse():
2
    with open(const.OPML_FILE_PATH, 'r') as f:
3
        content = f.read()
4
    try:
5
        with open(const.OPML_FILE_PATH, 'r') as f:
6
            content = f.read()
7
    except FileNotFoundError:
8
        print(f"File not found: {const.OPML_FILE_PATH}")
9
        return None
10

11
    root = ET.fromstring(content)

Next, it parses that for the list of episodes and starts winnowing them down to played episodes, ordered by most recent first, covering a specific timespan, and then returns the first 10 episodes on that list.

1
# Find all podcast episode entries
2
    episodes = root.findall(".//outline[@type='podcast-episode']")
3

4
    current_date = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
5

6
    # Filter episodes with played="1"
7
    # played_episodes = [ep for ep in episodes if ep.get('played') == '1']
8
    played_episodes = [
9
        ep for ep in episodes
10
        if ep.get('played') == '1' and
11
        (current_date - datetime.strptime(ep.get('userUpdatedDate'), "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z")).days <= (const.OPML_AGE_LIMIT_DAYS + 1)
12
    ]
13

14
    # Sort episodes by userUpdatedDate, most recent first
15
    played_episodes.sort(key=lambda ep: datetime.strptime(ep.get('userUpdatedDate'), "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z"), reverse=True)
16

17
    # Get the most recent episodes
18
    top_episodes = played_episodes[:const.NUMBER_OF_EPISODES]

Finally, it creates the markdown for all of the episodes in the list, including loading the Overcast episode page for each episode and finding the podcast artwork from it.

1
 # Print the results
2
    episodes_list = ""
3
    for ep in top_episodes:
4
        episode_artwork = load_episode_artwork(ep.get('overcastId'), ep.get('overcastUrl'))
5
        image_link = f"[![{ep.get('title')}]({episode_artwork})]({ep.get('overcastUrl')})" if episode_artwork else ""
6
        episodes_list += f"{image_link}[{find_podcast_name(root, ep.get('overcastId'))} – {ep.get('title')}]({ep.get('overcastUrl')})\n"
7

8
    print(episodes_list)
9
    pyperclip.copy(episodes_list)
10

11
    return True

Here’s what that load_episode_artwork part looks like:

1
import os
2
import constants as const
3
from session import session
4
import re
5
import uuid
6

7
def load_episode_artwork(episode_id, episode_url):
8
    # Get the overcast episode page
9
    r = session.get(episode_url)
10

11
    if r.status_code == const.SUCCESS:
12
        print('Overcast episode page downloaded')
13

14
        # search the contents of r.text for podcast artwork and save the first match to a variable
15
        match = re.search(r'<img class="art fullart" src="(https:\/\/public\.overcast-cdn\.com\/art\/.*)"\/>', r.text)
16
        if match:
17
            # Get the URL of the artwork
18
            artwork_url = match.group(1)
19
            print(f'Artwork URL: {artwork_url}')
20

21
            # Download and save the artwork to a file
22
            art = session.get(artwork_url)
23
            if art.status_code == const.SUCCESS:
24
                print('Artwork downloaded')
25

26
                # Save the artwork to a file
27

28
                # generate a file name including UUID
29
                file_name = f'{episode_id}-{uuid.uuid4()}.png'
30
                artwork_file_path = os.path.join(const.OC_ARTWORK_FILE_PATH, file_name)
31

32
                with open(artwork_file_path, 'wb') as f:
33
                    f.write(art.content)
34
                print(f'Artwork saved to {artwork_file_path}')
35

36
                artwork_url = f'../../assets/images/oc_artwork/{file_name}'
37

38
                return artwork_url
39
            else:
40
                print(f'Failed to download artwork. Status code: {art.status_code}')
41
        else:
42
            print('No artwork URL found on episode page.')
43
    else:
44
        print(f'Failed to download Overcast episode page. Status code: {r.status_code}')
45

46
    return None

Because the image URL for the artwork always contains https://public.overcast-cdn.com/art/, it’s always a simple thing to find it with a regular expression and then download that file. I name the artwork files as the Overcast episode ID with a UUID appended. I save those to a folder for processing by Retrobatch.

The Retrobatch Script

Remember how the script command runs the Python script and then runs a Retrobatch action (script command included below for memory-jogging purposes)?

