Behind the Scenes

Colophon

How this site was made. The tools, the choices, the people involved.

Philosophy

Static First

No database, no CMS, no server-side rendering. Just HTML, CSS, and minimal JavaScript. Fast everywhere.

Content on X

Primary content lives on X. This site curates and links with context. Fast loads, no embeds.

Machine Readable

Every page has an LLM-friendly markdown view. Designed for both humans and AI.

Built with AI

Designed and coded entirely with Claude Code. A collaboration experiment in AI-assisted development.

Stack

Generator Eleventy (11ty)

Templating Nunjucks

Styling Custom CSS, CSS Variables

Hosting GitHub Pages

Domain hines.digital

Version Control Git + GitHub

Build Assistant Claude Code

Typography

Headings, UI, Navigation Aktiv Grotesk

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Body, Editorial Merriweather

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Code, Technical IBM Plex Mono

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Colors

Each section has its own accent color. Unified design language, distinct identity.

Home Crimson

Work Navy

Building Violet

Ideas Teal

Interests Orange

Faith Gold

Timeline Slate

Connect Emerald

Principles

Speed over polish Static HTML loads instantly. No waiting for JavaScript frameworks to hydrate.

Links over embeds External content is linked, not embedded. The user chooses when to load it.

Write once, read anywhere Content is Markdown. Readable in any editor, version-controlled, portable.

Accessible by default Semantic HTML, proper heading hierarchy, readable contrast, keyboard navigation.

Credits

This site was designed and built by Ian Patrick Hines with significant assistance from Claude (Anthropic's AI assistant), using Claude Code for pair programming.

Inspired by personal sites like Daring Fireball, kottke.org, rsms.me, and the early web tradition of quirky, personal homepages.

7bd7460 2025-12-18