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+---
+title: "Journal Update 021"
+date: 2022-09-19T00:00:00
+draft: false
+pageinfo: true
+---
+## What's New
+As was planned since my last journal entry[1] back in May, I polished up the hugo-theme-nicksphere[2] repository.
+
+Among the improvements are:
+* Anonymous links (noreferrer).
+* Faster capsule generation.
+* **Bold** and *italics* support for Web.
+* Improved Web accessibility for mobile and screen readers.
+* Improved site HTML and CSS.
+* Improved site and capsule navigability.
+* Made it easier to add a logo.
+* Added emojis.
+* Added useful metadata to each entry.
+
+I also made some improvements to the nicksphere[3] repository:
+* Improved glossary linkability[4].
+* Simplified relative links.
+* Made text on non-entry pages less long-winded.
+
+And finally, some other improvements were made independent of any repository:
+* Added nicksphere.ch to the HSTS preload list[5].
+* Updated the CGit instance[6] and improved code readability.
+* Mirrored all my Git repositories on Sourcehut[7] for redundancy.
+* Made the Tor onions faster.
+* Fixed the HTTP headers for nicksphere.ch.
+
+## Future Plans
+I hope to get around to fixing known bugs and adding more features to hugo-theme-nicksphere. The basic challenge is to make the Web output featureful without breaking Gemini. For instance, I want to add inline images and links for the Web whilst also making those images and links accessible on Gemini.
+
+I still plan on eliminating the promoted links[8] page over time.
+
+I need to use a tool to scan for link rot and fix any broken links. This is relatively easy.
+
+I've been considering removing the branding "nicksphere" from my journal and replacing it with just my name. Here are my reasons:
+* Everything on the domain "nicksphere.ch" and its subdomains is specific to me: my journal, my email, and my Git repositories. My name alone is sufficient branding. "nicksphere" is erroneous.
+* "nicksphere" in spoken English is unclear. I always have to spell it to people.
+* Searching "nicksphere" on any major search engine yields my journal. I like being high in the search results, but I'd rather this journal be found by word of mouth and links from other small blogs. Also, I think search engines wield too much power and I'm not willing to let SEO dictate things about my journal.
+
+Rebranding isn't a high priority and I haven't decided on it for certain. In any case, I'll be sure to provide ample notice if the domain is changed.
+
+I've spent a lot of time on server-side configurations that make nicksphere.ch work, but they're not documented anywhere. I'd like to create a Git repository automating those setups and configurations with Ansible scripts.
+
+Another reason server-side automation is useful is for transitioning to a new VPS. I need to switch because my current VPS only accepts digital tulips[9], which I oppose[10]. Since this domain is associated with my real legal name, I don't benefit from anonymous payment anyways. And my VPS provider is quite expensive.
+
+There's a lot to be done, but luckily the only time-sensitive todo item is switching my VPS provider so I don't need to use cryptocurrency. Everything else can wait.
+
+
+Links:
+[1: Journal Update 020](/2022/05/01/journal-update-020/)
+[2: hugo-theme-nicksphere](https://git.nicksphere.ch/hugo-theme-nicksphere)
+[3: nicksphere](https://git.nicksphere.ch/nicksphere)
+[4: Glossary](/glossary/)
+[5: HSTS Preload](https://hstspreload.org/)
+[6: CGit](https://git.nicksphere.ch)
+[7: Sourcehut](https://sr.ht/~gitnick/)
+[8: Promoted Links](/promoted/)
+[9: Glossary: Digital Tulips](/glossary/)
+[10: Merchants Should Stop Accepting Cryptocurrency](/2022/08/17/merchants-should-stop-accepting-cryptocurrency/)