Meta

How this archive works, why it exists, and how to navigate it

What This Is

Personal knowledge base running MediaWiki at `archive.ejfox.com`. Not a blog - those are polished artifacts. This is a living dump of evolving thoughts, technical notes, and cross-referenced ideas.

Blog vs Archive

Blog - Cohesive artifacts frozen in time, images, interactives
Archive - Info dump, post bin, stuff that used to be gists

Structure

Technical - CLI workflows, APIs, scripts, solutions
Dataviz - D3 experiments, Observable notebooks, techniques
Journalism - Methods, sources, investigations, published work
Projects - Work logs, collaboration notes, active stuff

Cross-links create connections. Search finds forgotten solutions.

Usage Patterns

Personal Reference

"How did I solve X six months ago?" Full-text search across all technical solutions, project notes, and methodology docs.

AI Context

Language models can reference this for personalized assistance. Better responses when the AI knows your actual workflows, preferences, and past solutions.

Mobile Updates

Can update from phone. Quick capture of ideas, solutions, links. Organize later.

Technical Notes

MediaWiki Advantages

Mature linking system with backlinks
Mobile editing capability
Built-in version control
Full-text search
AI-parseable structure
Export flexibility

Content Flow

Raw notes → basic linking → cross-referencing → synthesis → sometimes becomes blog post or project

Philosophy

Ideas evolve. Capture incomplete thoughts rather than lose them. Version-controlled thinking - don't edit history, add new perspectives. Cross-domain connections often yield the best insights.

Inspired by Gwern's long-term documentation approach - if you're ahead of the curve and document your interests, people will find your work valuable as they catch up.

AI Integration

This archive provides context that makes AI interactions more useful:

Personal APIs and technical setup
Project history and decision rationale
Cross-references between different work domains
Methodology documentation

Maintenance

Review monthly for orphaned pages and emerging patterns. Structure evolves with needs. Content stays - context accumulates value over time.

Archive running since 2025 • Updated from terminal & mobile • Cross-referenced & searchable