Polish README with modern tech stack and improved documentation

README.md

@@ -1,40 +1,80 @@
-**[Setup](#setup)** | **[Development](#development)** | **[Deployment](#deployment)**
+**[Tech Stack](#tech-stack)** | **[Setup](#setup)** | **[Development](#development)** | **[Deployment](#deployment)**
 
 # Jon Gear's Website And Blog
 
 [![Netlify Status](https://api.netlify.com/api/v1/badges/4771c8dc-35e6-45fa-96d2-158d20f5c2d0/deploy-status)](https://app.netlify.com/projects/gear-dev/deploys)
+[![CI](https://github.com/jongear/jongear.github.io/workflows/CI/badge.svg)](https://github.com/jongear/jongear.github.io/actions)
 
-Thanks for checking out my site. This is the complete code for my website and blog.
+Thanks for checking out my site. This is the complete code for my website and blog, featuring articles on distributed systems, machine learning, and brain-computer interfaces.
+
+## Tech Stack
+
+- **Framework:** [Gatsby](https://www.gatsbyjs.com/) v5
+- **UI Library:** [React](https://reactjs.org/) v18
+- **Content:** [MDX](https://mdxjs.com/) (Markdown + JSX)
+- **Styling:** [styled-components](https://styled-components.com/)
+- **Syntax Highlighting:** [Prism React Renderer](https://github.com/FormidableLabs/prism-react-renderer)
+- **Deployment:** [Netlify](https://www.netlify.com/)
+- **CI/CD:** [GitHub Actions](https://github.com/features/actions)
+- **Node.js:** v20.x
 
 ## Setup
 
+Install dependencies:
+
 ```sh
 npm install
 ```
 
+Or use clean install for CI/CD:
+
+```sh
+npm ci
+```
+
 ## Development
 
+Start the development server:
+
 ```sh
 npm start
 ```
 
+The site will be available at `http://localhost:8000`
+
+### Other Commands
+
+- `npm run build` - Build the production site
+- `npm run lint` - Run ESLint
+- `npm run serve` - Serve the production build locally
+
 ## Deployment
 
-My site is backed by [GitHub Actions](https://docs.github.com/en/actions) for a full CD/CI
-pipeline experience. What this means, any pull request will require a successful
-verified build by GitHub Actions as well as a successfully deployed preview site from [Netlify](https://www.netlify.com/)
-before being allowed to be merged up to the branch. Once merged into master,
-Netlify will build the Gatsby site into a static distributable and publish it to the production website.
+My site uses a comprehensive CI/CD pipeline with [GitHub Actions](https://docs.github.com/en/actions) and [Netlify](https://www.netlify.com/):
+
+### CI Pipeline (GitHub Actions)
+
+Every pull request triggers automated checks:
+- **Linting:** ESLint checks for code quality
+- **Build Verification:** Ensures the site builds successfully
+- **Node.js:** Tests run on Node 20.x
+
+### CD Pipeline (Netlify)
+
+- **Preview Deploys:** Every PR gets a preview URL for testing
+- **Production Deploys:** Merges to `master` automatically deploy to production
+- **Static Generation:** Gatsby builds optimized static HTML/CSS/JS
+
+### Why GitHub Actions?
 
-### Why Include GitHub Actions?
+While Netlify handles builds and deploys excellently, GitHub Actions provides critical quality gates:
+- **Linting enforcement** ensures code adheres to consistent standards
+- **Build verification** catches issues before deployment
+- **Automated testing** maintains long-term stability and cleanliness
+- **Required status checks** prevent broken code from reaching production
 
-True, Netlify can render previews and publish on it's own but there is one piece
-that Netlify cannot do which I deem critical to long term stability. That piece is
-running linting and testing checks. It is important to me that not only my code builds
-and deploys properly but that it adheres to a set standard to help enforce clenliness
-and longevity of the project.
+This dual approach ensures both deployment automation and code quality.
 
 ## Powered By
 
-This website leverages the [gatsby-starter-minimal-blog](https://github.com/LekoArts/gatsby-starter-minimal-blog) project created
-by [LekoArts](https://www.lekoarts.de/).
+This website was originally based on [gatsby-starter-minimal-blog](https://github.com/LekoArts/gatsby-starter-minimal-blog) by [LekoArts](https://www.lekoarts.de/), and has been extensively customized and modernized.