iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It took two weeks, but it's done. Probably the most exhausting and ambitious project I've taken on, charting unfamiliar territory the whole way: Linux, streaming, GPUs, drivers, on and on. I can now run an emulator on my headless server and stream it over my Tailscale network to my Mac. #Linux

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

🎉 Sweet, sweet victory. The GPU is reading a fake EDID file, believing a real monitor is plugged into a headless server. That sweet game visual data finally has somewhere to go. One more piece locked in for the game library streaming build. #Linux #SelfHosted #HeadlessServer #GameServer #Gaming

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Next goal on the locally hosted LLM journey: expose inference to public use. How? Pong, of course. Controlled vehicle for LLM input: play Output: meaningful engagement #LinuxHomeLab #LLM #PlayPong

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

My self-hosted Linux server is now running LLMs locally. Benchmarked 8 models across Meta, Microsoft, Google, Mistral AI, and Alibaba's Qwen, comparing speed, VRAM fit, and accuracy. Qwen won at every size, fastest and zero errors. Breakdown → tinyurl.com/llmtrials #LLM #Linux #CLI

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#linux #selfhosted #llm | Abdullah Durrani

🎯 Mission accomplished! ✅ My Linux server is officially running LLMs locally. Saturday I spent quite a bit of time running different models on this thing, comparing GPU vs CPU usage, and starting ...

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Been having a blast running models, checking GPU vs CPU split, optimizing. Now offloading less to CPU on llama3.1:8b. Results so far: llama3.2:3b, 100% GPU phi3:mini, 100% GPU llama3.1:8b, 55/45 split mistral:7b, 63/37 split #LLM #Linux #Ollama

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

we are actually up and running - huge milestone to have an LLM running locally on a comp that was collecting dust less than two weeks ago but now is a full-on linux headless server remotely accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. #LLM #Linux

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Installed Ollama. Started seeing an erorr on start up. Uhoh. It was detecting a GPU I didn't even know was there. Harmless but If it wasn't for the error, I wouldn't have even known a GPU was on the machine. VRAM is useful for running LLM inference. Fix the error. Claim VRAM. #toerror #Linux #LLM

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Wrote my first systemd service to resolve WoL issue. Tailscale gave the server + both Macs their own private network. Scoped SSH down from wide open to just trusted IPs. Stress tested the hardware. Next: ollama pull llama3.1:8b. Full post → tinyurl.com/4ahw3ryx 🐧🦙 #llm #selfhosted

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#linux #selfhosted #builtbydesign | Abdullah Durrani

Quick update on the server project. This thing has been a treasure trove of Linux learning. ⚡ I wanted to wake the machine remotely from full shutdown, so I built my first systemd service -> to run a...

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

just closed the door on public entry (for now). hardened SSH access down to LAN + Tailscale only #Linux #SelfHoster #Tailscale

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

we are up and running. the headless server will now be accessible, privately, from virtually anywhere. #Linux #SelfHosted #Tailscale

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Wanted to wake this headless server remotely from shutdown. BIOS allows wake-on-lan, but the OS-level setting silently resets every reboot. Wrote my first systemd service to reapply it automatically. This project has been an unexpected treasure trove of Linux learning. 🐧 #Linux #SelfHosted

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

A freind gave me an old pc that was sitting around collecting dust and now it's in my office being utliizied as a headless Linux server (my first) running the latest Ubuntu distro. Going to be hosting an LLM on it pretty soon. ❤️ #Linux #Ubuntu #SelfHosted #NothingtoSomething

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

@sanfordgreene.bsky.social your cover is by far my favorite variant out of the bunch for #Marvel / #DC: #Spider-man / #Superman coming out April 22nd. Any chance you'll be at #BaltimoreComicCon later this year so I can get a signature?? 🤞 Amazing work!

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

@valerioschiti.bsky.social your work on the covers for the new Captain America series by Chip Zdarsky is incredible. These may be some of the best covers of the year all happening back to back on the same series. Plain impressive. #MarvelComics #ComicArt #Comics #Marvel

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Update: I’m joining the IMB as a Service Desk Analyst starting March 16! Meanwhile, continuing the work of understanding computer systems and networking better by diving into Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces. More context: shorturl.at/EMU58 Referenced book: shorturl.at/3bg9N #IT #NewRole #IMB

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#newjob #careerpivot #itsupport #servicedesk #grateful | Abdullah Durrani | 33 comments

Well, it happened. After a year-plus of applications, interviews, and perseverance, capping a three-year pivot from accounting to technology, I am overjoyed to share that I'll be joining IMB (Interna...

