Author: jcianci12
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Authentik Stuck on “Server Is Starting”: Missing Postgres Container and a Readiness Check Lesson
Environment: Authentik, Docker Compose, PostgreSQL, Nginx Proxy Manager, Oracle Cloud VM Why This Matters Identity systems can fail in a way that looks deceptively simple from the browser. In this case, Authentik did not show a dramatic application error. It showed the familiar startup message: That page is easy to misread as a short boot…
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When Windows Network Diagnostics Removed a Hyper-V Switch Fabric
Automated network repair tools are useful on a normal desktop. On a Hyper-V host that runs the router for the site, they can be a lot more dangerous. On June 16, 2026, a TekOnline Hyper-V host lost almost all of its virtual networking after a Windows network diagnostics session. The pfSense VM was restored from…
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SSMS “Cannot Open User Default Database” — Why Your App Works But SSMS Doesn’t
You fire up your .NET application, it connects to SQL Server without a hitch. Queries run, data flows, everything’s fine. Then you open SQL Server Management Studio to run a quick ad-hoc query — and you’re greeted with: Cannot open user default database. Login failed. Same server. Same machine. Same Windows login. The app works;…
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How to Run Your ASP.NET MVC App from VS Code by Pressing F5 (Yes, Even the Old .NET Framework Ones)
I spend most of my day in Visual Studio Code. It is fast, it is light, and it does not chew through 6GB of RAM just sitting there. But there is one thing that always tripped me up — getting an older ASP.NET MVC project running with a single keystroke. Pressing F5 in VS Code…
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Quick fix commands for killing a left over .net core process that is hogging the port.
1. Find what’s on the port 2. Kill it by PID (replace ##### with the PID from step 1) Or do it all in one line (find + kill):
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Brisbane Half Marathon Weekend Budget (Family of 4)
Dates: Friday 5 June 2026 to Monday 8 June 2026People: 2 Adults, 2 Children (10 & 15) Food & Drinks Item Cost Vapiano $57.97 Ahmet’s Turkish $40.27 Gamdang Korean $65.99 San Churro $27.45 Sushi Edo $82.78 Yo-Chi $12.06 Fashion Café $58.61 Woolworths $27.55 BWS $15.00 Fixx Nutrition $5.50 McDonald’s $4.80 Hungry Jacks $22.25 Twisted Tasty…
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My Stay at Cassa Wharf Street Apartments for the Brisbane Half Marathon
When I booked a three-night stay at Cassa Wharf Street Apartments for the Brisbane Half Marathon, I thought I had found the perfect place. The location was excellent, the apartment looked modern and clean, and after running 21.1 kilometres on race day I was already looking forward to relaxing in the hot tubs and making…
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E2E Tests; A handy little JS tool
Sometimes when creating e2e tests, and this becomes even more important as we move into the world of AI, there is a gap between actual user experience and what the AI sees. Recently I had an issue where I was creating tests with help from AI. The test needed to prove some new functionality. A…
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How We Set Up OpenCode to Be Actually Useful — A Practical Guide
We have been trying out OpenCode, a terminal-based AI coding assistant, across a few different projects — .NET web apps, Docker Compose stacks, and some embedded firmware work. Out of the box, it works. But the difference between the default experience and a tuned setup is night and day. This article covers the settings, tweaks,…
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The Mandalorian and Grogu Review — A Regular Guy’s Take 7.5/10
I looked at a few reviews before seeing Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, and it looks like Rotten Tomatoes has it sitting around 62–63%. Honestly, I thought it was better than that. For me, it landed somewhere around a 7 or 8 out of 10. The biggest thing it did well was simple: it…