Will Webberley

Twelve months ago - in January 2021 - I started my attempt at the #100DaysToOffload challenge. I had set myself a new year’s resolution to…

🎉 This is post 100 in my attempt at the #100DaysToOffload challenge! For a couple of years I have been writing mobile apps using the…

For as long as I've been using Matrix I've hosted my own homeserver on my own VPS and at my own domain. Why I chose to move I previously…

Some people may remember my quest a few months back to find a good alternative to Google Photos for image storage and backup. At the time, I…

Dean Burnett's The Idiot Brain is an interesting insight into why people think the way they do, personality, emotion, and the biology of the…

Most applications include some sort of outbound transactional email as part of their normal function. These email messages could be to…

I maintain a small number of projects in my spare time. The amount of time I get to work on and maintain these varies depending on my other…

A while ago I posted about how I back-up my personal servers to Backblaze B2. That approach involved adding all of the files and directories…

From the hills of Dusk's End to the small alleys of Main Street, you feel drawn to the lights of this vibrant metropolis in an uncharted…

I've really enjoyed my recent discovery of a couple of traditional-style webzines. Webzines (sometimes referred to as online magazines, or…

I feel that this book really resonated with my own thoughts around the importance of diversity in groups and teams. The Rebel Ideas book…

I've recently been reminiscing about the "old" days of the web. They felt much more like expressions of personality and creativity. These…

I've recently posted about our home, in which we've completed a few DIY projects, such as renovating the garden and building a small loft…

If you run a service that accepts file uploads from users, and then subsequent re-download by other users (such as images), then your…

On Sunday I slipped and fell in the pouring rain. I landed hard on my side and ended up dislocating my shoulder. I didn't really want to try…

It's been a weird 18 months. Before pandemic-initiated changes, our daily lives might have involved getting up and travelling on some form…

Background I've recently noticed (and read) more and more posts discussing *BSD systems. Creations like the new (and excellent) OpenBSD…

Following on from my previous post about renovating our garden, I wanted to write an entry about another project we've recently completed…

I often enjoy books that try to take a different view on known events. I don't mean consipiracy theory - more around thinking laterally or…

Another podcast I frequently listen to likely needs no introduction of its own. The This Week in Tech (or just "TWiT") network's flagship…

Last week I gave a talk at the Bitcoin Association BSV Meet-up for Wales, hosted by Tramshed Tech in Cardiff. BSV Wales Image Before…

A few years ago I was in the position of needing a solution to backup and sync dotfiles (configuration files for various pieces of software…

Having recently read The Secret Barrister, which I loved, I was recommended to also check out This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay. This is…

It's been a few weeks since my last post about the Pinephone. Since then I have been playing further with a different graphical shell and…

The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken is an oustanding book. In my opinion it is easily the best book I have read in…

English speakers' privilege I've always been crap at learning languages. From an early age my parents would encourage me to learn French…

For many developers, the notion of adding accessibility features - such as image text attributes to web page images and integrations with…

I was performing a standard system upgrade on an Arch server this morning and received the following messages (maintainer details redacted…

I recently wrote about reviewing my Twitter usage, with the aim of discovering any constructive takeways I get from the platform that…

Having recently read Project Hail Mary - and rated it highly - Goodreads suggested I try Columbus Day by Craig Alanson. Columbus Day cover…

The need for notifications I self-host several services on various servers - for both some professional and personal uses. I use automated…

TL,DR; I'm starting a Twitter diary to log interesting findings, and to measure its value to me. Twitter is pretty much the last bastion of…

Another project I try to maintain (when I can!) is SSO Tools. This is a simple web service that aims to help developers test their own…

Another of my favourite podcasts is Darknet Diaries. Darknet Diaries cover art Created and presented by the excellent Jack Rhysider, Darknet…

The problem with image uploads Many services - including web and mobile apps - allow for their users to upload imagery. This could be to…

Adding theming and the choice between "light" and "dark" modes to your website can enhance your site's accessibility and make it feel more…

For several years I've been a user of Goodreads. It's a very popular platform, and I primarily use it for keeping track of the books I've…

About 18 months ago we bought a new home. The house is an 1880s (ish) Victorian building, and many of its original features - such as tile…

I don't tend to talk much about the projects I'm working on, but thought this would be a good opportunity to write a post about one such…

Back in April, I bought a Pinephone. I used the phone quite consistently for the first few weeks and I meant to write an update here a…

Some people have complex development processes and flows - making use of tools such as heavy editors and IDEs, Docker for running and…

About nine months ago - at the end of November last year - we adopted a dog. Although I've always grown up with and around dogs owned by…

Providing code snippets on your website or blog can be a great way to convey meaning for technical concepts. Using the HTML tag can help…

The Gemini protocol has gathered even more momentum in the few months since I last posted about it. Its popularity is largely driven by its…

I listen to a number of podcasts each week. One of these is ATP (Accidental Tech Podcast). ATP logo This is one of my favourite weekly…

Many web apps have support for uploading video files. Whether it's a media-focused platform (such as a video sharing service) or just…

Every now and again it's nice to dive back into a young adult book. I recently read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The Night Circus…

I enjoy reading my RSS feeds across my devices - whether it's on my phone when out and about, my Mac in between bouts of work, or my iPad…

Recently my colleague was talking to me about the concept of the "5AM Club", as defined in the book by Robin Sharma. The "Club" is focused…

The problem Image processing and resizing is a common task in many types of applications. This is made even more important by modern phones…

