~/about
About me
My name is Reese Apkoff, and I'm a software developer. I mainly work in full-stack web development, building applications with Python/JavaScript tech stacks and related technologies.
Besides programming, I'm interested in *nix systems, theoretical computer science, math, and physics.
In my spare time, I read science fiction, watch movies, and occasionally explore other curiosities.
Fun facts
Date of birth: 978307200
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Contact
I’m always open to feedback and suggestions. If you've found my work helpful or spotted a way to improve it (even a typo!), please reach out via email. My cryptographic identity and social links are listed below, with the most active ones highlighted in bold.
- Email: rsapkfff [0x40] protonmail [0x2e] com
- PGP: CE0D A5DB C981 F1D0 A170 0223 6CD0 EE7B 31D1 7766
- [matrix]: @rowreduction:matrix.org
- IRC: plancksconstant@irc.libera.chat
- XMPP: gurumeditation@404.city
- GitHub: rsapkf
- Hacker News: rsapkf
- Lobsters: rspk
- Reddit: rsapkfff
- Slashdot: vimrc
- Stack Exchange: 16066088/rspk
- Wikipedia: LobsterArtix
- Lichess: rsapk
- Mastodon: @rsapkf@mastodon.social
- Twitter: rsapkf
- Facebook:
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About this site
This is my personal corner of the internet. It is mostly about programming, my experiments, and demos, but I also like to share what I’m learning, my thoughts, and links to wonderful things I've discovered online.
It might feel a little overwhelming at places. That’s intentional. It’s the kind of big, joyful collection I wish someone had handed me when I was younger, saying: “Here’s a treasure trove of things you can learn. Pick what interests you. Enjoy the journey. And have fun.”
Colophon
This site used to be open source, but after reconsideration I have decided to private it to (a) keep private drafts since I don't use a CMS, and (b) mitigate the risk of permanently exposing some personal info on some stranger's account.
Instead, I will keep this section as comprehensive and current as possible, detailing the various tools and technologies used. You can verify most of this information by browsing the source maps in the developer console, or by using an extension like Wappalyzer.
Framework
This site is powered by Next.js, an open source web framework based on React. I use SCSS modules for styling and CSS custom properties for theming. Most of the content lives in a single directory in plaintext markdown along with a sprinkle of MDX features for interactive components. I also use a few remark and rehype plugins to transform markdown into HTML, and YAML frontmatter for metadata.
Hosting
Hosted on Netlify since 2019 (previously GitHub Pages).
Typography
The majority of my personal projects use the system font stack. In addition to providing a familiar look to visitors, it improves performance and reduces layout shifts.
Design
I aim to minimize the use of icons, emojis, and overcomplicated features unless necessary.
While many design and layout choices are inspired by developer resources, documentation sites, and personal sites of numerous smart people on the internet, every feature was implemented from scratch without pre-made templates.
I used to have a theme toggle button but I removed it in favor of the simpler prefers-color-scheme CSS media feature. To change the theme, please use your device's system theme settings.
The theme for code blocks is based on Ayu (previously Dracula) and the link color for dark mode was stolen from Wikipedia.
Style
Some conventions that I use in writing:
- Measurement: Metric or SI.
- Dates: 1 Jan 2000 (display), 2000-01-01 (canonical).
- Spelling: In general, I prefer AmE, Sentence case (to Title Case), Oxford comma, decimal point (to comma), and 24-hour clock time.
Structure
The URLs on this site are structured to be simple and predictable, with minimal nesting. They are organized as follows:
/: Homepage/random: Redirects to a random page on this site/<entry>: Top level page like /about, /uses, etc/projects: Index of my projects/projects/misc: Misc projects (e.g. solutions to online coding challenges)
/utils: Index of small utilities I've built/bookshelf: Books I've read/misc: Index of miscellaneous top level pages/weblog: Index of weblog entries (temporal ideas and thoughts)/weblog/<entry>: A specific weblog entry/weblog/tags: Index of categories for weblog entries/weblog/rss.xml: RSS feed for the weblog
/wiki: Index of wiki entries (evergreen notes and links)/notes/<entry>: A specific "notes" entry/links/<entry>: A specific "links" entry
History
Static HTML/CSS → Django → Hakyll → Gatsby → Next.js (now) → Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS (future?)
Over the years, this site has gone through various iterations of tech stack and designs. My first foray into serious web development involved Django, which I used to create the first version of my personal wiki—a classic case of overengineering. Previously, this site was built using Gatsby, inspired by Dan Abramov's blog and React docs. Before Gatsby, this was briefly powered by the Haskell based static site generator Hakyll.
Along the way, I've also experimented with GitBook, mdBook, and Travis CI. To minimize link rot, I have taken care to preserve URL routes and implement redirects where feasible. If you encounter dead links, accessibility issues, or have other feedback, please let me know.
Some features that have since been removed include Netlify's form handling to handle form submissions, Font Awesome icons, and fluid typography. The wiki used to live at wiki.rsapkf.org, deployed from a different repository using Docusaurus.
Future
Over time, I’ve realized that vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are often still the simplest and most maintainable way to build a personal website. There is something refreshing about stripping away the many layers of abstraction and being fully in control.
That’s why I may eventually return to a simpler stack.
Astro, in particular, feels aligned with this “back to the web” philosophy. I’ve had a great experience using it in a few toy projects, and it’s a strong contender if I decide to switch again.
Screenshots of legacy designs
