Shorticles
Jottings and notes that I have written down quickly because I have not have time to deep dive into the topic to write up one of my articles yet, and thoughts I have had or things I have found that I wanted to share.
I am also recovering posts from my old versions of the site and adding them here. Most are short articles and fit better in here than the main articles section - that‘s everything pre 2023.
Commenting was with Disqus but it all went horribly wrong so for now please ping me comments on Mastodon.
Latest thoughts
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Creating Cloudflare redirects
on Wed, Oct 8, 2025 ~ Web
Notes on optimal ways to pull together a redirects file suitable for a Cloudflare hosted website. -
Apple OSX Messages full stops emoticon bug
on Sun, Jun 15, 2025 ~ misc
When macOS Messages throws a wobbly—what broke, how to spot it, and the quick fixes that calm the chaos, with a wink for sufferers of Apple’s little quirks. -
11ty Git Commit Messages
on Sat, Dec 14, 2024 ~ web
Stealing Angie's Commit messages for my 11ty needs ensuring that I have a more robust method of tagging my commits so that they can be easily differentiated. -
11ty upgrading node in netlify
on Tue, Oct 15, 2024 ~ web
Simon Cox fixes a failed 11ty build on Netlify by identifying a mismatch in Node versions, updating config settings and documenting the troubleshooting process. -
Newspaper style layout for my content
on Sat, Sep 14, 2024 ~ Web
Simon Cox experiments with a newspaper-style layout using CSS columns, grayscale filters, and a custom design to replicate the feel of vintage newsprint. -
Home network set up changes
on Sun, Aug 4, 2024 ~ Misc
Simon Cox details his home network upgrade, replacing powerline adapters with Devolo Magic 2 for better coverage and performance throughout the house. -
The cobbles of Mousehole
on Sat, Jul 13, 2024 ~ Web
Simon Cox shares a scenic view of the charming mythical cobbles of Mousehole, capturing the essence of this picturesque Cornish village in a brief snapshot. -
11ty collections tag links
on Sun, Mar 17, 2024 ~ Web
Adding tag links to Eleventy posts for better topic navigation and solving an issue with multiple tags by iterating through them to create proper links. -
Tracking 404 broken links with Fathom Analytics
on Sun, Feb 11, 2024 ~ Web
How I set up Fathom Analytics to track 404 broken URLs so that I could redirect those links to the correct page. -
Cleaning up the 11ty config
on Sun, Oct 29, 2023 ~ Web
Learn how to organize your 11ty config file by creating separate plugin files. Improve maintainability and readability of your Eleventy project structure. -
11ty draft posts
on Fri, Sep 1, 2023 ~ web
Setting a post to draft in 11ty while writing -
Solving a date display issue in 11ty templates
on Fri, Jul 7, 2023 ~ Web
Fixed a date display issue in 11ty templates by applying the toDateString to format update dates properly to comply with Google’s sitemap requirements. -
11ty image shortcode best practice
on Tue, Jun 6, 2023 ~ Web
Simon Cox outlines how to properly set up and use the 11ty image shortcode, fixing issues with high-res sources, spacing in markdown, and rendering bugs. -
Netlify prerender cache
on Sun, Jun 4, 2023 ~ SEO
Crawling a newly changed website on Netlify can bring you incorrect cached results! -
Stanton Coach chassis progress
on Tue, May 23, 2023 ~ Modelling
I am designing a chassis to fit my Stanton Coach -
Cloudflare Pages error with 11ty build
on Mon, May 15, 2023 ~ Web
Troubleshoot Cloudflare Pages errors with 11ty. Set Node version in Environment Variables to resolve build failures and deploy successfully now today. -
