I am trying out a method to reduce bot attempts on forms like on my contact page based on fluffy’s example.

On select pages, I now check for a specific cookie. If it is not found or is more than 24 hours old, then the browser redirects to the “Sentience Check” page. That page is a minimal form with a button to indicate “Yes, I am a hooman.” Submitting the form sets the expected cookie and redirects back to the original page. If Javascript is enabled, it will submit the form as soon as the page loads, so most hooman visitors will only see the intermediate page for a second and should be able to continue without issues.

Also at fluffy’s suggestion, the sentience check page returns a response code of 429: Too Many Requests with a header that indicates: retry after one hour. I have no high expectation of the bots respecting that, but maybe the lack of successful response codes will cause some to back off.

The last thing I did was add a noindex meta tag on the page, so search engines should ignore it.

If you’d like to view the page, I recommend turning Javascript off temporarily and then visiting: gregorlove.com/sentience-check/.

I am interested to see how much this will reduce bot attempts on the contact and public sign-in pages. I have had CSRF and honeypot form field protections on both for quite a while, but of course I still see a lot of attempts on them.

Depending how this goes, I might expand its usage to the “send a webmention” form and explore using it to block LLM bots.

I did consider using “I am a meat popsicle” on the button, but not everyone might get The Fifth Element reference.

🔖 Bookmarked: How to feel at home on the Internet - by Jatan Mehta https://journal.jatan.space/start-a-blog-and-get-a-domain/

Is having your own domain really the only way to truely \"own\" your online space?

🔥 Read more: https://flamedfury.com/bookmarks/how-to-feel-at-home-on-the-internet-by-jatan-mehta/

#Blogging #Indieweb #Personalweb

🔖 Bookmarked: Endgame for the Open Web - Anil Dash https://www.anildash.com/2026/03/27/endgame-open-web/

Anil Dash wonders if 2026 is the last year we have a chance to put a stop on the dismantling of the open web.

🔥 Read more: https://flamedfury.com/bookmarks/endgame-for-the-open-web-anil-dash/

#Culture #Indieweb #Tech #Web

I posted "Crossing Borders"

A text about my relationship with the English language and the possibility to start a new blog in this language.

https://martinvukovic.com/posts/2026/29-03-borders.html

#blog #indieweb #smallweb #smolweb #english

Publiqué "Crossing Borders"

Un texto sobre mi relación con el inglés y sobre un posible proyecto de nuevo blog en ese idioma.

https://martinvukovic.com/posts/2026/29-03-borders.html

#blog #post #indieweb #smallweb #smolweb #oldweb #language #english

Those that are interested in tracking & personal statement stats (e.g. Strava, Garmin, Goodreads, untappd, Spotify etc)

- what services do you use the track/log stuff
- what data are you interested in?

#data #indieweb

On Typing and Keyboards

I have a very consistent routine. I get up early. I exercise. I shower. I make coffee. I turn my computer on, then I place my hands on my keyboard and begin working.

https://lzon.ca/posts/series/grateful/typing-and-keyboards/

#indieweb #personalweb #blog #keyboards #typing

Los políticos canadienses siguen fingiendo que no están siendo extorsionados. ¿Esta nueva Policía de Toronto ayudará a recortar Canadá? https://jungyulkim.com/free-press/es/articles/políticos-canadienses-se-burlan-mientras-la-corrupción-se-apodera-de-los-ontarios-capital-ciudad.html #News #Art #Canada #NewYork #Toronto #Mafia #Crime #Indieweb #Headlines

This weekend I was able to set up a Forgejo instance running on my own HW in my office. This is just a PoC, but it will serve as a blueprint for the next iteration with full support and with multiplatform action runners.

#indieweb

@arianvp @mcrocker This is great, but 1) AWS can >expletive< get lost for multiple reasons *especially* in the context of #indieweb 2) AMI is not the most portable format. Probably this is the best solution for US businesses, but everybody else can surely find something better.

Why is it so hard to get rid of things? #indieweb

https://z1nz0l1n.com/26w13/

Actualmente más sucio que la Gestapo, ¿puede la Policía de Toronto refrescar su imagen con el recluta de una nueva Mascota sensacional? https://jungyulkim.com/free-press/es/articles/la-democracia-canadiense-en-riesgo-mientras-las-mafias-toronto-gobiernan.html #News #Art #Canada #NewYork #Toronto #Mob #Crime #Indieweb #Headlines

Was surprised to find microformats2 classes in Pagecord page source this morning, more suprised still to see they are based in Scotland. Not mentioned in features, I see they announced this addition in January.

#Indieweb #Pagecord

https://prry.uk/2026-03-29-0812

Image

AFTER ONE THOUSAND YEARSSSSS:

I have updated my Quick n Dirty Website Guide for 2026! Generally cleaned up, updated layouts, more resources, etc etc.

🎉 https://blog.itsnero.com/webguide 🎉

#smallweb #indieweb

AFTER ONE THOUSAND YEARSSSSS:

I have updated my Quick n Dirty Website Guide for 2026! Generally cleaned up, updated layouts, more resources, etc etc.

🎉 blog.itsnero.com/webguide 🎉

#smallweb #indieweb

The Quick ‘n’ Dirty Guide to M...

You Don't Need a Link Tree; You Just Need a Link Doc

One of the easiest things to create yourself is a "Link in Bio" page. Asciidoctor and surge make it even easier.

https://readbeanicecream.surge.sh/2026/03/28/you-dont-need-a-link-tree-you-just-need-a-link-doc/

#technology #tech #indieweb #blog #blogging #plaintext #socialmedia

The view-source era was exciting precisely because it motivated us to learn. You saw something cool, looked at the source, started to understand what the markup was doing, went down a rabbit hole. Curiosity leading to actual skill acquisition is fundamentally different from prompting an AI to build something you don't understand and can't maintain. #openWeb #AI #indieweb

Nuevo post:

[RE]: 3 años de este blog… ¿Qué sigue?

Un artículo inspirado en @eapl

#reflexiones #blog #blogging #indieweb

https://thecheis.com/2026/03/28/re-3-anos-de-este-blog-que-sigue/

I think I've worked out why I like the #indieweb or #openweb so much, and it's a bit selfish: I go to my website every day and just think, 'I did that!' and, 'That's all me!'