I learned to code that hard way, but in retrospect, I think it made me a better software developer. I can think through tough problems on my own without the assistance of an LLM code editor like Cursor or Windsurf. I don’t have to rely on ChatGPT for every little bug in the code.

Looking back, it’s crazy to me to see how far Ai has advanced in just two years. Remember that first video that came out of early text-to-video models—the one of Will Smith eating spaghetti? Two years ago ai-generated videos were laughable at best. Now with Google’s Veo 3 model, it’s extremely difficult to spot what's real and what’s fake.

Admittedly, it’s a bit scary with the world we are living in now. But there will always be bad people misusing ai to mis-lead and steal from others. People have been trying to game life since the dawn of man.

You get hit with an idea, register a slick domain name, maybe write a few lines of code... then get bored and move on.

While most advice says "Don't waste cash before validation," here’s a little secret: sometimes registering that domain is the MVP. Especially if you're willing to play in the world of domain flipping.

Domain name investing—aka domain flipping—is the art of scooping up digital real estate in niches you believe in, with an eye for resale. To outsiders, it sounds like a cheesy get-rich-quick scheme. But to those who stick with it, it’s more like indie real estate: slow, strategic, and surprisingly profitable.

I started exploring domains years ago, and in 2018 I founded Domaincord—the first domain investing community on Discord. Since then, we've grown into one of the largest public, free-to-join domain investing groups out there.

If you’ve got a folder full of names that never turned into projects, join us. Learn how to price, market, and flip your unused domains. Don’t just let them expire—turn them into runway.

Ready to learn more?

Background Tasks

One of the tasks that is common with running a Minecraft server network is monitoring multiple Minecraft server processes simultaneously. There are several ways to do this on Unix-based systems, such as tmux and screen sessions, but I typically would use the built-in screen command. When I need to check the logs on a specific Minecraft server, I would just attach to named screen session that corresponded to the server I wanted to check on and boom, I could view the logs and execute Minecraft commands, detach, and be on my way.

Configuration Files

Before I even heard of Kubernetes, erm Docker, I was editing good ol’ YAML files to configure plugins on my various Minecraft servers. I even would install FTP clients on my old iPhones to edit them on-the-go. It was so convenient. YAML syntax errors, i.e. accidentally putting a tab in the file, was the bane of my existence.

Soft Skills

Like software engineer, not all of the tasks of running a Minecraft servers were purely technical and often involved chatting with players of all ages and attending to their issues. Someone might need help with using the WorldGuard plugin to protect their build from “griefing”, e.g. other players destroying it, while others might have an issue with purchasing an in-game rank with real world money. Thanks BuyCraft! These types of tasks taught my how to communicate effectively and in return I developed valuable soft skills that would help me to communicate with my team about website issues and explaining commits.

Looking back, I honestly didn’t realize that hosting those janky Minecraft servers was lowkey a crash course in full-stack development, devops, and support. I wasn’t trying to become a software engineer—I just wanted to keep the lag down and the trolls out. Somewhere between restarting Java processes and arguing with 14-year-olds about donation perks, I picked up the habits, mindset, and muscle memory that I still use every day. The servers are long gone, but the experience stuck. And weirdly, it made the rest of this indie hacker journey feel a little less chaotic—just another sandbox to survive in.

Hey —

Mailchimp’s great, until you realize you’re paying $59/mo to send a basic-ass html email with your logo on it.

but guess what?
you don’t need all that.

🔥 the indie hacker email stack:

• get SMTP credentials via ImprovMX ($9/mo)

• build a simple (still gorgeous) template — tons of free generators exist

• send bulk campaigns w/ one of these local tools:
  → sendblaster.com (windows)
  → serialmailer.com (mac)
  → mailingmerge.com (iOS & Android; yes, really)

what you get:
✔ zero lock-in
✔ full control
✔ your custom domain (no “via mccs123.mailchimpapp.net” weirdness)
✔ actually CHEAP

if you've ever poked at Tailwind or written email HTML by hand, this route will feel like cheating.

and yeah, it totally works. i’ve been running mine this way for years.

you down to take control of your email stack?

happy to walk you through how i set mine up if you're curious.

— Alex

(ps: your Contacts app already supports lists. use what you’ve got, not another SaaS.)