1
TYPE=$1
2

3
if [ "$TYPE" = 'force' ]; then
4
    /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/main.py -f
5
else
6
    /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/main.py
7
fi
8

9
/Applications/Retrobatch.app/Contents/MacOS/Retrobatch --workflow /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-images/OCPodcastArtworkResize.retrobatch &
10

11
wait
12

13
# delete all files in /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/images
14
rm -f /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/images/*

Here’s what the Retrobatch action looks like:

It grabs images from /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/images, where the Python script saved them, resizes them to 250 pixels wide, with corresponding correct height, and saves them to my website source’s oc_artwork directory for inclusion when the site is compiled.

After that, the script command deletes the source images from /Users/scott/Scripts/scottwillsey/scottwillsey-overcast-history/images.

The Markdown

The result of ALL OF THIS is Markdown that looks like this:

1
[![Crypto in Kentucky: The next extraction](../../assets/images/oc_artwork/5340766157298005-66bbb48e-a6c9-4817-85f8-3c2284514230.png)](https://overcast.fm/+BL5ZgWiWVU)[Click Here – Crypto in Kentucky: The next extraction](https://overcast.fm/+BL5ZgWiWVU)
2
![Subscriber Comment Show: Don’t Read Our Emails With Your Kids, Maybe](../../assets/images/oc_artwork/5121671711622378-e7b941aa-1c52-45f6-bf90-641d33eb41cb.png)The 404 Media Podcast (Premium Feed) – Subscriber Comment Show: Don’t Read Our Emails With Your Kids, Maybe
3
[![Is Elon Musk Really Stepping Back from DOGE?](../../assets/images/oc_artwork/4904748076882358-8c4c7d47-aa70-4967-b316-e7fd54a2424f.png)](https://overcast.fm/+BFs16bV2bY)[Uncanny Valley | WIRED – Is Elon Musk Really Stepping Back from DOGE?](https://overcast.fm/+BFs16bV2bY)
4
[![421: ‘The Ratchet of Flippancy’, With Craig Mod](../../assets/images/oc_artwork/135464155213596-e66d96b8-bbcd-4557-a110-4540d876f3d0.png)](https://overcast.fm/+B7NDTZ7xw)[The Talk Show With John Gruber – 421: ‘The Ratchet of Flippancy’, With Craig Mod](https://overcast.fm/+B7NDTZ7xw)
5
[![546: Dave And/Or Buster’s](../../assets/images/oc_artwork/245011785900358-eae0f377-2a82-407f-96d0-49f9494a93e0.png)](https://overcast.fm/+De1kB24UY)[The Rebound – 546: Dave And/Or Buster’s](https://overcast.fm/+De1kB24UY)
6
![CarPlay Ultra and legal localization (6C Podcast)](../../assets/images/oc_artwork/2092466581013757-93182e76-be62-41ab-897a-fdaf4987f622.png)Six Colors – CarPlay Ultra and legal localization (6C Podcast)
7
![Airbnb 2025 Summer Release: An Interview with Jud Coplan and Teo Connor](../../assets/images/oc_artwork/5561968007797863-3e9a8de1-8419-43d1-8589-dc732b60d920.png)AppStories+ – Airbnb 2025 Summer Release: An Interview with Jud Coplan and Teo Connor
8
[![PBS 179 of X — Introducing Liquid Templates in GitHub Pages with Jekyll](../../assets/images/oc_artwork/640362802650572-686da9c0-ce7a-4559-b04e-08ca7c590250.png)](https://overcast.fm/+JGaBVhHcw)[Programming By Stealth – PBS 179 of X — Introducing Liquid Templates in GitHub Pages with Jekyll](https://overcast.fm/+JGaBVhHcw)
9
[![Between Two Nerds: Why hackers and spies don’t mix](../../assets/images/oc_artwork/4031462282408809-7fc44fa7-0ef1-4f03-942b-f8f052be6ffc.png)](https://overcast.fm/+5Sl_VEs2k)[Risky Bulletin – Between Two Nerds: Why hackers and spies don’t mix](https://overcast.fm/+5Sl_VEs2k)

You may have noticed, if you’re the type of person who just loves staring at and parsing markdown listings, that not all of these actually link to the Overcast episode. I remove the links for paid podcast episodes. I don’t pay for a lot of podcasts, but I do pay for some.

And that’s it! It all happens instantly and automatically when I fire up the script command from Raycast!

I apologize unreservedly for that sentence. ↩

Raycast AI as Translator

Sunday, 04 May 2025

Part of the Raycast series

Here’s a use case for AI that I really like: a Japanese to English translator that gives me a translation and breakdown of the kanji (Chinese characters) in a Japanese phrase or passage. The reason AI is really good for this as opposed to Japanese apps that let you paste in phrases or do text detection in images is that you get translation, the ability to specify how you want the results returned, the image text detection, AND the ability to ask follow-up questions.