Interaction to Next Paint, the new Core Web Vital
on Wed, May 10, 2023 ~ Web
INP, Interaction to Next Paint is no longer experimental and is due to be included as part of the Core Web Vitals by March 2024. -
Alternative to Google Analytics
on Wed, May 10, 2023 ~ Web
Is there a viable alternative to Google Analytics - yes it's Fathom Analytics. -
html neck tag
on Tue, May 9, 2023 ~ Web
Poking fun at the mythical HTMLtag—where semantics meet silliness, standards collide with satire, and web nerds nod knowingly at a cheeky non-element. -
Railway Modellers Club site
on Wed, Apr 26, 2023 ~ Modelling
Simon Cox introduces myrm.club, a site to showcase model railway layouts with dedicated pages, focusing on discovery and simplified project browsing. -
Lightning Strikes
on Mon, Apr 17, 2023 ~ Web
Lightning strikes not far from us knocked out a lot of the villages comms. -
AI making some astonishing leaps
on Thu, Mar 23, 2023 ~ Web
AI technologies have been making huge leaps over the last week. -
GSC Page with redirect issue
on Wed, Feb 22, 2023 ~ Web
Are you getting a GSC alert 'Page with redirect' where you added a redirect? -
11ty conditional canonical
on Mon, Feb 13, 2023 ~ Web
How I created a conditional canonical tag in my 11ty nunjucks base template. -
Making my Stadia controller work on bluetooth
on Thu, Feb 9, 2023 ~ Misc
Stadia has now gone but the controller can still be used. -
Remove 404 file from sitemap.xml in 11ty
on Mon, Feb 6, 2023 ~ Web
How to remove your 404 file from you mxl sitemap. -
Webmentions
on Sun, Feb 5, 2023 ~ Web
I have added webmentions to this 11ty build. -
Netlify CMS
on Sat, Feb 4, 2023 ~ Web
Somehow I have managed to add the Netlify CMS to the site. -
DandD Character Generator
on Sat, Feb 4, 2023 ~ Misc
Simon Cox built a D&D character generator in Basic, gradually improving it over the years to enhance gameplay and support his evolving tabletop adventures. -
11ty starter video
on Fri, Feb 3, 2023 ~ Web
The video tutorial I started with. -
11ty inline minified css
on Fri, Feb 3, 2023 ~ Web
Minifying css for 11ty sites. -
Shorts are back
on Thu, Feb 2, 2023 ~ Web
I have decided to bring back my small blog posts that I previously called Shorts. -
Uploading images outside of Perch CMS default resource directory
on Fri, May 11, 2012 ~ Web
Moving images outside of Perch default folder - how I did it… -
Aperture tidy up
on Mon, Jan 2, 2012 ~ Misc
I spent some of the weekend tidying up my photos in Aperture. -
ExpressionEngine custom log-in page
on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 ~ Web
How I customised the ExpressionEngine log-in page for a more on-brand experience. -
I never met Steve Jobs
on Thu, Oct 6, 2011 ~ Misc
My thoughts and reflections on the influence of Steve Jobs on me. -
Preventing deep linking
on Tue, Nov 9, 2010 ~ Web
Why would anyone want to prevent incoming links? Lots of sites terms and conditions don't allow it! -
Brighton Model world
on Sat, Jan 26, 2008 ~ Modelling
Loxley Barton Falls will be at Brighton Model World Exhibition this year. -
Bachmann re-motoring kit
on Sat, Jan 26, 2008 ~ Modelling
Bachmann re-motoring kit from Nigel Lawton. -
Withywindle mill wins ExpoNG Pizza challenge
on Sat, Nov 17, 2007 ~ Modelling
Withywindle mill won the ExpoNG Pizza challenge. -
Withywindle mill in Narrow Gauge Modeller December 2007
on Sat, Nov 17, 2007 ~ Modelling
Withywindle mill in Narrow Gauge Modeller December 2007. -
Loxley Barton Falls at The Norwood Club show
on Sun, Nov 11, 2007 ~ Modelling
The 009 model railway Loxley Barton Falls made an appearance at the 2007 Norbury & South London Transport Club's exhibition on the 10th and 11th November. -
Loxley Barton in Narrow Gauge World!