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Making progress on my #AWS Cloud Practitioner cert, but while studying I came across a networking module. I could follow what was being taught, but deep comprehension wasn't there - needed to understand the underlying fundamentals - found a free CCNA course on networking basics, and WOW, I am elated

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

First submitted application for 2026. The likelihood that this lands me the full-time role that I and so many others like myself have been working towards is...uh, let's just say unlikely. But it needs to be done nonetheless, so let's do it. #devup #programming #hiring #jobsearch

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

back to work! ✅ Module 4 of AWS Cloud Practitioner Essenitals #devops #aws #devup

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

✅ Module 3 of an AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials course complete. on to module 4. #devops #aws #cloud

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

ticker := time.NewTicker(time.Second) 'ticker' is a declared var time.NewTicker = function call (NewTicker) from the package "time" time.Second is a value derived from the package "time" utiliziing the constant "Second" delacred under type Duration after hours of use/exhaustive study 😭 #Go

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Working through Module 3 of an AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials course on AWS Skill Builder. Completed 'Containers and Orchestration on AWS' #devops #learning #aws

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

I am running into an issue with Go docs where cicking on a sidebar nav button is yielding unexpected results. Any suggestions? Video of issue below. Thanks! www.loom.com/share/7e579c... #Godev #Golang #Documentation #Bug

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

making a CLI timer using the standard go lib. pkg.go.dev/time#Ticker testing working examples in the docs to build understanding. my first use of 'case' in Go. #golang #godev #devops #learning

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Day 11 of Go: I started reading the following book tonight (The Go Programming Language, Donovan & Kernighan) and for some reason, the letter 'c' is omitted from the print when used in a word. LOL why?? #golang #godev #learning

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Day 10 of Go: going through the following youtube course: shorturl.at/CLJec currently working on testing in Go. #golang #godev #learning

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

out of curiosity, I am navigating to my favorite/frequented websites right now to see what's still working 😂   surprisingly, quite a few different websites are down. first aws and now cloudfare. not a coincidence me thinks. clear @bsky.app, no @cloudflare.social #cloudinfa

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Day 9 of Go: working on @codecademy.bsky.social > Go Module: Introduction to Interfaces This is the best explainer video I found on the concept: 👉 youtu.be/KXXdYXla7Tc?... #godev #golang #learning

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Day 8 of Go: spent the day learning about formatting %d // decimal integer %s // string %v // default format %t // boolean %p // pointer address not easy to figure out "%d" is for whole numbers but inidicates decimal (base-10) and "%f" is floats which literally have decimals #godev #golang

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Day 7 of Go: working on @codecademy.bsky.social > Go Module: Introduction to Interfaces yeesh. this is a lot to digest. its seems to be OOP for Go but much prettier. github.com/bootupAbdull... #learning #godev #golang

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Day 6 of Go: working on go.dev: > Tutorial: Accessing a relational database imported the sql driver. started writing the code for the interactions with database, that's all I can do tonight. will pick it back up tomorrow. #learning #godev #golang

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Day 5 of Go: working on go.dev: > Tutorial: Accessing a relational database first step has been resetting mysql password 😂 so I am currently on that step. I am trying really hard not to use AI for assistance and do it the old fashioned way. #learning #godev #golang

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Day 4 of Go: completed the Functions module in Learn Go by @codecademy.bsky.social last section of the module was learning about pointers, addresses and dereference. lots of fun, really interesting. #learning #godev #golang

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Day 3 of Go: completed the 'Interstellar Travel' project in the Learn Go: Functions module through the @codecademy.bsky.social course. #learning #godev #golang

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

Day 2 of Go: Completed on go.dev: > Tutorial: Getting started with multi-module workspaces on I learned about Workspaces which allows you to connect multiple modules together simultaneously and make use of variables, functions, etc. from one module to the next. #golang #learning #godev

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

going through the go tutorials on go.dev again after some time away working on my internship. completed: Documentation > Tutorials > Tutorial: Create A Module loved every minute of it. i missed the simiplicity of Go. #1commitaday #golang #gogogo

