Ryan Hellyer
@ryan.hellyer.kiwi
I blog about geeky stuff at http://geek.hellyer.kiwi and personal stuff at http://ryan.hellyer.kiwi
I've been reminiscing about a childhood toy my parents vetoed because of its astronomical price tag. The beautiful thing about adulthood? No one can tell me no anymore 🤣
My 1988 vintage (re-release) Tamiya Avante is arriving next week!
#ChildhoodDreams #AdultingPerks
My 1988 vintage (re-release) Tamiya Avante is arriving next week!
#ChildhoodDreams #AdultingPerks
March 1, 2025 at 12:57 AM
I've been reminiscing about a childhood toy my parents vetoed because of its astronomical price tag. The beautiful thing about adulthood? No one can tell me no anymore 🤣
My 1988 vintage (re-release) Tamiya Avante is arriving next week!
#ChildhoodDreams #AdultingPerks
My 1988 vintage (re-release) Tamiya Avante is arriving next week!
#ChildhoodDreams #AdultingPerks
We've got a new family member! Meet Luna—she’s absolutely AMAZING! 🐾 A pro at napping, cable-chewing, and midnight head-stomping. Follow her adventures on Instagram: www.instagram.com/luna_purrspe... 🐱✨
February 4, 2025 at 5:54 PM
We've got a new family member! Meet Luna—she’s absolutely AMAZING! 🐾 A pro at napping, cable-chewing, and midnight head-stomping. Follow her adventures on Instagram: www.instagram.com/luna_purrspe... 🐱✨
🚀 I've launched StaleCache - a #Laravel inspired library for #WordPress that implements stale-while-revalidate caching. It serves stale content while silently updating, prevents cache stampedes, and reduces load on expensive operations. Available as a #Composer package.
github.com/ryanhellyer/...
github.com/ryanhellyer/...
GitHub - ryanhellyer/stale-cache: Stale Cache for WordPress
Stale Cache for WordPress. Contribute to ryanhellyer/stale-cache development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
January 5, 2025 at 7:30 PM
🚀 I've launched StaleCache - a #Laravel inspired library for #WordPress that implements stale-while-revalidate caching. It serves stale content while silently updating, prevents cache stampedes, and reduces load on expensive operations. Available as a #Composer package.
github.com/ryanhellyer/...
github.com/ryanhellyer/...
I built a stale cache handler for #WordPress (borrowed some ideas from #Laravel's new Cache::flexible implementation 😉). It's rough around the edges but working nicely! Take a look:
github.com/ryanhellyer/stale-cache
github.com/ryanhellyer/stale-cache
January 5, 2025 at 2:25 AM
I built a stale cache handler for #WordPress (borrowed some ideas from #Laravel's new Cache::flexible implementation 😉). It's rough around the edges but working nicely! Take a look:
github.com/ryanhellyer/stale-cache
github.com/ryanhellyer/stale-cache
Does anyone know of a class/library/package that handles stale caches well in #WordPress? I tried building my own tonight but I made a mess of it 😅 I'd love to use something that's already been through the wringer, rather than my half baked spare of the moment attempt 😀
January 3, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Does anyone know of a class/library/package that handles stale caches well in #WordPress? I tried building my own tonight but I made a mess of it 😅 I'd love to use something that's already been through the wringer, rather than my half baked spare of the moment attempt 😀
Interesting explanation here on why to watch out for strange interactions between commenting, cookies, SEO and caching systems. It's specific to WordPress, but I could imagine other platforms suffering similar problems too.
It's a new year, time to get blogging more! I wrote about my experience with (and fix for) #WordPress comment cookies and proxy caching:
WordPress comments, cookies and caching
Exploring the world of WordPress comment cookies and caching. Discover the challenges and solutions to comment cookies and caching.
buff.ly
January 2, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Interesting explanation here on why to watch out for strange interactions between commenting, cookies, SEO and caching systems. It's specific to WordPress, but I could imagine other platforms suffering similar problems too.
