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I am pretty pleased with On this Flickr Day and already find it fascinating to see photos from the same day across the years.

I left this with a few todos and have made progress.

  1. Create a way to produce JSON rather than a web page with PHP. I could then bring the thumbnails into this site using JavaScript.
    • Was fairly simple when I found json_encode($data,JSON_PRETTY_PRINT); for php. That could be fetched with JavaScript from my new index page.
  2. Add some sort of lightbox to see the images larger.
  3. Change the layout & appearance.
    • Worked a little on this especially for mobile. Using a css grid on desktop. I want to keep it as simple as possible.Still need a bit of a tidy. While I was searching I found out about Masonry which look like a nice way to go eventually. Introducing CSS Grid Lanes | WebKit is a good read.
  4. Figure out a simple way to update the database without completely rebuilding it.
    • Just checking the last 100 photos on flickr once a day with a cron job. I just truncated the original script that built the database. I’ve uploaded a photo or two most days recently and it seems to be working. I could probably cut the numbers checked to 50, as I don’t upload many photos.
  5. Decide on any extra fields and recreate the database.
    • Not done, but I think I want to add in a smaller image size so I can pull the json into WordPress and add tiny thumbs to my on this day page.
  6. Figure out why I can’t get location information from the database with PHP I can with bash.
    • This sorted itself out once I check there was some location data for the image in the json when it is received.

I’ve continued to talk to claude.ai a bit in the process. But I’ve been careful to ask for it to discuss approaches & not give me code. I’ve tried to describe my ideas and situation and finish with Can you run through some options & idea, without code? or similar. This has been really helpful. I continue to search for answers to problems with DuckDuckGo too as in the pre ai days.

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For the last 3 years I’ve tried to note one natural thing I saw each day. Here are 2025’s notes

I keep a yearly note in the drafts app and update the text file on my pi occasionally.

I’ve struggled to mange every day this year, perhaps because a lot of notes came from my commute?

I did write more in each note, which I decided on at the start of the year.

YearNumber of NotesAverage words per note
202336510.81
202430713.42
202522827.82

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Read: The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine ★★★★ 📚

She has read that in Belfast during the conflict there were séances because so many were taken unexpectedly, leaving behind unanswered questions and husbands, wives, children who didn't get to hear or say a last I love you. Who couldn't understand why they wanted an ectoplasmic gush of revelation or reassurance? All bullshit of course, but a dark table in a house, a woman in a mantilla, Miriam would go there, if she knew of such a place.

A girl is sexually assaulted by 3 of her "friends". The novel explores the families involved, individual's histories, personalities & class. Their stories are mixed in with other connected or disconnected fragments. No easy answers.

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Read: This must be the place by Maggie O'Farrell ★★★★ 📚

You see, my mother’s idea of a good time was to spend the evening re-reading The Divine Comedy, whereas my father liked to have several beers and watch the game. That they were woefully mismatched seemed a given, a background presence in our lives; like others of their generation, they just got on with it, circling around each other, making the best of it.

A tale with a host of POVs, locations & dates, all somewhat mixed up, circle round the two principals.

Every character has connections & disconnections, problems & strengths. Some are improbably gifted & unusual but that didn't stop my engagement.