About: Naty the Tech Dabbler and Tinkerer

Note

If you want to learn more about how this site is built and more about the backend, I created a dedicated /⁠colophon page detailing how this site is technically deployed, tools used, etc.

Content Expectations

BurgeonLab acts as a logbook, documenting my tech explorations and any topic that I find interesting. It’s a personal site first and foremost—some content are written with an audience in mind, while others are for myself to look back on.

Since this site is a constant work-in-progress (WIP), topics may get more diverse. If you like what you see, I’d be happy if you consider subscribing (it’s free!) to my RSS/Atom¹ feeds to stay updated—I appreciate your readership! For now, BurgeonLab will remain primarily a tech‑focused personal blog while I work on IndieWeb integration.

🚫 AI Content

All the written content I produce that you will read on BurgeonLab.com and elsewhere, is typed by me (a human) and will never be generated by AI. Read the AI Tools section to learn where I use generative AI. I’m also part of the No AI Webring (scroll to the very bottom to view the webrings I’m part of).

Categorization Methods

There are three main buckets in which content is organized:

• Post type
• Filed under specific themed series
• Or by topic tags

Fun Fact:

The Explore link at the top navigation links to an anchor that brings you to a <div> element on the homepage with a hidden attribute with the until-found value. It only shows up when the link is accessed!

Learn more at MDN’s page on hidden.

As of Q3 2026, my site supports these post types:

1. Pages (aka slash pages)
2. Blogs (aka articles)
3. Notes (aka microblogs)
4. Replies (aka responses or comments)
5. Weeknotes
6. Photos
7. RSVPs
8. Likes
9. Books
10. Experiments

Tip

You may sometimes see an asterism symbol (⁂) in the text. This is a way for me to keep track of where I made promises, to-dos or to add relevant links at a later date.

Blogging Challenges

• January 2026: I’m taking on the #100DaysToOffload challenge to incentivize me to becoming a sustainable blogger. I began blogging in 2022 with single digit output, but in 2025, I made a gargantuan step with 36 entries that year. It’s now Q3'26, and I’m amazed that I’m at 66 posts and counting! I’m aiming for steady growth moving forward. To see my progress, see the dedicated 100DaysToOffload tracker.
• August 2026: I’m taking part of Blaugust for the first time.

Interaction

Connect with me via any of the platforms on the /⁠contact page. I’m always up for a chat about shared hobbies or topics of interest; and would be more than happy if you want to collaborate on something together.

Most pages include a Responses section after the main content, with instructions on how to reply. The quickest way is to email me, or if the page you’re on is syndicated to Mastodon, you can comment on the corresponding Mastodon post using the "⁠Comment via Mastodon⁠" button.²

Feedback

I have written a questionnaire to learn about the visitors of this site to make my blog better in 2026. As a reader, your opinion matters to me. Could you take my 1–2 minute anonymous questionnaire? Thank you!

Site Navigation

• The top navigation menu contains links to most areas of the site.
• At the footer, there are some quick shortcuts to popular pages like /⁠stats or /⁠guestbook, and two expandable elements that show my collection of 88x31 buttons (aka web badges) and the webring navigation links (read about these small web features).
• The homepage contains sections showing the latest content (events, notes, weeknotes, and blog posts), and the top 10 most visited pages over the last month. There’s also a Noticeboard where you’ll find any announcements.
• It can be reached by clicking on the site name, [Burgeon Lab] _, in the header (top left) or, Return Home, in the footer (bottom center).
• The lower right corner upwards triangle brings you back to the top of the page

My Other Blogs

I manage two other blogs, but they’re nowhere near as loved as BurgeonLab!

1. General Blog: eclecticpassions.net — CMS migration in progress (WordPress to Quartz SSG)
2. Photography Blog: aperture2iris.com — Site under construction

If you want to read more about my blogging journey, check out these posts or the blogging tag:

• Hello Hugo: Starting My Static Site Generator Journey
• My Blogging Pursuit with Hugo and WordPress
• Response to The Worst Community Report Podcast: Blogging

About The Webmaster

Okay, a little about me. I’m Naty, a trained healthcare professional currently looking for opportunities outside primary care. I am a third-culture kid who grew up and studied abroad in Canada and Ireland, currently based in Hong Kong, SAR.

If you want to mention or cite any of my work, you may do so with either my site name BurgeonLab or my nickname Naty S or Naty. My pronouns are she/her. I also go by these online pseudonyms/handles/usernames:

• burgeonlab
• eclecticpassions
• APERTURE2IRIS

See the /⁠elsewhere page for finding me elsewhere on the web or visit /⁠now to see what I’m up to (updated only occasionally).

Origin of My Passion for Technology

Ever since I was a kid, I loved computers and all things technology. I still remember my Mom getting me my first computer—an HP Pavilion tower PC with Windows 95. I was lucky to get early exposure to a second OS at school too, with the iMac G3. Oh, days were much simpler back then…

Technology Stack

The only “official” IT studies I’ve completed is IGCSE ICT; but within my social groups, I am pleased to be the go-to techie and IT support person! I enjoy a good challenge and learning new skills meets that criteria. As a non-IT professional, I’m proud of my self-taught technical skills through experimentation and online resources (if I may say so myself).

The table below is the tech stack I’ve been practising. By no means am I an expert in any of these—but I am able to do the things I want and are familiar with the basics at least. I’m most comfortable using Zsh, Markdown, TOML, Hugo, WordPress, Obsidian, and three major operating systems: macOS, Linux (Debian-based), Android.

Geek Code

I came across this quaint Geek Code project from 1993, developed by Robert A. Hayden. It looks geeky and fun—so here is mine!

1-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
2Version: 3.12 (1996)
3GMD d+ s+:- a C++ L+ W+++ M+ 
4PGP+ X++ tv- b+ G e++ r x?
5------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

There’s actually a modern version 4.x from 2019 (which I might upgrade to on a rainy afternoon), but will skip version 6.0 that is a “completely fresh rendition revised by ChatGPT”…

Other Hobbies

I’m a sucker for hobbies, lots of them. (Last updated: 2025-06-18)

• Photography (both 35mm film and digital)
• Speciality coffee / Chinese & Japanese tea
• Stationery
  • Japanese paper goods (diaries, washi tape, etc)
  • Fountain pens
• Car detailing
• Wrist watches
• House plants/germinating seeds
• Synths (Volcas, Circuit, Pocket Operators)
• Head-fi (IEMs, DACs, open-back headphones)
• Art & crafts:
  • Leathercraft/shoeshining
  • Hand embroidery (Kogin-zashi, French)
  • Watercolours
• Cleaning (yes, the chore!)
• EDC (everyday carry)
• Hiking / Nordic walking
• Poetry
• Sim racing
• Formula 1 / F1 Fantasy
• Video games
  • Favourite genres
    • Racing
    • Music/rhythm
    • First-person shooters
• Some of my favourite games
  • CS:GO (ex-Gold Nova 3)
  • Euro Truck Simulator
  • Gran Turismo
  • Taiko no Tatsujin 太鼓の達人 (handheld & arcade vers.)
  • Katamari Damacy
  • Hermie Hopperhead: Scrap Panic (I wrote about it)
  • The Sims 1 & 2

I hope to write posts about some of these in the future… ⁂ I will update this page when it’s available!