Well I finally wrote an app to use Archive.org to fetch all the old content from my first blog. Which ended in 2010. mostlylucid.co.uk.

Apparently I changed the server AND how I updated it throughout the years so TRICKY. Hence why it's so customized; it's the VERY specific tags for my site.

I built the app here https://github.com/scottgal/mostlylucid.nugetpackages/tree/main/Mostlylucid.ArchiveOrg it's VERY specific to my blog though and not really a 'general use' thing. But it:

1. Respects Archive.org usage limits
2. Downloads files between two dates
3. Uses a SPECIFIC content extractor to extract actual blog post content (from a BUNCH of different tools and areas, it was a bit of a wild west)
4. Generates Markdown in my CURRENT blog format.
5. Uses ollama to generate useful tags for content (because OF COURSE)

If you want to see them all use the 'Imported' tag https://www.mostlylucid.net/blog/category/Imported

My VERY FIRST blog post is here from January 1st 2004!

"Haven't settled on a career yet and am writing web sites until I find one (for the past 5 years) though I do fancy trying to be an architect (of buildings)..probably not the sort of thing you can just 'have a go' at...bit dangerous."

I think you can say that nearly 22 years later I DID settle on the web site writing thing 🤓

They're not sizzling content but surprisingly I STILL get 404 links for old pages so the eventual goal will be once I have the semantic 404 thing it'd auto handle those. Coming soon, it does stuff with a midddleware where it replaces old link swith the closest archive.org link in time, so they'll contemporary!.

Anyway it's the end of a LONG quest for me to resurrect those articles, they have a TON of dead links which I'll handle in future (new blog article about auto handling old links coming soon!)

Enjoy!