Side Projects Should Start Boring
Side projects are supposed to be fun and useful—not production replicas of Big Tech. Here’s how over-engineering kills momentum.
Raspberry Pi Docker Swarm: Useful, Limited, Good Enough
An overview of my 8-node Raspberry Pi cluster, shared storage setup, and the tradeoffs of running everything on low-power hardware.
Kubernetes Is Often the Wrong Starting Point
Kubernetes is powerful—but for many developers, it adds more complexity than value. Here’s when it makes sense and when it doesn’t.
Homelab Journey Part 1: Why I Started Self-Hosting
I didn’t start a homelab to play with tech—I started it to solve real problems. This is what pushed me toward self-hosting and what I wanted to get out of it.
QCon London 2026: The Useful Parts Were the Quiet Ones
A reflection on attending QCon London 2026, from the reality of commuting again to the sessions that actually delivered value.
2026 Progress Update 1
A short update on what has been going on so far for 2026 and what’s to come over the coming months. Also the lacking of content so far.
First Layer on My Prusa Mini
Getting a perfect first layer on the Prusa Mini wasn’t easy. Here’s how I cleaned, calibrated, and fine-tuned until adhesion was reliable every time.
Retiring the Harlow Bindicator
After years of running my custom Harlow Bindicator, I’ve finally retired it in favour of Steffen Zimmermann’s excellent Waste Collection Schedule integration for Home Assistant. Combined with Idaho’s TrashCard, my waste schedule is now cleanly displayed on dashboards and powered by calendar entities.
My £13 Visual Timer
How a simple 60-minute visual timer (no ticking, optional alert) helped me stick to three focused study sessions every week—without apps, phones, or faff.
My 12-Week College Algebra Study Plan
I’m rebuilding my maths foundation with a book-only plan: three 1-hour sessions per week for 12 weeks using Schaum’s Outline of College Algebra (5th ed.).