Tracking my 2024 fitness journey 📊
Red = rest day 🛋️
Yellow = light activity 🚶♂️
Green = full workout 💪
Had a breakthrough in July and was super happy with the second half of the year (despite two winter colds!). Aiming to keep this up in 2025! #FitnessGoals
ryan.hellyer.kiwi/2025/fitness...
Red = rest day 🛋️
Yellow = light activity 🚶♂️
Green = full workout 💪
Had a breakthrough in July and was super happy with the second half of the year (despite two winter colds!). Aiming to keep this up in 2025! #FitnessGoals
ryan.hellyer.kiwi/2025/fitness...
Fitness 2024 - Ryan Hellyer
I’ve been tracking my fitness activities this year with a super simple system – red days for total couch potato mode, yellow for when I squeeze in some movement, and green for those proper sweat sessi...
ryan.hellyer.kiwi
January 1, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Tracking my 2024 fitness journey 📊
Red = rest day 🛋️
Yellow = light activity 🚶♂️
Green = full workout 💪
Had a breakthrough in July and was super happy with the second half of the year (despite two winter colds!). Aiming to keep this up in 2025! #FitnessGoals
ryan.hellyer.kiwi/2025/fitness...
Red = rest day 🛋️
Yellow = light activity 🚶♂️
Green = full workout 💪
Had a breakthrough in July and was super happy with the second half of the year (despite two winter colds!). Aiming to keep this up in 2025! #FitnessGoals
ryan.hellyer.kiwi/2025/fitness...
Fascinating AI challenge: @maiachess created a ML bot that plays chess like a real human! Test your detection skills on Lichess (lichess.org/@/maia1) or try their "bot or not" beta at maiachess.com. I'm currently listed on the leaderboard, but it's tricky! 🤖♟️ #Chess #AI
December 21, 2024 at 10:21 AM
Fascinating AI challenge: @maiachess created a ML bot that plays chess like a real human! Test your detection skills on Lichess (lichess.org/@/maia1) or try their "bot or not" beta at maiachess.com. I'm currently listed on the leaderboard, but it's tricky! 🤖♟️ #Chess #AI
Finally! Now all us with functioning taste buds can log back in.
December 19, 2024 at 8:03 PM
Finally! Now all us with functioning taste buds can log back in.
Would you find it strange or endearing if you received a postcard with a photo taken from your house's balcony in 1987? I took it when I was 8 and lived there. Thinking of sending this to the current owners before visiting NZ next year. Creepy or sweet? 🤔
December 16, 2024 at 8:10 PM
Would you find it strange or endearing if you received a postcard with a photo taken from your house's balcony in 1987? I took it when I was 8 and lived there. Thinking of sending this to the current owners before visiting NZ next year. Creepy or sweet? 🤔
I'm on the hunt for the best disk space to price ratio for a VPS. 💻💰 Netcup are offering a whopping 512 GB for just €14.99/month. 😮 Do any of you know an even better deal out there? #VPSHosting
www.netcup.com/de/server/vps
www.netcup.com/de/server/vps
December 12, 2024 at 2:35 PM
I'm on the hunt for the best disk space to price ratio for a VPS. 💻💰 Netcup are offering a whopping 512 GB for just €14.99/month. 😮 Do any of you know an even better deal out there? #VPSHosting
www.netcup.com/de/server/vps
www.netcup.com/de/server/vps
Ohh, this is interesting. A Syrian army officers report on the fall of the Assad regime.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgje...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgje...
The Fall of Bashar - from a Syrian Army officer's perspective
YouTube video by NCFpeace
www.youtube.com
December 11, 2024 at 5:07 PM
Ohh, this is interesting. A Syrian army officers report on the fall of the Assad regime.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgje...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgje...
In the past decade of PHP development, I've seen us shift from recommending comprehensive inline documentation, to self-documenting code. My latest project has near zero comments - feels strange but somehow correct? Am I the only one that feels weird about this?
