Library of Babble

A living portfolio showcasing data engineering and full-stack development skills through a personal content aggregation platform.

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About This Project

As a data engineer by training and archaeologist by education, I've always been passionate about classification, curation, and making data work for me. Rather than maintaining a static portfolio of development projects, I wanted to create something more dynamic for my home page on the internet. That is why I decided to create a living platform that demonstrates my technical skills while serving a real purpose in my daily life.

Library of Babble is the result: a custom-built Flask web application that aggregates my content consumption across multiple services (Goodreads, Letterboxd, Spotify, and more) into a single, unified interface. It's where I:

• Track what I'm reading, watching, listening to, and collecting
• Curate my reviews, ratings, quotes, and playlists
• Showcase my data engineering skills through ETL pipelines, database design, and API integrations
• Experiment with new technologies and development patterns in a production environment

This is designed to be a living project that I will update and improve continuously as my career develops.

Why This Approach?

Traditional portfolios show what you've built. This project demonstrates:

• How I architect solutions - Full-stack design patterns, database schemas, API integrations
• How I engineer data pipelines - ETL scripts with conflict resolution, data validation, and incremental imports
• How I prioritize security - CSRF protection, XSS prevention, SQL injection safeguards, Content Security Policies
• How I think about user experience - Responsive design, smooth interactions, intuitive navigation
• How I maintain code quality - Comprehensive documentation, security standards, testing practices

Tech Stack

Backend:

• Python 3.x
• Flask (Web Framework)
• SQLAlchemy (ORM)
• PostgreSQL (Production) / SQLite (Development)
• Flask-Login (Authentication)
• Flask-WTF (CSRF Protection)

Frontend:

• Jinja2 Templates
• JavaScript (ES6+)
• jQuery & jQuery UI
• Custom CSS with responsive design

Integrations:

• Spotify Web API (via Spotipy)
• The Movie Database (TMDB) API
• Goodreads CSV Exports
• Letterboxd CSV Exports

What I'm Up To

The content on this site reflects what I'm currently engaged with. Reach out, adn I will create an account for you so that you can browse and see what I'm:

• Reading - Books I've finished, quotes that stuck with me, recommendations and reviews
• Watching - Movies and shows I've seen, recommendations and reviews
• Listening - Curated playlists, monthly music archives since 2019
• Writing - Publications and written work
• Creating - Visual art projects
• Collecting - Personal collections (pins, bottle labels, etc.)
• Pondering - Art pieces and artists I find meaningful

Want to discuss any of this? I'm always happy to chat about books, movies, music, or any of the technical decisions behind this platform. Feel free to reach out!

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Setting Up Your Own Instance

Want to run your own version of Library of Babble? Here's how to get started.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• PostgreSQL 12+ (recommended for production) or SQLite (for development)
• Git

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/library_of_babble.git
   cd library_of_babble

2. Create a virtual environment

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure environment variables

   Copy .env.example to .env and configure the following:

   cp .env.example .env

   Required Configuration:

   Variable	Description	How to Obtain
   FLASK_SECRET_KEY	Secret key for session encryption	Generate with python -c 'import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))'
   DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string	Format: postgresql://username:password@localhost/dbname
   FLASK_DEBUG	Enable debug mode (development only)	Set to true for development, false for production
   SPOTIPY_CLIENT_ID	Spotify API client ID	Create app at Spotify Developer Dashboard
   SPOTIPY_CLIENT_SECRET	Spotify API client secret	From same Spotify app
   SPOTIPY_USERNAME	Your Spotify username	Find at Spotify Account Overview
   TMDB_API_BEARER_TOKEN	TMDB API bearer token	Create account and get API key at TMDB API Settings

   Optional Configuration:

   Variable	Description	Default
   FLASK_HOST	Development server host	127.0.0.1
   FLASK_PORT	Development server port	5000
   FLASK_ENV	Environment (development/production)	development

5. Initialize the database

   flask db upgrade

6. Create an admin user

   python scripts/create_user.py

7. Run the application

   python run.py

   The app will be available at http://127.0.0.1:5000

Importing Your Data

The application supports importing data from various sources through the Account page (requires admin access).

Goodreads (Books)

Export Process:

1. Log into Goodreads
2. Go to "My Books"
3. Click "Import and export" under Tools
4. Click "Export Library"
5. Download the CSV file (named goodreads_library_export.csv)

Import:

• Navigate to Account → Data Management → Import Data → Goodreads
• Upload the CSV file
• The system will automatically:
  • Add new books
  • Update unread books to read status if they've been marked as read
  • Report conflicts for books already marked as read (database is source of truth)

Expected Columns: Book Id, Title, Author, Additional Authors, ISBN, ISBN13, My Rating, Average Rating, Publisher, Number of Pages, Original Publication Year, Date Read, Date Added, Bookshelves, Exclusive Shelf, My Review, Private Notes, Read Count, Owned Copies

Letterboxd (Movies)

Export Process:

1. Log into Letterboxd
2. Go to Settings → Import & Export
3. Click "Export Your Data"
4. Download and extract the ZIP file
5. Use the files: reviews.csv, ratings.csv, and watched.csv

Import:

• Navigate to Account → Data Management → Import Data → Letterboxd
• Upload one or more CSV files from your export
• The system handles:
  • Reviews with ratings and text
  • Ratings without reviews
  • Watch dates and tracking

Expected Files:

• reviews.csv - Contains: Date, Name, Year, Letterboxd URI, Rating, Review
• ratings.csv - Contains: Date, Name, Year, Letterboxd URI, Rating
• watched.csv - Contains: Date, Name, Year, Letterboxd URI

Boredom Killer (Movies & TV Shows)

What is Boredom Killer? Boredom Killer is a custom Google Sheets template for tracking movies and TV shows with additional metadata like online database ids and collections.

