Blog

Thoughts, stories, and updates.

Deploying a CosmWasm Smart Contract on the Stargaze Testnet

Abstract: This post serves as a developer’s guide to deploying a CosmWasm smart contract onto the Stargaze testnet. It covers essential steps including setting up the Stargaze CLI (starsd), configuring a wallet, obtaining testnet tokens, and managing Rust versions for compatibility. The guide also walks through uploading the contract, obtaining...

Posted by Aug on March 27, 2025

Revolutionizing Verifiable Compute on Solana: Key Bonsol Enhancements

Abstract: This post provides a deep dive into recent Bonsol framework improvements aimed at revolutionizing verifiable compute on Solana. Key enhancements include a new I Ching sample dApp demonstrating end-to-end ZK application flow, comprehensive RISC0_DEV_MODE integration for a faster development lifecycle, and custom S3 URL support for greater artifact management...

Posted by Augustin Chan on March 8, 2025

DKG OriginTrail Integration - Consensus HK 2025 Hackathon Win

Abstract: This post outlines a project that won at the Consensus HK 2025 Hackathon, which involved integrating OriginTrail’s Decentralized Knowledge Graph (DKG) with a custom AI divination backend. The system enables on-chain persistence and management of divinations via a Telegram bot, featuring robust DKG integration, enhanced reliability through improved logging...

Posted by Augustin Chan on February 20, 2025

Brainstorming a New Theory of Self-Directed Learning for AI, with AI

Abstract: This post explores the journey of using AI to brainstorm a novel theory: leveraging the I-Ching’s King Wen sequence as a potential framework for self-directed learning in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). It details the iterative questioning process that led to the theory, key insights into how the sequence might...

Posted by Aug on January 17, 2025

Key Contributions to ai16z Eliza AI Project (Nov 2024)

Abstract: This post details significant enhancements made to the ai16z Eliza AI project in November 2024. The contributions focused on developing local-first capabilities by integrating BGE-Small and Ollama embeddings, optimizing the language model by upgrading to Claude 3 Haiku for better price-performance, and improving backend stability with fixes to Postgres...

Posted by Augustin Chan on November 15, 2024

Zustand: A Weapon for Efficient User State Management in React

Abstract: This post provides an overview of Zustand as an efficient state management library for React. It highlights Zustand’s benefits over traditional methods like refs and the Context API for managing user state, focusing on how it simplifies code, minimizes re-renders, and offers a more flexible approach to global state,...

Posted by Aug on September 1, 2024

Optimizing React Authentication: Minimizing Re-renders and Improving Performance

Abstract: This post offers a guide to minimizing re-renders and optimizing performance in React/Next.js applications, particularly those with authentication. It covers practical techniques such as combining state variables, memoizing context values with useMemo, tracking significant state changes with useRef, debouncing frequent updates, and carefully managing useEffect dependencies to prevent unnecessary...

Posted by Aug on August 30, 2024

Conditional Rendering in Next.js: Hiding Footer on Specific Pages

Abstract: This post provides a guide to conditionally rendering components, such as a footer, within a Next.js 14 application using the App Router. It details a solution for hiding components on specific pages by bridging server and client components through the React Context API and the usePathname hook, addressing challenges...

Posted by Aug on June 21, 2024

Integrating with Shadcn: Tips and Insights for Seamless UI Component Integration

Abstract: This post shares a developer’s experience integrating Shadcn UI components into a Next.js project. It covers essential aspects such as initial project preparation, adapting to Shadcn’s opinionated styling (including dark theme and “New York” style), managing global CSS to avoid conflicts, and provides an example root layout that incorporates...

Posted by Aug on June 8, 2024

Securing SSH: A Detailed Look at Fail2Ban Configuration and Rule Management

Abstract: This post provides a detailed guide to troubleshooting and configuring Fail2Ban with UFW for robust SSH security on Linux servers. It covers common issues like incorrect iptables rule order, proper jail.local setup for SSH, considerations for persistent bans, and the importance of ensuring correct cleanup of iptables rules when...

Posted by Aug on June 3, 2024