[oneeyedpigeon]

> Nowadays, if I want a static site I just start with a folder of html files.

Same here. I've considered adding a .md —> .html step for content, but just haven't found it necessary — yet.

> The other cool thing...

I like being able to—easily—view my site via a local sever. The best case would be one that I can view via file:// too, but I couldn't quite crack the organisation and ended up with a 'make local' step that generates a separate copy for file-based viewing.