on Mon, Sep 17, 2007 ~ Modelling
Loxley Barton made an appearance in Narrow Gauge World!. -
Amberley 2007
on Mon, Sep 17, 2007 ~ Modelling
Loxley Barton made an appearance at Amberley 2007. -
Withywindle Mill progress
on Wed, Jun 27, 2007 ~ Modelling
Progress on the new layout Withywindle Mill . -
Withywindle Mill - the pizza layout
on Thu, Apr 26, 2007 ~ Modelling
A new layout - Withywindle Mill is a pizza layout, small and round.. -
Japanese L Type industrial locomotive
on Tue, Dec 5, 2006 ~ Modelling
Recent purchase of a tiny loco from Japan. -
Warley 2006 - Pagham Harbour
on Mon, Dec 4, 2006 ~ Modelling
A trip to the Warley Model Railway Exhibition at the NEC with Pagham Harbour. -
ExpoNG 2006 narrow gauge modelling nirvana
on Sun, Oct 29, 2006 ~ Modelling
Probably the best narrow gauge modelling show in the world. -
Expo Narrow Gauge 2006 tommorow
on Fri, Oct 27, 2006 ~ Modelling
Tomorrow is probably the best narrow gauge modelling show in the world. -
Croydon MRS 2006 show
on Mon, Oct 9, 2006 ~ Modelling
Relive the Croydon MRS 2006 show—layouts, loco lore and modelling craft; the bustle, the banter, and that warm whiff of ozone from well-behaved controllers. -
Croydon MRS 2006 show 7th and 8th October
on Tue, Oct 3, 2006 ~ Modelling
Loxley Barton booked for the Croydon MRS 2006 show. -
Ruston Hornsby painted photo
on Mon, Oct 2, 2006 ~ Modelling
Completion of the Ruston Hornsby project. -
Ruston Hornsby painted
on Sun, Oct 1, 2006 ~ Modelling
On the way to completion of the Ruston Hornsby project. -
Ruston Hornsby narrow gauge kit
on Sun, Aug 27, 2006 ~ Modelling
Completion of the build of the of the Ruston Hornsby project. -
Amberley Steam Gala
on Mon, Jul 10, 2006 ~ Modelling
visit to the 2006 Amberley Steam Gala. -
Muse Shepherds Bush Empire 28 June 2006
on Fri, Jun 23, 2006 ~ Misc
I won a pair of tickets to go see Muse at a special fan club only gig at the Shepherds Bush Empire -
You can lead a horse to water...
on Fri, Jun 16, 2006 ~ Misc
Last night on the very quite train home (during England’s match) my train was passed by the Brighton Express. -
Content stealing
on Wed, Jun 14, 2006 ~ Web
TIs someone stealing your content? You probably don't know. I just read a peice over on Learning Movable Type that sparked this post off. -
Dashes vs Underscores
on Thu, Jun 1, 2006 ~ Web
An ongoing debate about whether it is better to use a dash, or hyphen, in a file name or to use an underscore instead. I used the underscore for many years. -
2 ton iron coal wagon
on Tue, Apr 18, 2006 ~ Modelling
Soldering together the 2 ton iron coal wagon kit by A Knights Work. -
009 Society leaflet from 1990
on Sun, Apr 16, 2006 ~ Modelling
Just dug up an old 009 Society leaflet I picked up from Imrex 90 - 16 years ago! -
ExpoNG site now live
on Mon, Mar 20, 2006 ~ Modelling
Expo Narrow Gauge site now live. -
Scaloox water tower
on Sun, Feb 19, 2006 ~ Modelling
Using Scaloox to build a narrow gauge water tower . -
Loxley Barton Falls - Picture in Railway Modeller
on Tue, Dec 20, 2005 ~ Modelling
Picture of Loxley Barton Falls in Railway Modeller and Narrow Gauge World. -
Itsu bean and hijiki lunch roll
on Tue, Nov 8, 2005 ~ Misc
This year I have been eating a lot more Japanese food - mainly because I really like it but also because its good quality food. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Finished model photos
on Sat, Oct 29, 2005 ~ Modelling
Simon Cox shares final photos of the Loxley Barton Falls layout before ExpoNG 2005, capturing the moody, industrial Victorian tone he envisioned for the model. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Winner Cubic Challenge Expo Narrow Gauge 2005
on Sat, Oct 29, 2005 ~ Modelling
Exhibiting Loxley Barton Falls at ExpoNG 2005 Cubic Challenge. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Showing at ExpoNG today
on Sat, Oct 29, 2005 ~ Modelling
Exhibiting Loxley Barton Falls at ExpoNG 2005. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Locomotive No. 07