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Applied for a software engineer job. Form said 'Enter your X (formerly Twitter) URL' but only accepted twitter.com URLs. to pass validaion: twitter.com/[my-x-username] The irony of debugging a form to apply for a software engineering position 😅. LOL, please hire me. #JobHunt #Debugging

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

After a few months in DevSecOps, even tutorials can get it. #writegoodcode #bestpractices #Golang

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

✅ Just completed a server logging overhaul! Split logs by levels (info/error/security), implemented structured JSON format, added log rotation, and built a clean logEvent() helper function. No work Sunday, so had to make it count today! #WebDev #Logging #NodeJS

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Day 1 on the job was debugging the Docker whale 🐳 Hours hunting a database access error through logs and containers. Everything looked perfect... so why the error? lsof -i :5432 revealed my local PostgreSQL silently hijacking port 5432 🤦‍♂️ changed the port and... ✅ #debugging #docker #whaling

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Just discovered Makefiles while debugging Go + CGO! 🛠️ Building OCR project, hit an issue where CGO couldn't find C library headers on my M3 Mac. Started with shell script but instincts said "not standard." solution: Makefile Build with the next developer in mind. #golang #learninginpublic

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Did a deep dive today on Go architecture for an OCR project I am working on 😮‍💨 How gin.Default() creates router objects What *Engine means as a return type The difference between pointers and copies in memory Knowing how a thing works will help when it doesn't #golang #webdev #learning

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

Fellow junior devs! 👋🏻 Got an app idea? Want to build in public? I'd love to help bring your idea to life! I can help with: Shaping idea & scope 🎯 Tech stack decisions ⚡ Architecture questions 🏗️ AI in development 🤖 Deployment 🔺️ Calendly: calendly.com/abdullah-ctd... #buildinpublic #webdev

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Quick day trip from RVA to Philly. Been heads-down coding and building, staying open to new roles. Time for a short reset and my first Philly cheesesteak. #OpenToWork #SoftwareDeveloper #BuildInPublic #RVA #Philly

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Merged after 5+ weeks, 12 commits, and 35+ comments. Started June 9, merged July 18. My first official open source contribution, from Twilio setup to Docker fixes and docs. Grateful for all the support and feedback along the way! #opensource #fullstack #programearth

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Added Chinese language support to my Cookie Clicker game! Studied Mandarin for 2 years, still practice when I can - so it brings me real joy to include it in my work. 游戏开始！🍪 🇨🇳 🇺🇸 still working out a few 🐛 before pushing to main 😮‍💨 #webdev #javascript #buildinpublic #gamedev

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

🍪 Cookie Clicker update: Shipped interactive tutorial today! ✅ Multi-step walkthrough ✅ Dynamic DOM state management ✅ Conditional navigation logic From morning goal to evening delivery. Next: competitive timer + PostgreSQL integration. #webdev #gamedev #buildinpublic

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

🚀 Monday Dev Goals: Cookie Clicker Chronicles Moving from responsive design to full-stack! Adding: 📝 "How to Play" content ⏱️ 25-sec competitive timer 🗄️ PostgreSQL high scores From portfolio piece → competitive game! #webdev #fullstack #gamedev #buildinpublic

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

10/10 All four tablet viewports work! pictures are zoomed out for better desktop view. on their respective devices the layout is much improved. ✅ 915 x 1792 ✅ 1024 x 1342 ✅ 800 x 1236 ✅ 900 x 1156 🎧 currently listening to Forest Frank - Hallelujah. #webdev #css #responsivedesign

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

cookie responsive design is breaking my brain 🍪🧠 same media query (800-1024px width) - wildly different results just because one screen is taller than the other. the cookie image/quadrants IS the game. 💡solution: very specific/mutpl queries for - cookie container. #ResponsiveDesign #WebDev #CSS

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Abdullah Durrani @layinthegrass.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

a gaunlet of trying to get media queries to work with so many little moving parts. I could not have done it without the help of this awesome viewport tool. chromewebstore.google.com/detail/viewp... 📣 ✅ 915 x 1792 ✅1024 1342 ✅ 800 1236 ✅ 900 x 1156 #responsivedesign #buildinpublic #css

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