I created both a Raycast command and a Raycast AI chat preset with instructions on translation from Japanese to English.

The Raycast AI Command:

The Raycast AI Chat Preset:

The command opens in Raycast Quick AI view and uses the contents of the clipboard as the source (including screenshots or photos). The chat preset is for the separate AI chat window and I can paste or attach whatever I like as the source.

Here’s an example use case:

I took a screenshot of an easy Japanese lesson from JapanesePod101.com and gave it to the chat preset to translate.

やめてよ。「野沢」か、「菜味」って呼んでって何度も言っているでしょう。

Here’s the full translation result, including a follow-up question of mine as to why it used one specific word for “many times” instead of another.

Notification: Preset: J to E translator

---

Scott Willsey:

---

Raycast AI: Okay, here is the breakdown and translation:

**English Translation:**

Stop it! I've told you so many times to call me "Nozawa" or "Nami", haven't I?

**Japanese Transcription (Kana):**

やめてよ。「のざわ」か、「なみ」ってよんでってなんどもいっているでしょう。
(Yamete yo. "Nozawa" ka, "Nami" tte yonde tte nando mo itte iru deshou.)

**Kanji Breakdown:**

| Kanji    | Reading(s) | Meaning                       | Compound Word(s) | Compound Reading | Compound Meaning         |
| :------- | :--------- | :---------------------------- | :--------------- | :--------------- | :----------------------- |
| 野       | no, ya     | field, plain, rustic, wild    | 野沢             | Nozawa           | Surname: Nozawa          |
| 沢       | sawa, zawa | swamp, marsh, stream          | 野沢             | Nozawa           | Surname: Nozawa          |
| 菜       | na, sai    | vegetables, greens            | 菜味             | Nami             | Given Name: Nami*        |
| 味       | mi, aji    | taste, flavor                 | 菜味             | Nami             | Given Name: Nami*        |
| 呼       | yo(bu), ko | call, invite, breathe out     | 呼んで           | yonde            | Call (te-form of 呼ぶ) |
| 何       | nan, nani  | what, how many                | 何度も           | nando mo         | many times, repeatedly   |
| 度       | do, tabi   | degrees, occurrence, time     | 何度も           | nando mo         | many times, repeatedly   |
| 言       | i(u), koto | say, word, speech, statement  | 言っている       | itte iru         | are saying, have said    |

*\*Note: 菜味 (Nami) is one possible reading for this name. Other readings exist.*

---

Scott Willsey: why 何度 intead of 何回 ?

---

Raycast AI: That's a great question! While both 何度 (nando) and 何回 (nankai) translate to "how many times" or "how often," there's a subtle difference in nuance and usage.

1.  **何回 (nankai): Focus on Countable Occurrences**
    *   This tends to focus more on the specific, countable *number* of times an action happened or will happen. It's often used when you could potentially answer with a precise number (even if the speaker doesn't know it).
    *   Think of it like counting discrete events.
    *   Example: 「この映画、**何回**見ましたか？」 (Kono eiga, **nankai** mimashita ka?) - "How many times have you seen this movie?" (You could answer: 3 times, 5 times, etc.)

2.  **何度 (nando): Focus on Repetition/Frequency (Slightly More Abstract/Emphatic)**
    *   This often emphasizes the *repetition* or *frequency* itself, rather than just the exact count. It can feel slightly more abstract or carry a bit more emotional weight (like surprise, exasperation, or gratitude for repeated actions).
    *   It's very common in the pattern **何度も (nando mo)**, meaning "many times," "again and again," or "repeatedly."
    *   Example: 「**何度も**すみません。」 ( **Nando mo** sumimasen.) - "Sorry [for bothering you] so many times." (Focus is on the repeated nature of the bother).
    *   Example: 「**何度**言ったらわかるの？」 ( **Nando** ittara wakaru no?) - "How many times do I have to tell you?" (Expresses frustration at the repetition needed).

**In the Sentence:**

> やめてよ。「野沢」か、「菜味」って呼んでって**何度も**言っているでしょう。
> (Yamete yo. "Nozawa" ka, "Nami" tte yonde tte **nando mo** itte iru deshou.)

Here, **何度も (nando mo)** is used. This emphasizes the *repeated nature* of the speaker telling the listener how to address them. It conveys a sense of "I've told you this *again and again*." The focus isn't necessarily on *exactly* how many times (was it 5 times? 10 times?), but on the fact that it has happened *repeatedly*, implying frustration.