on Tue, Oct 11, 2005 ~ Modelling
The seventh narrow gauge kit I built. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Waterfall and stream detailing added
on Sun, Oct 9, 2005 ~ Modelling
Building out the waterfall and stream on loxley Barton Falls. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Locomotive No. 06
on Sun, Oct 2, 2005 ~ Modelling
The sixth narrow gauge kit I built. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Lock Gate in place
on Sun, Oct 2, 2005 ~ Modelling
This weekend I have finished painting the lock gates. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Locomotive No. 05
on Thu, Sep 29, 2005 ~ Modelling
The fifth narrow gauge kit I obtained. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Locomotive No. 04
on Thu, Sep 29, 2005 ~ Modelling
The forth narrow gauge kit I started. -
Loxley Barton Falls progress photo gallery
on Tue, Sep 27, 2005 ~ Modelling
A photogallery of progress of my 009 layout. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Locomotive No. 03
on Mon, Aug 22, 2005 ~ Modelling
The third narrow gauge kit I built. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Locomotive No. 02
on Sat, Aug 20, 2005 ~ Modelling
The second narrow gauge kit I built. -
Loxley Barton Falls - Locomotive No. 01
on Sat, Aug 20, 2005 ~ Modelling
The first narrow gauge kit I built many years ago. -
Loxley Barton Falls - A new 009 layout
on Sat, Aug 20, 2005 ~ Modelling
Follow my progress modelling a 009 narrow gauge railway exhibition layout built for the 2005 ExpoNG Cubic Challenge. -
rel nofollow suits commerce users of Google
on Fri, Jan 21, 2005 ~ Web
Commercial users of Google have finally been given a way to reduce the amount of Blogs clogging up their search results. -
Knickers to the Darkness
on Tue, Sep 23, 2003 ~ Misc
Reports are coming in that the Darkness played a superb sold-out show at the Bowery Ballroom -
OKGO - so we did…
on Thu, Sep 4, 2003 ~ Misc
Paula and I went to the OKGO gig at the Electric Ballroom in Camden tonight courtesy of Xfm - I won the tickets on the Adam and Joe show last Saturday. -
Best show on the radio today
on Sat, Aug 30, 2003 ~ Misc
Adam and Joe are sitting in for Ricky on XFM today and are doing a very good show so far. -
Not well :(
on Sat, May 3, 2003 ~ Misc
I have had a really really sore throat since tuesday. -
Altered Carbon – Richard K. Morgan
on Mon, Apr 28, 2003 ~ Misc
This is a description of my new short. -
Simon Cox meet Simon Cox
on Sun, Apr 27, 2003 ~ Misc
I did a search around the web looking for any references to other people names Simon Cox. -
Private Ryan beats the retreat
on Fri, Apr 25, 2003 ~ Misc
Ryan has had to do a major U Turn on the parking policy as Croydon’s retailers are losing money -
SARS - how will London cope?
on Thu, Apr 24, 2003 ~ Misc
Bioterror plans could be used to fight SARS. -
Boogle
on Wed, Apr 23, 2003 ~ Misc
Very disappointed today to open Google UK to find no St George's Day banner. -
No frontiers!
on Mon, Apr 21, 2003 ~ Misc
This is a description of my new short. -
Dinner next door
on Mon, Apr 21, 2003 ~ Misc
We have been invited next door for a sumptuous dinner. -
Web site undergoing more changes
on Sun, Apr 20, 2003 ~ Web
I am moving the cms over to Moveable Type. -
Spring has sprung
on Sun, Apr 20, 2003 ~ Garden
Despite the lack of entries here we have been doing a lot to the garden over the winter. -
New Forest break
on Sun, Apr 20, 2003 ~ Walks
We have been away, walking for a couple of days in the New Forest staying overnight. -
Pittock Reunion Schedule of Events
on Thu, Apr 17, 2003 ~ Misc
The schedule of events for the Pittock Reunion 2003 -
Pittock Reunion events info
on Thu, Apr 17, 2003 ~ Misc
There is so much to see in and around Bath and we hope we have found something to suit everyone. -
Masters
on Thu, Apr 17, 2003 ~ Misc
Finaly got my start date through for my part time Master of Arts Degree in Media Management. -
Movable Type moves to Simoncox.com!