Andy Weir has become renowned over the past decade for his science fiction novels. The Martian (and its movie) was hugely enjoyable and…

Loading indicators In user-facing software, loading indicators are extremely important to let your users know that something is happening…

Google and DuckDuckGo It's common knowledge that part of Google's business model is to use the data it knows about you, your searches, and…

Wales Tech Week is an annual event held by Technology Connected. The 2021 event is running this week, aiming to bring technologists together…

Anxious People is a book about an attempted bank robbery in a Swedish town (not Stockholm!). It is written by Fredrik Backman. Anxious…

Living without workspaces IDEs and richly-featured text editors - such as VS Code and Sublime Text - support many great features. One of…

Recently I've noticed that some of the RSS feeds I subscribe to have become more and more restrictive. A post might contain just a title, or…

Getting and "installing" the nuc For his birthday a few years back, I bought my (now-)husband a beehive and a honeybee nucleus. Some might…

Just a quick post to say that I recently got married! By coincidence the event was three years to the day after our engagement. It was a…

Growing up and the "Warcraft years" In my earlier years I was fairly into gaming. I was definitely only ever a "casual gamer" in the scheme…

The Classic Collection of H.G. Wells novels contains five well-known stories: The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon, The Time…

Someone non-technical recently asked me the question, "what actually is a server?". They knew it was just a type of computer that runs…

For a couple of years now I have been using a self-hosted Nextcloud as a replacement for iCloud and Google Drive. I won't go into the…

The effects of working from home The UK went into its first proper COVID-induced lockdown back around March time last year. At this time…

In this post I will talk a little about how I handle my digital notes and to-do lists. In the spirit of my last post on data sovereignty…

The term 'data sovereignty' is something we hear much more about these days. Increasingly I've also heard it being mentioned in different…

I listen to a number of podcasts each week. One of these is Go Time. Go Time logo The Go Time podcast releases episodes every Thursday. Its…

As you may know, I recently purchased the beta edition of the Pinephone. It arrived last week in the Pinephone Beta Edition box shown below…

This is a bit of a vanity post, but back in December I was lucky enough to be included in the 2020 WalesOnline "35 Under 35". This list aims…

I was recently asked whether Steve Jobs was someone that inspired me. It's a difficult question, I find; he's definitely an inspiring person…

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes tells the story of a young English woman - Alice - who marries an American man and moves to a small town in…

As is the case with many countries, all businesses in the UK must report the state of their financial accounts to the relevant inland…

Back in November I started an Invisalign course to help straighten my teeth. Invisalign works like traditional braces, but is instead formed…

I don't use Facebook often. In fact, I only have an account currently because our company uses the "Login with Facebook" functionality in…

Like many people, I own and manage multiple email accounts - for example, some are for work, for home, or for specific projects. I used to…

Simple and RESTful HTTP APIs The HTTP standard is an expressive system for network-based computer-computer interaction. It's a relatively…

Pre-ordering the PinePhone Beta Earlier this week I ordered a PinePhone, which recently became available as a Beta Edition. I've been…

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a book set out in the Alaskan wild. It tells the story of a young family that move in order to live off…

Why use decentralised communication services Centralised communication services, such as Telegram, Signal, and Whatsapp, offer convenient…

This post contains some of my thoughts on the book Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier. Blood, Sweat, and Pixels book cover This book…

The last twenty years of internet evolution Although I was still somewhere between being of single-digit age and a young teen back in the…

I recently finished reading The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy. Book cover for The Hunt for Red October This genre of novel (sort of…

Minimising possessions Like many people I these days try and live a minimal life when it comes to possessions. Having more stuff means there…

RSS has had a bit of a resurgence for personal websites and blogs in recent years, especially with the growing adoption of Small Web and…

Python's Flask framework is an easy and excellent tool for writing web applications. Its in-built features and ecosystem of supporting…

By now I'm sure everyone has heard the horror stories about people (seemingly-) randomly losing access to their Google accounts. Often the…

A few months ago I stumbled across this article: Beyond Cyberpunk: Towards a Solarpunk Future. It was posted on the excellent blog Tales…

This month marks a year from when I decided to (mostly - see below) stop answering my phone. This was not because I wanted to be antisocial…

Last week I read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The book won the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction. The Midnight Library cover…

For many small or personal services running on a VPS in the cloud, administration is often done by connecting directly to the server via SSH…

Many people no longer feel comfortable using Facebook. Whether you were never a member to begin with or you've had an account but chosen to…

Shapes and patterns can be leveraged in user interfaces to guide your users, draw attention to content, lend weight or emphasis, or just for…

React state React state management is what gives the library its reactiveness. It's what makes it so easy to build performant data-driven…

Many people would consider RSS - Really Simple Syndication - to be a relic of the past. However I think it has been making a comeback. RSS…

A few months ago I discovered Blogging for Devs - I think through Product Hunt when it made it to #1 Product of the Day back in August last…

If you need a database for your next project, why not first consider if SQLite might be a good option? And I don't mean just for getting an…

Recently I finished reading Dirty Little Secrets. This is the first book I have read by Jo Spain and the first time I have known of the…

If you've visited my geminispace (gemini://g.wilw.dev) you'll have noticed that I've recently been on a mission to decentralise the every…

I know that I've been a bit crap at updating my blog properly and consistently over the past few years. One of my new year's resolutions…

Over the past few months I have been trying to use centralised "big tech" social media platforms less and instead immerse myself into the…

Building apps on serverless architecture has been a game-changer for me and for developers everywhere, enabling small dev teams to cheaply…