While you *could* technically say 「何回も言っているでしょう」 (nankai mo itte iru deshou), **何度も** feels slightly more natural and common in this specific context of expressing exasperation about repeated instructions or warnings. It highlights the *frequency* and the speaker's feeling about it.

Not only does this give me a full breakdown of the kanji, including their compound and individual meanings, but it lets me ask questions about specific parts of the sentence.

Bear in mind I lived in Japan for 8 years and I’m going to know when an LLM gives me something bogus or tries to lead me astray. But this is good for reminding me how specific conjugations work or the differences in terms that I might not understand.

I was a kid when I lived in Japan, and I never formally studied Japanese. My learning was based on intuitive understanding as I played with other kids, watched TV, and spent time listening to people around me talking. Inevitably I didn’t learn some nuances or made incorrect assumptions that then became part of my understanding of Japanese. That’s why use cases like this, with a custom kanji breakdown instruction and the ability to ask questions about the translation or the source phrase, are super handy for me.

You can learn more about Raycast AI, Raycast AI commands, and Raycast AI chat presets here.

Slowly Posting Reviews

Sunday, 13 Apr 2025

I’ve written about my review automation workflow in some detail, and while I personally find it fascinating, really the point is the reviews themselves. I’m slowly getting some up there and will keep adding more slowly and steadily over time.

Here’s what my current Music Reviews page looks like. The goal is to start adding them in a way that creates a diverse mix of music while I build up the number of reviews available.

Let me point you again to Matt Birchler’s Quick Reviews. I use his iOS app version of this application to generate the reviews and then my Mac takes over from there! It’s a great workflow, and I like the looks of the results.

IndieWeb is where the fun is… if you like the random stuff I throw on my site, think about how to make your own or what you want it to be to try to make life just a little bit happier for a minute or two for anyone who stumbles across you. We could all use some good stuff in life right now.

Media Reviews Are Now in Search Results

Tuesday, 08 Apr 2025

Part of the Astro series

When I added a Reviews page, I wanted to be able to have individual reviews show up in my site search. Due to some complexities I won’t go into of how Pagefind indexes things and how I optimize my images using the Astro Image component, this was easier said than done – until I remembered the good old HTML hidden global attribute. Then I just made a hidden span and populated it with the image alt text.

1
<div class="review">
2
      <p>
3
        {
4
          page.data.map((book) => (
5
            <span hidden>{`${book.alttext}`}</span>
6
            <a href={`/images/posts/${book.review}.jpg`}>
7
              <Image
8
                src={import(`../../../assets/images/posts/${book.review}.png`)}
9
                alt={`${book.alttext}`}
10
              />
11
            </a>
12
          ))
13
        }
14
      </p>
15
    </div>

Now all my media reviews show up in site seach results!

Enjoy the reviews, and don’t forget there are separate categories for Book Reviews, Movie Reviews, TV Show Reviews, and Music Reviews. I will be actively adding more reviews from this point forward.

Updated Sessions Raycast Script Command, 2025 Edition

Thursday, 27 Mar 2025

Part of the Raycast series

I’ve spoken a couple times about my Sessions Raycast script command, both when I originally set it up, and then again when I updated it to use Moom as my window manager. Well, I’m back to using Raycast as my window manager, and I also use a Raycast focus mode for my podcast session. So here’s your updated Session Raycast script command, 2025 edition.

You may recall that the purpose of this script command is to just set up my environment in a way that’s suitable for a specific task. It always closes all apps, then opens some core apps, and then opens other apps specific to the session type.¹ It also sets audio output and input based on the session type, arranges app windows in a specific way, and either sets Coffee for Raycast to Caffinate mode (keep the screen on) or Decaffinate mode (let it sleep when it wants).

Here’s is the current Sessions script command.

