• What I’ve been doing in 2022 (so far)

    What I’ve been doing in 2022 (so far)

    Preamble: my content It has been a while since I’ve written a general “what I’m working on” post, so I’m fixing that now. It has been a busy year — I last published a newsletter in March 2021, and I didn’t get back to writing — primarily technical writing– until the start of 2022. I’ve also diversified my writing between…

  • I made a Wi-Fi controlled Owl lamp

    I made a Wi-Fi controlled Owl lamp

    A couple of years ago, I picked up a simple LED nightlight on Amazon, with the intention of hacking it into something else. The lamp could be powered with AAA batteries or a micro-USB connection, and contained multicolour LEDs that shone up into a perspex sheet in the shape of an owl. It was always…

  • One year ago

    One year ago, my brother left us. One year ago. Today. Christmas Eve. That evening, as a family, we were in the hospice with him, and I drove away mid-evening to go home and get some food, and shortly after I got home, I got the call. Many years ago, almost to the day, my…

  • At the edge of history

    On Saturday, I attended the Unite for Europe March in London. Together, for now It was the first time I’ve ever taken part in an organised protest or march, and it was probably also the first time I’ve ever felt strongly enough about an issue to feel motivated to do so. As I walked from the…

  • Minimum viable smartphone

    Minimum viable smartphone – how I coped when I lost my iPhone in the back of a cab in Tokyo…