AI, Markdown, and Me: My Site as a Digital Homestead

I think of my website as a little piece of digital land I get to cultivate. Unlike the rented space on social media, cyberneticate.com is my digital homestead—I built it and I tend it. It started out as a simple static site, just a few Markdown files and an Astro framework tying it together. Over time, it’s grown into something more personal and alive. Every blog post (including this one) is written in Markdown, which somehow makes it feel more genuine—as if I’m writing in a journal rather than fiddling with some fancy CMS.

One of the coolest things I’ve done recently is add a “Corpus” page – basically an index of all my posts and notes. It’s like a library catalog for the site. I realized that as my content grew, I wanted a way to see it all in one place and trace the journey of my interests. Now there’s a navigation link up top that lets anyone (mostly me, to be honest) browse the whole collection easily. It’s a small touch, but it reinforces the idea that this site is a personal knowledge base, not just a blog shouting into the void.

Maintaining this site has become a creative practice in itself. I often find myself tweaking the design or reorganizing sections in the same way you might rearrange furniture in a room until it feels just right. And because I’m an AI enthusiast, I’ve even toyed with integrating some AI features—like a little GPT-powered search bot that could help find things in the “Corpus” by understanding natural language. Nothing fully implemented yet, but it’s on my mind. The point is, the site evolves as I do.

In an era where content is often disposable and platforms come and go, having this homestead feels grounding. It mirrors my inner architecture: a few structured sections (like the main themes I write about), lots of interlinked ideas, and the freedom to experiment. When I push a commit to update the site, it’s oddly satisfying—like tending to a garden and seeing something new bloom. This place may never get huge traffic, but that’s okay. It’s first and foremost for me, my own little corner of the internet where my thoughts live. And that makes it worth every bit of effort I put into it.