December 10, 2024 at 2:23 PM
In the past decade of PHP development, I've seen us shift from recommending comprehensive inline documentation, to self-documenting code. My latest project has near zero comments - feels strange but somehow correct? Am I the only one that feels weird about this?
I sorta rolled my eyes due to seeing so many terrible hosts claiming to be "secure", but this looks wildly different - locked down, uneditable files, separate media upload system. #WordPress #Hosting Thanks to @rmccue.io for sharing it.
🤫 Don’t tell anyone… Altis Cloud has Secrets 🙌🔐
Secrets is your secure vault for API keys, tokens, and passwords—fully integrated into Altis. No more plaintext secrets, no extra tools, just peace of mind.
Upgrade to v20+ to start using Secrets today. Learn more: www.altis-dxp.com/dont-tell-an...
Secrets is your secure vault for API keys, tokens, and passwords—fully integrated into Altis. No more plaintext secrets, no extra tools, just peace of mind.
Upgrade to v20+ to start using Secrets today. Learn more: www.altis-dxp.com/dont-tell-an...
December 8, 2024 at 6:41 PM
I sorta rolled my eyes due to seeing so many terrible hosts claiming to be "secure", but this looks wildly different - locked down, uneditable files, separate media upload system. #WordPress #Hosting Thanks to @rmccue.io for sharing it.
A goal I set one year ago: touch my toes by 2025-01-22. I'm 4 cm short of both simultaneously with 6 weeks to go, but each foot individually is doable. Does this count? I wasn't very specific with what "touching my toes" meant.
random.hellyer.kiwi/fitness-goal...
random.hellyer.kiwi/fitness-goal...
Fitness goal for 2025-01-22 - Ryan's random stuff
My new fitness goal, is to be able to touch my toes by 2025-01-22.
random.hellyer.kiwi
December 8, 2024 at 12:55 PM
A goal I set one year ago: touch my toes by 2025-01-22. I'm 4 cm short of both simultaneously with 6 weeks to go, but each foot individually is doable. Does this count? I wasn't very specific with what "touching my toes" meant.
random.hellyer.kiwi/fitness-goal...
random.hellyer.kiwi/fitness-goal...
30 years of me being wrong:
📧 1994: "Email won't replace fax"
📺 2004: "Web video won't replace TV"
🌐 2014: "PHP in the browser? LOL"
🤖 2024: "It's just dumb AI, not Skynet LOL"
Time keeps proving my skepticism wrong #PHP
📧 1994: "Email won't replace fax"
📺 2004: "Web video won't replace TV"
🌐 2014: "PHP in the browser? LOL"
🤖 2024: "It's just dumb AI, not Skynet LOL"
Time keeps proving my skepticism wrong #PHP
➡️ The PHP manual has learned a new trick, you can now run the code right in the browser!
🥳 Thanks to @soyuka for the implementation!
#php #documentation
🥳 Thanks to @soyuka for the implementation!
#php #documentation
December 4, 2024 at 1:46 PM
30 years of me being wrong:
📧 1994: "Email won't replace fax"
📺 2004: "Web video won't replace TV"
🌐 2014: "PHP in the browser? LOL"
🤖 2024: "It's just dumb AI, not Skynet LOL"
Time keeps proving my skepticism wrong #PHP
📧 1994: "Email won't replace fax"
📺 2004: "Web video won't replace TV"
🌐 2014: "PHP in the browser? LOL"
🤖 2024: "It's just dumb AI, not Skynet LOL"
Time keeps proving my skepticism wrong #PHP
Bahahaha, this is something I've muttered about implementing for many years but never gotten around to.
In just a few minutes, I used ChatGPT to create a WordPress plugin that adds a meta box for Custom Title/Meta Description fields per page/post. It also includes a toggle for controlling robots directives (index/follow or noindex/nofollow). What else for basic SEO is missing?
December 4, 2024 at 12:06 PM
Bahahaha, this is something I've muttered about implementing for many years but never gotten around to.