File Format: Export your Google Sheet as CSV. The file should contain these columns:

For Movies (Boredom Killer - Movies.csv): Movie, Year, Status, Source, IMDB ID, TMDB ID, Letterboxd ID, Collections, Tags, Posters, Language, Director(s), Image

For TV Shows (Boredom Killer - TV.csv): TV Show, Year, Status, TVDB ID, IMDB ID, Collections, Tags, Poster Image

For Documentaries (Boredom Killer - Documentaries.csv): Same format as Movies

For Docuseries (Boredom Killer - Docuseries.csv): Same format as TV Shows

Import:

• Navigate to Account → Data Management → Import Data → Boredom Killer
• Select the type (Movies, TV Shows, or Docuseries)
• Upload the CSV file
• The system automatically fetches additional metadata from TMDB/TVDB

Note: The Boredom Killer format is custom-designed for my workflow. If you want to use this feature, you'll need to create a similar spreadsheet structure or adapt the ETL scripts to your format.

Book Quotes

File Format: Create a CSV file named book_quotes.csv with these columns:

Goodreads ID, Title, Quote, Page Number

Import:

• Place the file in data/staging/
• Run: python scripts/etl/books_etl.py

Note: This is a manual process for now. Web-based quote import may be added in the future.

Artwork Collections

Individual Upload:

• Navigate to Account → Artwork Management
• Enter artist name and upload image
• Files are organized by artist in static/images/artists/

CSV Import: Create a CSV with columns: artist, image_filename

Place images in a folder and reference them in the CSV, then use the CSV import feature.

Allowed File Types: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif

Running ETL Scripts Manually

For advanced users, ETL scripts can be run directly:

# Books
python scripts/etl/books_etl.py path/to/goodreads_export.csv --use-transaction

# Movies
python scripts/etl/movies_etl.py --bk-movies path/to/boredom_killer_movies.csv

# TV Shows
python scripts/etl/shows_etl.py --bk-tv path/to/boredom_killer_tv.csv

Transaction Mode: Use --use-transaction flag to automatically rollback on errors.

Deployment

This application is designed to be deployed on platforms like Fly.io, Heroku, or similar PaaS providers.

Important Deployment Considerations:

• Set FLASK_DEBUG=false in production
• Use PostgreSQL (not SQLite) for production
• Configure proper secret keys
• Enable HTTPS (security headers include HSTS)
• Set up regular database backups

Need help deploying your instance? Feel free to reach out! I'm happy to provide guidance or assistance with deployment configuration.

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Project Structure

library_of_babble/
├── app/                          # Main application package
│   ├── account/                  # Account management & admin tools
│   ├── artworks/                 # Art collection features
│   ├── auth/                     # Authentication (login/register)
│   ├── books/                    # Book tracking & reviews
│   ├── collecting/               # Personal collections (pins, labels, etc.)
│   ├── common/                   # Shared models (reviews, collections)
│   ├── main/                     # Home page & navigation
│   ├── movies/                   # Movie tracking & reviews
│   ├── music/                    # Spotify playlist curation
│   ├── shows/                    # TV show tracking (placeholder)
│   ├── watching/                 # Combined movies/shows view
│   ├── writing/                  # Publications & written work
│   ├── templates/                # Jinja2 HTML templates
│   ├── utils/                    # Utility functions (security, helpers)
│   ├── extensions.py             # Flask extensions (db, login, etc.)
│   └── __init__.py               # Application factory
├── data/                         # Data files
│   ├── archive/                  # Processed import files
│   ├── backups/                  # Database backups
│   ├── loaded/                   # Successfully imported files
│   ├── reports/                  # Import conflict reports
│   └── staging/                  # Files ready for import
├── docs/                         # Documentation
│   ├── ignore/                   # Security implementation docs
│   ├── Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) Guide.md
│   └── Style and Design Guidelines.md
├── migrations/                   # Database migrations (Flask-Migrate)
├── scripts/                      # Utility scripts
│   ├── etl/                      # ETL pipeline scripts
│   └── create_user.py            # User creation utility
├── static/                       # Static assets
│   ├── css/                      # Stylesheets
│   ├── images/                   # Images and uploads
│   └── js/                       # JavaScript files
├── .env.example                  # Environment variable template
├── config.py                     # Application configuration
├── requirements.txt              # Python dependencies
└── run.py                        # Application entry point

Documentation

• Security Development Guide: docs/Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) Guide.md - Comprehensive security standards and best practices
• Style Guidelines: docs/Style and Design Guidelines.md - Code style and design conventions

Contributing

This is a personal project and portfolio piece, but I'm open to suggestions and discussions about implementation approaches. If you find a security issue, please report it responsibly by contacting me directly.

License

This project is personal portfolio work. If you'd like to use portions of the code, please reach out to discuss.

Contact

Interested in discussing this project, the technical decisions behind it, or anything I'm reading/watching/listening to?

Let's connect!

• Check out what I'm up to at [mattflathers.com]
• Or email me at [mattflathers27@gmail.com]

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Built with ☕ and 🎵 by Matt Flathers and Claude Code

A living demonstration that the best portfolio projects are the ones you actually use.