Tech ramblings by Marcin

paper-age

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

My laptop is gone. My password manager database lives in the cloud - but the cloud storage password is a random 40-character string that only exists inside that password manager. Classic chicken-and-egg. My solution: print the password on paper, encrypted.

paper-age is a tool that takes any secret and produces a printable PDF containing a QR code with the data encrypted using age - passphrase-based symmetric encryption. One passphrase to remember, everything else on paper.

SSH certificates: the better SSH experience

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Inspired by this post by JP Mens.

Instead of distributing public keys to every server’s authorized_keys, you can use a Certificate Authority (CA) to sign SSH keys. This eliminates ssh-copy-id, manual authorized_keys edits, and TOFU prompts for new hosts.

How it works:

Create a CA key pair on a secure machine

umask 077; mkdir CA
ssh-keygen -t ecdsa -C "My SSH CA" -f CA/ssh-ca

Sign user public keys with the CA, specifying allowed principals (login names)

Github: show me the keys!

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve picked this up from a tutorial on using age - encryption tool.

A particular example there, in the docs is:

curl https://github.com/zygm0nt.keys | age -R ...

And I find this way of sharing keys convenient. Of course - this ties you to GitHub, which you might want to avoid nowadays, but I believe you’re using the service for some things.

Hugo sections can have custom list layouts

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

You can override a section’s list template by placing a list.html under layouts/<section-name>/. Hugo will pick it up automatically, no frontmatter needed.

This makes it easy to create compact, title-only indexes for sections like TIL — different from the default card-style post listing.

Travels

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Places I’ve visited around the world

Fiction

Mon, 05 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Test - lem punk.

Getting things done in a distracted world

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Many years ago I’ve written somewhat similar piece about navigating all the distractions of my life. You can read it here: https://marcin.cylke.com.pl/2016/07/24/it-minimalist/ Years have passed, and I want to revisit the topic. Let this post be a reflection on how my habits changed, but also a summary of techniques that work for me right now.

Let’s try to recap my stats for this day, as compared to year 2016 (noted in brackets)

books I read - Oct - Dec 2024

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Books

Book Review: Czysta Ameryka. Przemilczana historia eugeniki by Elizabeth Catte

Many interesting observations and a clearly presented opinion on eugenics and its history in the USA. It’s quite difficult to get through due to the many facts specific to USA internal politics. It also explores topics loosely connected to eugenics, which may feel tangential but provide a broader context. There is certainly a lot of personal opinions here, referring to the author’s hometown. It makes the book less valuable as an objective study of the subject, and more just a personal exploration based on local facts."

Book Review: Zakamarki Białego Domu by Marek Wałkuski

written as a concise trivia book about US White House. The author, polish correspondent working in the Presidential Press Pool shares a lot of his personal experiences, but also adds a lot of smaller research to that. The mix of personal anecdotes and research makes the book both engaging and informative. However, Some sections feel less compelling and might serve more as filler. While accurate, the repeated mention of being the only Polish reporter near the US President can feel overemphasized.

Book Review: The coming wave by Mustafa Suleyman

how AI is changing the world, and what will be its future influence. Written by an influential person, a co-founder of DeepMind. The book presents thought-provoking insights, particularly on societies’ approach to that new paradigm (AI). Given the rapid evolution of AI, some ideas in the book have already become outdated. Some ideas in the book are already out of sync with what’s happening in the industry. This book has been a good, relaxing exercise for the mind. While it’s an engaging read, some ideas may feel more speculative than definitive.

Book Review: Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way, Gabriel Bá

before the Netflix series there’s been a comic version of the story about the patchwork family of super-children, born on the same day all around the world. I really liked the Netflix adaptation, after enjoying the Netflix adaptation, I was inspired to explore the original comic. And that’s been a good decision, I must say. In fact, The comic offers richer character development and a more intricate storyline compared to the Netflix adaptation. The unique art style and imaginative storytelling made it a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Book Review: Futuro Darko by Krzysztof Nowak

A post-apocalyptic comic with a distinctly Polish twist. The album contains a bunch of separate stories connected by the main characters. I enjoyed the style of the comics. Also, the comic-inspired soundtrack adds an immersive dimension to the reading experience.! Neat idea!

Articles

Tracking Putin’s Most Feared Secret Agency—From Inside a Russian Prison and Beyond - a investigative piece from Evan Gershkovich, WSJ reporter held in Russian Prison, recently released

Interesting video

Czy wszyscy 110-latkowie to oszuści? IgNobel z demografii 2024 | Czytamy naturę - a super interesting presentation about people supposedly living more than 100 years.
Spotify’s Approach to Distributed LLM Training with Ray on GKE | Ray Summit 2024

books I read - September 2024

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Books

Book Review: Stany podzielone Ameryki by Lukasz Pawłowski

Written by one of the podcasters from “Podcast amerykański,” and my great experience with this book was largely due to this connection. The book is fascinating and feels refreshingly objective.
Additionally, it offers an insightful analysis of the current state of American society, particularly from a European perspective, providing a unique outsider’s view of the country’s complexities.

Book Review: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

A classic. This graphic novel chronicles the experience of growing up and living in Iran before, during, and after the Islamic Revolution. The most vivid and shocking part of the story takes place in Iran.
The second part, about living in Austria as an immigrant, is less engaging. I found it most enjoyable when the action returned to Iran, highlighting the stark contrast between the two countries, and more importantly, the people.
Highly recommended!

Book Review: Blankets by Craig Thompson

An autobiographical graphic novel that tells the story of growing up in a deeply religious family and how it shaped the author’s first love and transition to adulthood.
Not my favorite.

Book Review: Ghostmoney by Smolderen & Bertail

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It’s set in the near future and follows a wild chase for lost Al-Qaeda money. The story is told from multiple perspectives, involving politics and a somewhat exaggerated portrayal of shady U.S. dealings around the world.
The art style is atmospheric, with some parts being quite dark and gritty, while others depict futuristic, beautifully rendered Middle Eastern cities.
As for the plot—it’s not too deep, but it’s still enjoyable.

Book Review: Sandworm by Andy Greenberg

A brilliant book that dives into the dangers of cyberwarfare. It covers nation-sponsored cyberattacks on infrastructure and emphasizes the urgent need for securing networks. The book paints a grim picture of potential future cyberattacks, especially with state-sponsored groups using zero-day vulnerabilities against individuals and institutions.
It reads like a thriller, except the stakes are real.
I’d compare it to Kim Zetter’s Countdown to Zero Day about Stuxnet. Personally, I would have enjoyed more technical details, but it was a great read nonetheless.

From Pocket

Recent:

Watercolor portrait - made by AI

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

An example illustration

This article is inspired by a post I’ve stumbled upon on LinkedIn, by Guido Appenzeller

Below you can find a reinterpretation of his post. With added details here, and there. The reason for that, is twofold - a) I really like the workflow, b) the original post is missing some details for a first-time user of those tools.