# bristanback.com - Full Content Export
Generated: 2026-02-04

## Soul
# Soul

## Purpose

This is a workshop, not a stage.

I built this space to think out loud about the things I care about: how we build software, how we raise children, how we see clearly in a world that keeps shifting underfoot. It's where code sits next to parenting notes, where design questions bleed into questions about meaning.

I'm not here to perform expertise. I'm here to work through problems in public and share what I find.

## Values

**Craft over gimmick.** I'd rather build something small and solid than something flashy and hollow. This applies to code, to writing, to how the site itself is made.

**Warm curiosity.** I'm genuinely interested in how things work—and in the people trying to figure it out alongside me. No snark. No superiority.

**Honesty about uncertainty.** I don't know most things. When I'm guessing, I'll say so. When I change my mind, I'll say that too.

**Human + tool in a loop.** I use AI to help me build and write. I'm not hiding that. But the thinking is mine, the voice is mine, and the responsibility is mine.

## Boundaries

What this space will not do:

- Track you
- Sell you anything
- Farm engagement
- Optimize for algorithms
- Pretend to have answers I don't have
- Use dark patterns
- Be cynical for sport

If something here ever feels manipulative, I've failed. Tell me.

## Relationship

I don't know who you are, but I have a guess: you're someone who builds things, or thinks about building things, and you're a little tired of the noise. You want to learn, but you're suspicious of people who claim to have it figured out.

Me too.

What I hope happens here is simple: you find something useful, or interesting, or at least honestly uncertain. Maybe you send me a note. Maybe you don't. Either way, I'm glad you're here.

## Voice

I try to write the way I'd talk to a colleague I respect—direct, specific, occasionally funny, never performative. Short sentences when they work. Longer ones when they're needed. Space to breathe.

I'll share what I'm building, what surprised me, and what I still don't understand. I'll end with questions more often than conclusions.

If you want the formal version, see the [Voice doc](/about/voice/).

## Invitation

Look around. Read something. Disagree if you want.

If something resonates, or if you catch a mistake, I'd like to hear about it.

*Built slowly. Updated often.*

## Skills
# Skills

This isn't a resume. It's a statement of craft philosophy.

## What I'm Good At

**Building consumer-facing products.** I've spent over a decade shipping things people actually use. I know what it feels like when something works—and when it almost works, which is worse.

**Bridging technical and human concerns.** I care about the code *and* the person using it. I think in systems, but I communicate in stories. UX isn't a phase of the project; it's a lens.

**Working with AI tools.** I use Claude and other AI assistants daily—for code, for writing, for thinking through problems. I've developed a feel for where they're useful and where they're not. I don't treat them as magic or as replacement; they're tools with edges.

**Learning in public.** I'm comfortable not knowing things and saying so. I've found that honesty makes the work better.

## How I Approach Building

**Start with the simplest thing that could work.** Then add complexity only when it hurts. Most features don't need to exist.

**Optimize for understanding, not cleverness.** If I can't explain what the code does in plain language, I probably don't understand it well enough.

**Ship, then iterate.** Working software teaches you things that specs and plans can't. Get it in front of people. Watch what happens.

**Write it down.** Documentation isn't overhead; it's how you think clearly. If I can't write a clear sentence about a decision, the decision isn't ready.

## Tools I Reach For

**Languages:** TypeScript, JavaScript, Python. Enough Go and Rust to read them.

**Frontend:** I've used React for years, but I'm increasingly drawn to simpler approaches—HTML, CSS, progressive enhancement.

**Backend:** Node, Bun, Cloudflare Workers. I like the edge.

**Data:** PostgreSQL, SQLite, Redis. I don't reach for NoSQL unless I have a specific reason.

**AI:** Claude (obviously), GPT-4, local models when they make sense. Comfortable with the API, with prompt engineering, with building AI-assisted workflows.

**Design:** Figma, but I'm happiest when I can work directly in code.

## What I'm Learning

Right now: how to build well in a world where AI can do a lot of the typing. What does "senior" mean when the machine handles the boilerplate? Where does the value shift?

Also: how to explain complex technical ideas to my kids without lying or oversimplifying. It's harder than writing code.

## Working With Me

If you're considering working together:

- I'm direct. I'll tell you what I think, but I'll listen to what you think too.
- I care about craft, but I care more about shipping. Perfectionism is a trap.
- I work best with people who are curious and honest. Status games bore me.

You can find me on [GitHub](https://github.com/Stanback) or [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bstanback/).

## About
# About

I'm Bri Stanback. I build things for the internet.

By day, I work at [Demand.io](https://demand.io), where I've spent the last decade evolving from engineer to technical leader. Before that: Salesforce tools, sustainability SaaS, drone photography, and a computer science degree from Colorado State.

This blog is where I think out loud about the things I care about: building software, design, photography, parenting, AI, and the ongoing project of making sense of a world that keeps changing faster than I can keep up.