on Wed, Apr 16, 2003 ~ Web
I have installed MoveableType personal Publishing System onto the site -
Croydon Council Tax and Revenue Budget 2003-04
on Sat, Feb 22, 2003 ~ Misc
Heard a report on the radio today that Croydon is raising Council Tax by 27.5% - the second highest in the country. -
Sarah Cox
on Mon, Feb 17, 2003 ~ Misc
It is with deep regret that I have to announce the sudden death of my cousin Sarah. -
Bay Watch
on Thu, Jan 30, 2003 ~ Misc
The council have promised residents that there will be lots more parking bays put into the streets. -
Pittock Reunion
on Wed, Jan 29, 2003 ~ Travel
For those of the family looking for news on this years Pittock Reunion, I will be putting a new section up on the site shortly especially for this years event in June. -
Winter is upon us
on Fri, Jan 3, 2003 ~ Misc
We have not had any snow or ice yet and only a very little frost. The garden is getting ready for a cold Jan and Feb. -
Problems getting worse
on Fri, Jan 3, 2003 ~ Misc
The Central Zone restrictions are now in force and we immediately noticed a rise in the number of cars - most without permits - parking in our street. -
Happy New Year to everyone
on Fri, Jan 3, 2003 ~ Misc
Hopefully this year will bring lots of happiness to everyone. We started off in good style by attending Mike and Nancy’s 1950’s News Years Eve cocktail party -
Saving Ryans Privates
on Tue, Oct 15, 2002 ~ Misc
At tonights council meeting there was an emergency debate to pass a motion to individually consult with every central zone resident whether they were for or against the changes to the CPZ. -
XFM hoarding going up over the pond
on Tue, Sep 24, 2002 ~ Misc
Just got a mention on the radio… XFM hoarding going up over the pond -
Next Council Meeting
on Mon, Sep 23, 2002 ~ Misc
The next meeting of the Full Council is on Monday 14th October 2002 in the early evening… -
Superb victory for residents spoilt by one amendment…
on Tue, Sep 3, 2002 ~ Misc
A huge number of residents turned out for the Croydon Council Traffic Management Cabinet Meeting tonight. Our lobbying has had a major impact on the Council's plans. -
Proposed changes to parking controls in Croydon
on Sun, Aug 11, 2002 ~ Misc
After the residents and businesses of Croydon successfully fought the first proposals to change the parking restrictions, Croydon Council are now trying to push through dramatic changes to the existing zoned parking. -
New page on parking
on Sun, Aug 11, 2002 ~ Misc
We have now built a page for the action against the parking plans. -
Croydon parking - Council are barking
on Wed, Aug 7, 2002 ~ Misc
Croydon council have decided to put up the cost of residents permits and, rather more importantly to extend the parking restriction times from 9am-5pm to 7am-7pm inclusive of Sundays. -
New look new server
on Tue, Jul 9, 2002 ~ Web
I have got my act together at last and started shifting content to a dedicated web space. -
Bit of an exciting weekend
on Mon, Jun 24, 2002 ~ Misc
Had a bit of an exciting weekend. -
New Bamboo!
on Sat, Jun 22, 2002 ~ Garden
ur visit to Coolings Garden Centre found us a stunning coloured-cane bamboo. The garden's blooming beautifully with saxifrage still flowering since April. -
Simon Boden and Minako Hommas wedding
on Mon, Jun 10, 2002 ~ Misc
Our friends Simon and Minnie got married at Oaks Farm. -
Clematis go in
on Tue, Jun 4, 2002 ~ Garden
I made a small trellis, from bamboo that I had pruned out of the garden last month, which I have dug in with the first clematis up against the fence. -
Black fence
on Sun, Jun 2, 2002 ~ Garden
We have painted the eastern boundary fence black. We tried to get some more of the black fence paint that we had already used. -
Upgrade to The Gallery
on Fri, May 17, 2002 ~ Web
I upgraded my photo gallery with new slideshow features to match the site's design, but sadly had to remove it in 2010. My images are now available on Flickr -
Accessibility links with css
on Tue, May 14, 2002 ~ Web
Lots of sites use short catchy 'action' terms to entice people into further sections of thier sites. Here is an alternative method. Accessibility links with css -
Mac Classic OS windows with css!
on Mon, May 13, 2002 ~ Web
A couple of Mac sites have complicated tables forming Mac like windows for showing stories. I tried this in css alone and reduce the number of graphics as well. -
It's a start
on Sat, May 11, 2002 ~ Web
Over the past few years I have become more and more engrossed with Cascading Style Sheets and the benefits they offer to the web. -
CSS rollovers - no javascript!
on Sat, May 11, 2002 ~ Web
I wanted stylish CSS rollover buttons—not just color blocks—so I explored techniques beyond basic JavaScript effects. -
Leith Hill walk
on Tue, May 7, 2002 ~ Walks
A misty morning hike at Leith Hill near Dorking made for dramatic scenery, especially heading into Coldharbour. -
New look site!
on Fri, May 3, 2002 ~ Web
The up side of being unwell is that I have spent this week delving into CSS. -
Microsoft - Hotmail pain...
on Fri, May 3, 2002 ~ Web
Just checked my hotmail account - which I only have so that I can use MSN Messenger because certain friends use it rather than ICQ. -
Japan 2002
on Mon, Apr 22, 2002 ~ Trips
Paula suprised me with a holiday in Japan for my birthday. -
Family visit
on Sat, Mar 30, 2002 ~ Trips
Mum, dad, Conor, Lou and Steve are up for the day visiting. -
Flying Visit to Deal for Phils 40th
on Sat, Mar 16, 2002 ~ Trips
Down in Deal for a little drink with Phil and Vicky -
The latest webcam images
on Sun, Jul 9, 2000 ~ Web
OK Big changes to this page in July 2007! We now have a timelapse webcam picture for you.