1
#!/bin/bash
2

3
# Required parameters:
4
# @raycast.schemaVersion 1
5
# @raycast.title Session
6
# @raycast.mode fullOutput
7

8
# Optional parameters:
9
# @raycast.icon ../icons/app-mode.png
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# @raycast.argument1 { "type": "dropdown", "placeholder": "Session", "data": [ { "title": "Home", "value": "home" }, { "title": "IT", "value": "it" }, { "title": "Podcast", "value": "podcast" }, { "title": "Podcast Edit", "value": "podcastedit" } ] }
11
# @raycast.packageName Utils
12

13
# Documentation:
14
# @raycast.description Set up a workflow session
15
# @raycast.author scott_willsey
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# @raycast.authorURL https://raycast.com/scott_willsey
17

18
open 'raycast://focus/complete'
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open raycast://extensions/raycast/system/quit-all-applications
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sleep 3
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CORE=(1Password Messages Mail Safari AnyBox)
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open 'raycast://extensions/mooxl/coffee/decaffeinate'
23

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TYPE=$1
25

26
for value in "${CORE[@]}"
27
do
28
    open -a "$value"
29
done
30

31
if [ "$TYPE" = 'home' ]; then
32
    open 'raycast://script-commands/set-default-browser-safari'
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    open -a Warp
34
    /opt/homebrew/bin/SwitchAudioSource -s "Studio Display Speakers"
35
    /opt/homebrew/bin/SwitchAudioSource -s "Studio Display Microphone" -t "input"
36
    open 'raycast://customWindowManagementCommand?&name=Home'
37
        exit
38
fi
39

40
if [ "$TYPE" = 'it' ]; then
41
    open 'raycast://script-commands/set-default-browser-chrome'
42
    open -a "Google Chrome"
43
    open -a Warp
44
    open -a Slack
45
    /opt/homebrew/bin/SwitchAudioSource -s "Studio Display Speakers"
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    /opt/homebrew/bin/SwitchAudioSource -s "Studio Display Microphone" -t "input"
47
    open 'raycast://customWindowManagementCommand?&name=IT'
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        exit
49
fi
50

51
if [ "$TYPE" = 'podcast' ]; then
52
    open 'raycast://script-commands/set-default-browser-safari'
53
    open -a "Audio Hijack"
54
    open -a Farrago
55
    open -a Bear
56
    open -a Notes
57
    open -a "Microsoft Teams"
58
    /opt/homebrew/bin/SwitchAudioSource -s "Elgato Wave XLR"
59
    /opt/homebrew/bin/SwitchAudioSource -s "Shure Beta 87a & Farrago" -t "input"
60
    open 'raycast://customWindowManagementCommand?&name=Podcasting'
61
    open 'raycast://extensions/mooxl/coffee/caffeinate'
62
    open 'raycast://focus/start?goal=Podcast&categories=podcast&mode=allow'
63
        exit
64
fi
65

66
if [ "$TYPE" = 'podcastedit' ]; then
67
    open 'raycast://script-commands/set-default-browser-safari'
68
    open -a "Logic Pro"
69
    open -a Bear
70
    open -a Finder ~/Documents/Podcasts/FwB
71
    /opt/homebrew/bin/SwitchAudioSource -s "Elgato Wave XLR"
72
    open 'raycast://customWindowManagementCommand?&name=Edit%20Podcast'
73
    open 'raycast://focus/start?goal=Podcast%20Edit&categories=podcastedit&mode=allow'
74
        exit
75
fi

When I run the Sessions script command in Raycast, I just choose the session type. The nice thing about Raycast dropdowns is they pre-select the option you chose last time. In the case of the Session script command, that’s not as convenient as it is for some other script commands, but that’s life.

Anyway, if you have any questions about this script command or Raycast script commands in general, you know how to find me (hint: Mastodon or Bluesky).

I should see if there’s a way to close all apps that aren’t in a list, instead of closing all apps and then re-opening all apps that are in a list. ↩

Creating Drafts in Astro 5

Tuesday, 25 Mar 2025

Part of the Astro series

Last week or so, I started writing a blog post as I sometimes do, this one pertaining to my Automation Workflow for Media Reviews. Unfortunately, I wanted to preview it as I went along, so I copied it in progress to my git main branch of the local copy of the website.

You can see where this is going.

Yes, I updated something else on the website and published it, INCLUDING the partial draft of the blog post I was working on. This wasn’t a super huge deal, except that I use EchoFeed to automatically post to Bluesky and Mastodon whenever I post something new on the site.

Sigh.

The good news is that this finally pushed me to add drafts functionality to my site, so that I could have drafts render when running locally in development mode, but not actually get written when doing a site build. It’s a good, basic feature to have.

Initially I started with the method shared by Alex Curtis in his post How to Create a Draft Post in Astro, but his filter didn’t actually work for me. I think this is because his example was for a different version of Astro, possibly. I wound up using the Astro Docs example for Filtering Content Collection Queries.

