PHP2Shell and the case for a simpler web
PHP2Shell, new Node.js vulnerabilities and cloud failures make the case for simpler static publishing, independent recovery and better-funded maintenance.
THE BLOG · BY STEFAN CALIARO
Curious about tech.
Candid about life.
Thoughts on technology, work, and the things we can make better.
A collection of ideas, experiences, and discoveries along the way.
Articles 30
From the latest thinking to the archive.
Hot read · Readers’ choice
Job Satisfaction When You Cannot Afford to Quit
For workers already feeling cooked, the money and confidence needed to walk away can be harder to find. AI and repeated job cuts are adding another reason to stay put.
The Deposit Is Only the Beginning: The Strata Trap Inside Australia's Housing Crisis
Buying an apartment doesn't end the affordability problem. Strata levies, defects and collective decisions can add financial risks just as inflation and an uncertain job market squeeze your ability to absorb them.
I Thought Splitting Facebook Messenger Was a UX Mistake in 2014. Was It?
From the forced Messenger split in 2014 to the 2020 LightSpeed rebuild and 2023 inbox tests: revisiting the difference between a better app and a better user experience.
Hot read · Stef’s pick
From Gig Work to Token Work: The Uberification of White-Collar Labour
Australia took more than a decade to establish key platform-work protections. What the TWU's campaign can teach white-collar workers about AI, bargaining power and Professionals Australia.
How I Finally Built My Own Static Blog with Codex and Cloudflare Pages
From Google Cloud Storage and broken JavaScript to a Git-powered blog: how Codex helped me bring 17 LinkedIn articles home to stefs.site.
Bon Voyage, Employer-Owned Job Market: When Will the Market Start to Turn – If Ever?
Prompt: Will the job market ever recover from an Employer owned one?
Startup Accelerators - Are They Worth the Hype in Australia? The Real Pros and Cons of Startmate, Antler, TS, Latitude 37 and the New Founder Economy
Startup accelerators have become one of the most visible gateways into the startup world. For a first-time founder, they can look like a cheat code: capital (rarely equity free), mentors, investor introductions, pitch practice, a…
The Psychology of Productive Job Searching: Care Deeply, Detach Wisely
Job searching is one of the strangest psychological games adults are expected to play.
The ATS Trap: How HR Engineered Its Own Irrelevance and How to Fix It
What the Bolt story tells us, what the data confirms, and what IBM, Block, and Target add to the picture
How do Tech Companies Keep Relevant in the AI Age of LLMs, VR/AR and Future Tech?
Tech companies stay relevant by continuously re-earning their usefulness. The ones that survive do not just “use new tech”; they keep matching technology to real customer pain, market shifts, and business outcomes.
How I Landed a Job Without LinkedIn Premium or New Side Projects — After 1,000+ Cold Applications (Using ChatGPT as My AI Assistant)
This is kind of a follow up to my earlier job applicant tip articles: 2021: 12. Top Tips to Get Your Job Applications, Website & Resume Noticed [Tested on 100s of real-world jobs]
When Will Be The End of Jobs: Living in an Agentic World by ChatGPT 5.3 in April 2026
How will this AI renaissance play out? Fresh grads, mid tiers and even senior levels already feeling the heat as corporates layoff in the 100 000s since 2022.
San Francisco 2018: A Tech Pilgrimage to the Valley - Foresight.ai TechCrunch's 2018 Winner - a Notion of 2018! LLMs had just been invented in 2018
In 2018 after missing a work trip in 2015/6, I planned a personal but also business related trip to San Francisco that felt less like a holiday and more like a pilgrimage, and oh boy was I thankful in spades especially as…
2025 A Year In Reflection
2025 was not a year of shortcuts or instant wins. It was a year of showing up, repeatedly, even when progress felt slow, uncertain, or invisible from the outside.
Cloudflare Global HTTP 500/Human Auth outage DISABLES MILLIONS of websites including X/Twitter, ChatGPT, Claude, Seek, job sites, League, PayPal+more
"Cloudflare blames a software crash after sites like X and ChatGPT went down" https://www.businessinsider.com/cloudflare-outage-internet-down-x-open-ai-2025-11
Chrome ARM64 Bug: JavaScript V8 Engine Seems to Break WhatsApp and Facebook from Loading Properly After [multiple] macOS Sleep/Resumes v142.0.7444.162
This has happened countless of times, current up to date Version 142.0.7444.162 (Official Build) (arm64). WhatsApp fails to open at all when this happens and requires a full Chrome quit and relaunch. Annoying if you have over 100…
12. Top Tips to Get Your Job Applications, Website & Resume Noticed [Tested on 100s of real-world jobs]
I know how daunting and demotivating applying for new jobs can be like, especially if you're not currently in a job, are self-employed or just busy with other life matters and deciding to make the jump back into job life.
Most Affordable yet Performant Managed WordPress VPS Hosting from A$17/m - SSL, Auto-updates, Backups, Staging & 24/7 Support Covered 🌎
My 2020 comparison of managed WordPress hosting, covering backups, staging, performance, support and the costs of running reliable websites.
Coronavirus: There is no second chance - "14 days until we're Italy" - Dear Scomo, Please Close the Borders, City Lockouts & Mandatory WFH RIGHT NOW!
An archived March 2020 opinion piece calling for stronger Australian COVID-19 countermeasures, travel restrictions and working from home.
FREE upcoming online Sydney Tech Conferences, Meetups & Hackathons You Should Be Attending in 2020
Life is more fun with conferences & meetups; somehow everything just seems to click so smoothly at events like these and you end up with a plethora of relatable connections and opportunities at your fingertips. 🎉🗣
$1 Founder Startcon (22-23 Nov) Tickets - 24h Only
An archived announcement of a short-lived founder ticket offer for the November 2019 StartCon conference.
Why Your Sleep Is Worth More Than Your Awake Hours + Money Combined
Not many prioritise sleep. It's often left last on our to-do lists, but it will leave us last too if we do that.
11 Tips to 10x Your Day With Creative Work Flow
What does it take to be productive and remain there? Basically 11 things:
The 4 Key Ingredients To A Successful Hire: Career Direction + Company Culture + Brand's Mission + Location
Career direction, company culture, a brand’s mission and location: my 2019 perspective on finding a role that fits, preparing a portfolio and navigating interviews.
How to Avoid Information Overload 🔥😪 Burnout Culture & Fine-tune Work Productivity 📊
A 2019 reflection on information overload, screen time and burnout, with practical ideas for protecting your attention and finding a healthier work-life balance.
What Makes A Great SEO Strategy? 🔍📈 (How to Rank Higher on Search Engines 🌎, the 5 Min Primer)
Basically: Publish great, frequent and new content targeting relevant search keywords that your competitors are also targeting. Ask yourself, would you want to be reading this on the train home from work?
Our Remote Work 🌎 Jobs Economy 👩🏼💻👨💻👩🏽💻 ◦ An Evolution of Automation Empowering Employee Performance ⚡️
I find co-working spaces, quiet cafes, libraries or a secluded office space whether at home or somewhere else to be most beneficial. I think the variation of environment is key to fuelling productivity and creativity levels to…
Self-hosting a Ghost Blog + Independent Landing Page + YOURLS (Custom link shortener) [i.e. Growing up from Medium :P]
My 2016 journey through VPS hosting, NGINX, Ghost and YOURLS, and the choices behind building a personal home on the web.
It was all smooth sailing, until it hit me (Day Two — Startup Weekend Sydney 2014)
Day two at Startup Weekend Sydney 2014: reflections on development, team collaboration, passionate ideas and finding a workable business model.
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