
Joe Discovers Astro, Builds Personal Blog
Join me on my journey of the impossible, building a new website with tech I am completely unfamiliar with while adding my own personal touches. Learn about Email security and how to help reduce SPAM by avoiding circulating your Email address.
Joe’s Digital Workshop Podcast - Episode 2 Summary
Description: “A summary of Joe Hackman’s second podcast episode, discussing website creation with modern AI tools and innovative email privacy.”
Episode Summary
Joe Hackman discusses his recent venture into creating a new website using **Astro** and the **Claude Sonnet 4 AI model** within the **Cursor 050 build**, noting how this powerful combination allowed him to build the website’s framework and associated assets like logos in a remarkably short two and a half hours, a feat he considers nearly impossible with older tools. This experience reignited his passion for podcasting, leading him to launch “Joe’s Digital Workshop Podcast.” He also shares an innovative approach to email privacy on his new website, leveraging **SimpleLogin’s API** to create disposable email aliases, thereby avoiding spam and protecting his personal email address. Looking ahead, Joe plans to cover diverse topics on his podcast, including smart manufacturing, product design, AI, nature exploration, and personal growth.
Timestamped Outline with Key Moments
* **0:00 - 1:00**: Introduction to Joe’s Digital Workshop Podcast and inspiration from Doop’s podcast on engineering and AI.
* **1:00 - 2:00**: Experimenting with **Astro**, **Cursor 050**, and **Claude Sonnet 4** to build a new website framework in 2.5 hours, a significant improvement over past methods.
* **2:00 - 3:00**: Joe’s history with podcasting, including previous shows on BlogTalk Radio and manufacturing advocacy, and his preference for unedited, authentic content.
* **3:00 - 4:00**: The decision to launch a new podcast, researching platforms, and selecting **Podbean** for its simplicity and features. Rapid setup of the podcast and website with logos and a content plan.
* **4:00 - 5:00**: Reflection on the speed and efficiency achieved with modern AI tools, contrasting it with past development times.
* **5:00 - 7:30**: Discussion of the podcast’s diverse topics, including manufacturing, product design, AI, nature, and personal growth.
* **7:30 - 11:30**: Detailed explanation of implementing email privacy on the new website using **SimpleLogin’s API** to generate disposable aliases and deter bots, and its effectiveness in combating spam.
* **11:30 - 13:00**: Further benefits of using SimpleLogin for managing various email identities.
* **13:00 - 16:00**: Recap of podcast topics and an invitation for guest suggestions.
3-5 Key Takeaways or Quotes
* “Within two and a half hours, I had a website, pretty much the framework started. I had everything pushed over to GitHub. I had created a GitHub repository and that was pushing over to Vercel. And it was pretty wild to me that how fast that all went.”
* “I really do like the one take, unedited, unfiltered, what you see is what you get approach. It’s very authentic and real to me and I think in an age where everything’s heavily manipulated, it’s nice to actually hear people stumble and make mistakes sometimes and not always be quite so polished.”
* “I had essentially achieved something impossible that, well, perhaps maybe up until a few months ago, was essentially impossible.”
* “Hopefully this stuff is interesting to you. I promise it won’t all be this type of thing. There will definitely be some interesting stuff along the road. I plan to talk certainly, I will be talking about manufacturing, I will be talking about product design, creating products, I will be talking about AI.”
* “I’m super glad that I came across SimpleLogin because it’s actually a really super great way to obfuscate your identity and avoid circulating your email address.”