Basically, there are three steps to adding draft posts to Astro 5:

Add an optional draft data property to your blog post collection in your content.config.ts, as below,

1
const postCollection = defineCollection({
2
  loader: glob({ pattern: "**/[^_]*.{md,mdx}", base: "./src/content/posts" }),
3
  schema: ({ image }) =>
4
    z.object({
5
      title: z.string(),
6
      description: z.string(),
7
      link: z.string().optional(),
8
      date: z
9
        .string()
10
        .transform((str) => new Date(str))
11
        .optional()
12
        .nullable(),
13
      keywords: z.string().array(),
14
      cover: image().optional(),
15
      coverAlt: z.string().optional(),
16
      series: z.string().optional(),
17
      draft: z.boolean().optional(),
18
    }),
19
});

Filter based on this in any page that uses this content collection, the way the Astro Docs show,

1
---
2
import Base from "../layouts/Base.astro";
3
import Post from "../components/Post.astro";
4
import Pager from "../components/Pager.astro";
5
import { getCollection } from "astro:content";
6
import site from "../data/site.json";
7

8
export async function getStaticPaths({ paginate }) {
9
  let posts = await getCollection("posts", ({ data }) => {
10
    return import.meta.env.PROD ? data.draft !== true : true;
11
  });
12

13
  posts = posts.sort(
14
    (a, b) => new Date(b.data.date).valueOf() - new Date(a.data.date).valueOf(),
15
  );
16

17
  return paginate(posts, {
18
    pageSize: site.posts.paginationSize,
19
  });
20
}
21
const { page } = Astro.props;
22

23
const title = site.title;
24
const description = `Posts Page ${page.currentPage}`;
25
---
26

27
<Base title={title} description={description}>
28
  <section aria-label="Post list" data-pagefind-ignore>
29
    {
30
      page.data.map((post, index) => {
31
        return <Post post={post} />;
32
      })
33
    }
34
    <Pager page={page} />
35
  </section>
36
</Base>

And finally, use it in a draft post!

1
---
2
title: Creating Drafts in Astro
3
description: describe
4
date: "2025-03-25T00:10:00-08:00"
5
keywords: ["keyword"]
6
draft: true
7
slug: "creating-drafts-in-astro"
8
---
9
I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and I’ve always wanted to create drafts in Astro that won’t get published until I want them to.
10

11
[Now I can!](https://jacurtis.com/notes/astro-draft-posts/)

One more thing though – none of this keeps the post page itself from being rendered during a build. It just keeps anything from linking to it or showing it in a list of posts. This means that it will show up in your RSS feed unless you edit your RSS template to also filter it out.

1
import rss from "@astrojs/rss";
2
import sanitizeHtml from "sanitize-html";
3
import { rfc2822 } from "../components/utilities/DateFormat";
4
import { globalImageUrls } from "../components/utilities/StringFormat";
5
import site from "../data/site.json";
6

7
export function GET(context) {
8
  const postImportResult = import.meta.glob("../content/posts/**/*.md", {
9
    eager: true,
10
  });
11
  const posts = Object.values(postImportResult)
12
    .filter((post) => post.frontmatter.draft !== true)
13
    .sort(
14
      (a, b) =>
15
        new Date(b.frontmatter.date).valueOf() -
16
        new Date(a.frontmatter.date).valueOf(),
17
    );
18

19
  return rss({
20
    title: site.title,
21
    description: site.description,
22
    site: context.site,
23
    xmlns: {
24
      atom: "http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom/",
25
      dc: "http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/",
26
      content: "http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/",
27
    },
28
    items: posts.map((post) => ({
29
      title: post.frontmatter.title,
30
      link: `${site.url}${post.frontmatter.slug}`,
31
      pubDate: rfc2822(post.frontmatter.date),
32
      description: post.frontmatter.description,
33
      customData: `<summary>${post.frontmatter.description}</summary>`,
34
      content: globalImageUrls(
35
        site.url,
36
        sanitizeHtml(post.compiledContent(), {
37
          allowedTags: sanitizeHtml.defaults.allowedTags.concat(["img"]),
38
        }),
39
      ),
40
    })),
41
  });
42
}

That’s it! Hit me up on Bluesky or Mastodon if you have any questions.

Spotlighting Tahoe

Photos with a Lightbox

Tailscale and Travel Routers

More to Come

Part of the Raycast series

Podcast Listening History Overview

The Raycast Script Command

The Python Scripts

The Retrobatch Script

The Markdown

Footnotes

Part of the Raycast series

Part of the Astro series

Part of the Raycast series

Footnotes

Part of the Astro series