Posts

Hello World! Welcome to My Developer Journey Hey everyone, Brandon here – or BrandgrandReal in the digital realm! I’m thrilled to officially launch my developer blog, a space where I’ll be sharing my adventures, insights, and maybe a few battle scars from the exciting world of software development. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a passionate coder constantly learning, building, and sometimes breaking things (it’s all part of the process, right?). This blog is my way of documenting that journey, connecting with fellow developers, and hopefully offering some helpful tidbits along the way. ...

Ten days after the massive Google Cloud outage on June 12, 2025, the tech world is still buzzing about its impact. As programmers, we rely on cloud infrastructure for everything from hosting to CI/CD pipelines, and this incident exposed how fragile that dependency can be. Let’s break down what happened, how it affected developers, and what we can learn. 🚨 What Happened? At approximately 10:58 a.m. PDT / 1:58 p.m. EDT on June 12, 2025, Google Cloud experienced a widespread outage centered around its Identity and Access Management (IAM) system. This triggered a cascade of failures across multiple services, as reported on the Google Cloud Status Dashboard. The issue persisted for several hours, with partial recovery by 12:12 p.m. PDT and lingering issues in regions like us-central1. ...

In a digital world dominated by closed ecosystems, GrayJay is quietly becoming a standout player. This open-source, privacy-first app lets you watch and follow your favorite creators across platforms like YouTube, Odysee, PeerTube, and SoundCloud—all in one seamless interface. No ads. No accounts. No strings attached. But does GrayJay deliver on its bold promise to put users back in control of their content? Let’s break down what makes it tick—and where it still has room to grow. ...

Today, the cybersecurity world was rocked by the discovery of the largest data leak in history, exposing a staggering 16 billion login credentials from nearly every major consumer network. This unprecedented breach, compiled through infostealer malware, poses a severe risk of phishing, identity theft, and account takeovers on a global scale. 🚨 What Happened? On June 19, 2025, researchers from Cybernews and other cybersecurity groups reported the discovery of 30 exposed databases containing 16 billion unique login records, including usernames, passwords, cookies, and tokens. These credentials were collected via infostealer malware infecting devices worldwide and were later improperly stored online, making them accessible to cybercriminals. ...

During Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals, a groundbreaking moment in advertising unfolded: a fully AI-generated commercial for Kalshi, a financial exchange and prediction market, aired on national television. Described as “unhinged” and “chaotic,” this 30-second spot captivated audiences with its surreal visuals and marked a significant milestone in the use of artificial intelligence in media production. Created by self-described “AI filmmaker” PJ Accetturo in just two to three days for a mere $2,000, the ad showcased the power and potential of AI-driven content creation. Here’s a deep dive into how this ad came to be, its impact, and what it means for the future of advertising. ...

Cloudflare is one of the most widely used web infrastructure platforms in the world. It provides everything from DNS to CDN, edge compute, security, and more—all for free or cheap. For a long time, it seemed like the obvious choice. But I’m moving away from Cloudflare. Not because it’s unreliable—but because it’s too centralized, too powerful, and too invasive. 🧠 Why I’m Leaving Cloudflare is more than a tool—it’s a chokepoint. When you use their proxy, you’re handing over: ...

Remember June 12, 2025? For many of us, it might just be another date. But for countless internet users and businesses, it was the day the digital world seemed to hold its breath. Discord went quiet, Google Cloud services flickered, Spotify playlists paused, and Twitch streams froze. It was a stark, almost unnerving, reminder of just how much we rely on the invisible threads of the internet – and how fragile they can sometimes be. ...

Today, a massive outage rippled across the internet, knocking out access to some of the world’s most used platforms. The root cause? A serious disruption within Google Cloud’s infrastructure, which triggered a chain reaction that impacted Cloudflare and countless dependent apps and services. 🚨 What Happened? At around 10:58 a.m. PDT / 1:58 p.m. EDT, Google Cloud began experiencing service-wide issues. By 11:46 a.m. PDT, reports began piling in across the tech world that everything from messaging apps to AI platforms had gone dark. ...

So you’ve built an amazing documentation site with Docusaurus, and now it’s time to unleash it onto the world! Cloudflare offers fantastic solutions for hosting static sites, with Cloudflare Pages being the go-to for many. For most standard Docusaurus deployments, Cloudflare Pages is indeed the simplest and recommended “normal” path. It provides integrated CI/CD, automatic deployments from Git, and a streamlined experience that will serve your static site perfectly. However, what if you need a little more control, want to integrate with other Worker-based logic, or simply prefer the raw power of Workers for your static deployments? This article will guide you through deploying your Docusaurus site directly to Cloudflare Workers, bypassing Cloudflare Pages. Rest assured, your Docusaurus site will still act like a perfectly normal, fast, and globally available static website. We’re just using a different mechanism on Cloudflare’s edge to serve it. ...

Hey there, tech enthusiasts! I’m Brandon, and I’m thrilled to share the story of how I built my new website, brandgrand.rocks. This project was a labor of love, blending modern web design, functional tools, and a touch of personal flair. From crafting a sleek homepage to developing a streamlined rich text to Markdown converter, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the process, challenges, and triumphs. Grab a coffee, and let’s dive in! ...