Oh the irony - right after tweeting this to @remkusdevries.com about having no engagement over on Twitter, I ended up creating my most popular tweet ever 😂 x.com/ryanhellyer/...
December 4, 2024 at 9:10 AM
Oh the irony - right after tweeting this to @remkusdevries.com about having no engagement over on Twitter, I ended up creating my most popular tweet ever 😂 x.com/ryanhellyer/...
So simple, yet so effective. I've usually used a much more convoluted approach when I've needed to implement this sort of thing.
Use Static Variables in Plugin Bootstrap Files
> If your plugin’s bootstrap registers a callback with a #WordPress hook, considering using static variables to prevent code from being called unnecessarily more than once.
tommcfarlin.com/use-static-v...
> If your plugin’s bootstrap registers a callback with a #WordPress hook, considering using static variables to prevent code from being called unnecessarily more than once.
tommcfarlin.com/use-static-v...
Use Static Variables in Plugin Bootstrap Files | Tom McFarlin
If your plugin’s bootstrap registers a callback with a hook, considering using static variables to prevent code from being called unnecessarily more than once.
tommcfarlin.com
December 3, 2024 at 8:10 PM
So simple, yet so effective. I've usually used a much more convoluted approach when I've needed to implement this sort of thing.
If you are like me, and had no idea that there's a TweetDeck equivalent for Bluesky ... deck.blue
Bonus points for it being free! I'm posting this from it just now. Thanks to @remkusdevries.com for showing it to me.
Bonus points for it being free! I'm posting this from it just now. Thanks to @remkusdevries.com for showing it to me.
December 3, 2024 at 11:59 AM
If you are like me, and had no idea that there's a TweetDeck equivalent for Bluesky ... deck.blue
Bonus points for it being free! I'm posting this from it just now. Thanks to @remkusdevries.com for showing it to me.
Bonus points for it being free! I'm posting this from it just now. Thanks to @remkusdevries.com for showing it to me.
How many #WordPress devs have used #Laravel? I'm blown away by the built-in features - stuff that needs sketchy WP plugins just takes a simple class import in Laravel. 🤯 I should have been playing with this a long time ago.
December 3, 2024 at 9:09 AM
How many #WordPress devs have used #Laravel? I'm blown away by the built-in features - stuff that needs sketchy WP plugins just takes a simple class import in Laravel. 🤯 I should have been playing with this a long time ago.
Question for the #Laravel experts: With Breeze login/registration, do you study every file or just install and move on? I'm surprised it’s not abstracted away, instead of leaving me responsible for it. 🤔
December 2, 2024 at 9:32 PM
Question for the #Laravel experts: With Breeze login/registration, do you study every file or just install and move on? I'm surprised it’s not abstracted away, instead of leaving me responsible for it. 🤔
Does anybody else get a warm fuzzy feeling inside whenever you fill your fridge to the brim with food?
Mine sits lifeless and sad most of them. Today it is looking very healthy and full of food though :)
Mine sits lifeless and sad most of them. Today it is looking very healthy and full of food though :)
December 1, 2024 at 7:55 PM
Does anybody else get a warm fuzzy feeling inside whenever you fill your fridge to the brim with food?
Mine sits lifeless and sad most of them. Today it is looking very healthy and full of food though :)
Mine sits lifeless and sad most of them. Today it is looking very healthy and full of food though :)
This video has really good information about #Laravel in it. I loved the section about LiveWire Volt and concurrency. I wish #WordPress had a lot of this stuff built into it.
Laravel has a really nice API syntax for dealing with cache with the more interesting ideas announced very recently youtu.be/AwWepVU5uWM
Laravel Cloud, Inertia 2.0, VS Code Extension, & OSS Updates | Taylor Otwell Keynote | Laracon US
YouTube video by Laravel
youtu.be
November 28, 2024 at 9:48 PM
This video has really good information about #Laravel in it. I loved the section about LiveWire Volt and concurrency. I wish #WordPress had a lot of this stuff built into it.