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Links Updated 16 August 2023

A scratchpad of links. Technology Keep a Changelog - Donā€™t let your friends dump git logs into changelogs. ChangeDetection.io - detect changes to websites ProtoSchool - Interactive tutorials on decent...

Thoughts on book logging 24 March 2023

Iā€™ve been a member of Goodreads since 2013. I follow a few of my friends and family on there, and whilst it was nice to see the types of things people are reading, I only really ever used the se... (2 minute read)

Donations Updated 25 November 2022

Donations I make To free, open-source, hobby services and products. Product/service Link Donation FreshRSS Liberapay Ā£3 / month Fosstodon Patreon Ā£4 / month Photoprism Patreon Ā£2 / month Joplin Patreo...

Switching-up my workouts šŸ‹ļøā€ā™€ļø 20 July 2022

Starting to workout Iā€™ve worked out every day - pretty much - now since March 2020. The only days Iā€™ve missed were because of illness (Covid), or another reason that made it physically (e.... (4 minute read)

On alcohol 12 April 2022

Whilst my days of binge drinking as a student are thankfully far in my past, alcohol is still an ongoing, yet much more minor, part of my life. Like many millennials (and Iā€™m sure it must be the... (3 minute read)

Completing the #100DaysToOffload challenge 13 January 2022

Twelve months ago - in January 2021 - I started my attempt at the #100DaysToOffload challenge. I had set myself a new yearā€™s resolution to try to write more and, around the same time, I noticed the ha... (7 minute read)

Open-sourcing projects 2 December 2021

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 workloads. The projects were never designed to be a means of... (1 minute read)

Nightfall City 25 November 2021

From the hills of Duskā€™s End to the small alleys of Main Street, you feel drawn to the lights of this vibrant metropolis in an uncharted internet territory. The sign reads ā€œNightfall&rdquo... (2 minute read)

Webzines 20 November 2021

Iā€™ve really enjoyed my recent discovery of a couple of traditional-style webzines. Webzines (sometimes referred to as online magazines, or - in this instance - simply ā€œzinesā€) are a ... (1 minute read)

Our DIY bathroom project 10 November 2021

Iā€™ve recently posted about our home, in which weā€™ve completed a few DIY projects, such as renovating the garden and building a small loft conversion (amongst other things!). Today Iā€™... (5 minute read)

A little trip to A&E 3 November 2021

On Sunday I slipped and fell in the pouring rain. I landed hard on my side and ended up dislocating my shoulder. I didnā€™t really want to try risking it and putting it back in myself (sensibly, a... (1 minute read)

Thinking positive 30 October 2021

Itā€™s been a weird 18 months. Before pandemic-initiated changes, our daily lives might have involved getting up and travelling on some form of commute (either by walking, public transport, car, o... (5 minute read)

A mini loft conversion 24 October 2021

Following on from my previous post about renovating our garden, I wanted to write an entry about another project weā€™ve recently completed. Our home is a Victorian townhouse over three storeys, b... (3 minute read)

Giving a talk at the BSV Wales meet-up 13 October 2021

Last week I gave a talk at the Bitcoin Association BSV Meet-up for Wales, hosted by Tramshed Tech in Cardiff. Before learning about this meetup, I had not heard of BSV - either from a technology or cu... (1 minute read)

Two months with Duolingo 25 September 2021

English speakersā€™ privilege Iā€™ve always been crap at learning languages. From an early age my parents would encourage me to learn French, and I picked up Spanish and German at around the G... (4 minute read)

Twitter Learnings 18 September 2021

I recently wrote about reviewing my Twitter usage, with the aim of discovering any constructive takeways I get from the platform that warrants me keeping it installed as an app on my phone. The up-sho... (2 minute read)

Twitter is still too addictive 7 September 2021

TL,DR; Iā€™m starting a Twitter diary to log interesting findings, and to measure its value to me. Twitter is pretty much the last bastion of mainstream centralised social media that I use (aside ... (4 minute read)