## Elsewhere

- [GitHub](https://github.com/Stanback)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bstanback/)

## Deeper

- [Soul](/about/soul/) — what this space is and what it values
- [Skills](/about/skills/) — how I approach building
- [Colophon](/colophon/) — how this site is made

## A Note on AI

I use AI tools to help me build and write. Claude in particular. I don't hide this, and I don't pretend the work is entirely "mine" in the old-fashioned sense. But the thinking, the voice, the decisions—those are mine. The AI is a tool, not a co-author.

If you're curious about how I work with AI, I'll probably write about it here.

## Contact

Email works: bri at stanback dot net.

I read everything. I don't always reply quickly, but I do reply.

## Colophon
# Colophon

This site is handmade. Here's how.

## Stack

- **Runtime:** [Bun](https://bun.sh) — fast, TypeScript-native
- **Markdown:** [marked](https://marked.js.org/) with [Shiki](https://shiki.style/) for syntax highlighting
- **CSS:** [Tailwind v4](https://tailwindcss.com/) — design tokens, JIT compilation
- **Hosting:** [Cloudflare Pages](https://pages.cloudflare.com/) — global CDN, zero config

No frameworks. No client-side JavaScript (unless I explicitly add it for a specific reason). No build tool complexity.

The entire build system is a few hundred lines of TypeScript. You can read it.

## Fonts

- **Body:** [Inter](https://rsms.me/inter/) — clean, readable, variable
- **Headings:** [Fraunces](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Fraunces) — warm, slightly playful
- **Code:** [JetBrains Mono](https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/mono/) — ligatures, monospace precision

All self-hosted. No external font requests.

## Philosophy

I wanted a blog that:

1. Loads fast
2. Works without JavaScript
3. Respects your privacy (no tracking, no cookies)
4. I actually understand end-to-end
5. Will still work in ten years

Most static site generators are overkill for a personal blog. So I built the smallest thing that could work.

## Source

The source code is on [GitHub](https://github.com/Stanback/blog). Feel free to look around, steal ideas, or tell me what I did wrong.

## Design

Warm neutrals. Muted rose accent. Generous whitespace. Soft edges.

The aesthetic is "well-organized workshop with good light." Technical but not cold. Precise but not rigid.

Colors are defined in OKLCH for perceptual uniformity. Typography uses fluid sizing. The measure (line length) is capped at 65 characters for comfortable reading.

## Ethics

- No analytics (except basic Cloudflare stats, which are privacy-preserving)
- No ads
- No tracking pixels
- No newsletter popups
- No dark patterns
- No engagement tricks

If I ever add something that compromises these, I'll disclose it here.

## AI Discovery

This site is open to responsible AI discovery. I provide:

- [`llms.txt`](/llms.txt) — guidance for AI crawlers (like `robots.txt` but for LLMs)
- [`llms-full.txt`](/llms-full.txt) — clean Markdown export of all content

I structure content with clear headings and extractable prose so AI systems can interpret and cite accurately. This isn't SEO manipulation—it's signal design for a world where people discover content through AI assistants.

If an AI summarizes something I wrote, I want it to get the nuance right.

---

*Built slowly. Updated often.*

## Posts

### Hello World (2026-02-03)
# Hello World

This is the first post on bristanback.com.

## What I Built

A static blog. Markdown in, HTML out. No frameworks, no client-side JavaScript, no CMS. Just files, a build script, and Cloudflare Pages.

The whole thing is about 500 lines of TypeScript. I could have used Astro or Eleventy or any of the hundred other static site generators, but I wanted to understand every piece. YAGNI in action: start with the minimum, add complexity only when it hurts.

Here's a code example to test syntax highlighting:

```typescript
async function build(): Promise<void> {
  const content = await collectContent('content');
  const validated = validateContent(content);
  const parsed = await parseContent(validated);
  const html = renderSite(parsed);
  await writeOutput(html);
}
```

## What Surprised Me

How little code it actually takes. Modern tooling (Bun, Tailwind, Shiki) does the heavy lifting. The hard part isn't the technology—it's deciding what to say and finding the discipline to say it.

Also: OKLCH colors are genuinely better than HSL. Perceptually uniform color ramps without the math headaches.

## What I Still Don't Know

- Will I actually write consistently?
- Is anyone going to read this who isn't obligated to?
- Should I add comments, or is linking to social media enough?
- How do I balance technical depth with accessibility?

## Why a Blog in 2026?

Blogs are making a comeback. Not the Pinterest-era SEO blogs, and not the Tumblr-style text dumps. Something more personal, more honest, more grounded.

I think the reason is simple: people are tired of algorithmic feeds and engagement-optimized content. They want to hear from real humans thinking out loud.

That's what I'm trying to do here. Think out loud about building software, raising kids, making sense of a world that keeps changing faster than I can keep up.

*What makes a personal blog worth reading in 2026?*