Fixing up our outside space 14 August 2021

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 floors, cornice, and fireplaces - had been retained, which is... (3 minute read)

Our first few months with a dog 3 August 2021

About nine months ago - at the end of November last year - we adopted a dog. Although Iā€™ve always grown up with and around dogs owned by parents and siblings, Iā€™ve never been a huge &ldquo... (2 minute read)

The '5AM Club' 7 July 2021

Recently my colleague was talking to me about the concept of the ā€œ5AM Clubā€, as defined in the book by Robin Sharma. The ā€œClubā€ is focused around starting your day early, with ... (2 minute read)

Joining a panel at Wales Tech Week 23 June 2021

Wales Tech Week is an annual event held by Technology Connected. The 2021 event is running this week, aiming to bring technologists together from a wide range of businesses and organisations across Wa... (1 minute read)

City-centre beekeeping 11 June 2021

Getting and ā€œinstallingā€ the nuc For his birthday a few years back, I bought my (now-)husband a beehive and a honeybee nucleus. Some might see this as a strange gift, especially given that... (14 minute read)

Married 10 June 2021

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 lovely day - great weather and really nice to see those that co... (1 minute read)

I can't play games anymore 2 June 2021

Growing up and the ā€œWarcraft yearsā€ In my earlier years I was fairly into gaming. I was definitely only ever a ā€œcasual gamerā€ in the scheme of things today, but I would play at... (4 minute read)

Running 12 May 2021

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, our company locked its office doors and we all began working f... (6 minute read)

My appearance in the Wales "35 Under 35" 26 April 2021

This is a bit of a vanity post, but back in December I was lucky enough to be included in the 2020 WalesOnline ā€œ35 Under 35ā€. This list aims to present the ā€œbest young businessmen in... (1 minute read)

Six months of Invisalign 12 April 2021

Back in November I started an Invisalign course to help straighten my teeth. Invisalign works like traditional braces, but is instead formed from transparent teeth ā€œtraysā€ that others can ... (4 minute read)

PinePhone and PineTime 27 March 2021

Pre-ordering the PinePhone Beta Earlier this week I ordered a PinePhone, which recently became available as a Beta Edition. Iā€™ve been excitedly following the progress of the PinePhone for some t... (2 minute read)

Thoughts on minimalism, and what happens when I get mail 8 March 2021

Minimising possessions Like many people I these days try and live a minimal life when it comes to possessions. Having more stuff means there is a greater level of responsibility required to look after... (6 minute read)

A Year Without Answering my Phone 18 February 2021

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 (quite the opposite), but because itā€™s become the wron... (3 minute read)

Using Monica to Help Manage your Personal Relationships 7 February 2021

Many people no longer feel comfortable using Facebook. Whether you were never a member to begin with or youā€™ve had an account but chosen to remove yourself from the service, or youā€™ve simp... (5 minute read)

Blogging for Devs 2 February 2021

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 year. At the time blogging was something I had been thinking... (4 minute read)

100 Days to Offload Challenge 29 January 2021

I know that Iā€™ve been a bit crap at updating my blog properly and consistently over the past few years. One of my new yearā€™s resolutions this year is to get into the habit of writing more,... (1 minute read)

Two Year Update 16 March 2017

I havenā€™t written a post since summer 2015. Itā€™s now March 2017 and I thought Iā€™d write an update very briefly covering the last couple of years. I finished researching and lecturing... (3 minute read)

End of an Era 20 January 2015

I recently received confirmation of my completed PhD! I submitted my thesis in May 2014, passed my viva in September and returned my final corrections in December. I was examined internally by Dr Pete... (1 minute read)

A rather French week 31 August 2013

I recently spent a week in France as part of a holiday with some of my family. Renting houses for a couple of weeks in France or Italy each summer has almost become a bit of a tradition, and itā€™... (2 minute read)

Decking Building 30 March 2013

I managed to turn about two tonnes of material into something vaguely resembling ā€˜deckingā€™ in my back garden this weekend. It makes the area look much nicer, but whether it actually stays ... (1 minute read)