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Will Webberley
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Life

(38 items)

Becoming a Dad Through Adoption 15 July 2024

A few months ago, the boy that my husband and I are in the process of adopting came to live with us for good. It was such an incredibly amazing day, full of a mixture of hugely strong emotions, that I’ll certainly never forget. Despite there being (potentially) still months to go before the … Read more (18 minute read)
life

Links Updated 16 August 2023

A scratchpad of links. Technology Keep a Changelog - Don’t let your friends dump git logs into changelogs. ChangeDetection.io - detect changes to websites ProtoSchool - Interactive tutorials on decentralized web protocols Tech recommendations - some great tech recommendations from PsychoLlama …
technology development life fun

Thoughts on book logging 24 March 2023

I’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 service as a way for logging what I had read. The other social aspects didn’t keep me coming … Read more (2 minute read)
book life

Donations Updated 25 November 2022

Donations I make To free, open-source, hobby services and products. Product/service Link Donation FreshRSS Liberapay £3 / month Fosstodon Patreon £4 / month Photoprism Patreon £2 / month Joplin Patreon £1.50 / month Accepting donations If you would like to support me or my work, then you can do so …
life technology

Switching-up my workouts 🏋️‍♀️ 20 July 2022

Starting to workout I’ve worked out every day - pretty much - now since March 2020. The only days I’ve missed were because of illness (Covid), or another reason that made it physically (e.g. my dislocated shoulder) or logistically (e.g. during travel) impossible. These workouts have … Read more (4 minute read)
life

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 I’m sure it must be the same for other generations too), we got used to it as a mechanism for socialising. Whether this is … Read more (3 minute read)
life

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 year’s resolution to try to write more and, around the same time, I noticed the hashtag for the challenge circulating on Mastodon. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to fulfil my … Read more (7 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 making additional income, and were usually created simply to solve a need that I (or somebody else … Read more (1 minute read)
100daystooffload technology life

Nightfall City 25 November 2021

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 internet territory. The sign reads “Nightfall”. – Nightfall City The Nightfall City Gemini capsule (also available via the web) is an … Read more (2 minute read)
100daystooffload technology life

Webzines 20 November 2021

I’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 “zines”) are a way of distributing periodic content through the web. I’m not referring to modern-day online … Read more (1 minute read)
100daystooffload technology life

Our DIY bathroom project 10 November 2021

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 conversion (amongst other things!). Today I’m writing about a project we did on the bathroom in the house. When we first moved into the house, … Read more (5 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 didn’t really want to try risking it and putting it back in myself (sensibly, as it turns out!), so I got a taxi to A&E (an emergency ward in UK NHS hospitals). I was lucky … Read more (1 minute read)
100daystooffload life

Thinking positive 30 October 2021

It’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, or something else) to a place of work each morning, before reversing the process every evening. From … Read more (5 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 we’ve recently completed. Our home is a Victorian townhouse over three storeys, but the top floor has only one bedroom and a bathroom. The rest of that floor is essentially attic … Read more (3 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 currency perspective. However, as well as promoting an interesting project, the event welcomes … Read more (1 minute read)
100daystooffload technology life

Two months with Duolingo 25 September 2021

English speakers’ privilege I’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 GCSE level too (exams we take around the age of 16 in the UK). But things just didn’t really … Read more (4 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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-shot is that I have now removed it. I didn’t delete my account as there is still enough value in … Read more (2 minute read)
100daystooffload life

Twitter is still too addictive 7 September 2021

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 mainstream centralised social media that I use (aside from messaging services like Whatsapp and Telegram). Although I primarily use Mastodon for my … Read more (4 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 great. It had previously been a student-style (HMO - house of multiple occupation) house, in which … Read more (3 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 I’ve always grown up with and around dogs owned by parents and siblings, I’ve never been a huge “dog person” myself. However, it is very easy to get attached very quickly! The dog we adopted … Read more (2 minute read)
100daystooffload life

The '5AM Club' 7 July 2021

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 around starting your day early, with defined time slots for exercising and thinking. There’s a great video here that summarises it … Read more (2 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 Wales. Today, I was a member of a panel discussing blockchain - “Welsh Businesses Bringing … Read more (1 minute read)
100daystooffload technology life

City-centre beekeeping 11 June 2021

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 see this as a strange gift, especially given that we live close to the city centre. It was certainly a surprise for him, but given his love for … Read more (14 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 could attend. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to go away later in the year if/when things start … Read more (1 minute read)
100daystooffload life

I can't play games anymore 2 June 2021

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 of things today, but I would play at least a small amount of something most days. When I was young it was mainly those games based on … Read more (4 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 from home. We’re now all still working remotely about 14 months later and will continue to do … Read more (6 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 “35 Under 35”. This list aims to present the “best young businessmen in Wales” for the year. It was definitely an honour to be included and it’s great to see … Read more (1 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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 “trays” that others can only really notice up-close. Given my personal situation, this seemed like a better approach than … Read more (4 minute read)
100daystooffload life

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. I’ve been excitedly following the progress of the PinePhone for some time now. I’ve joined various Matrix rooms, subscribed to blogs, and started listening to the … Read more (2 minute read)
100daystooffload technology pinephone life

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 it. I love the principles involved in “owning less”. Although I am in a very different … Read more (6 minute read)
100daystooffload life technology

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 it’s become the wrong form of communication for me. Why did I stop? Like many people, I am inundated with sales-y and … Read more (3 minute read)
100daystooffload life opinion

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 you’ve had an account but chosen to remove yourself from the service, or you’ve simply tried to start using it less - either way, it’s no surprise given the way that they, across … Read more (5 minute read)
100daystooffload technology life selfhost

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 about quite a lot. I actively followed several other blogs - both from people I know and from … Read more (4 minute read)
100daystooffload life

100 Days to Offload Challenge 29 January 2021

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 this year is to get into the habit of writing more, and so #100DaysToOffload seems a good opportunity to challenge myself to make sure I do. The … Read more (1 minute read)
100daystooffload life

Two Year Update 16 March 2017

I haven’t written a post since summer 2015. It’s now March 2017 and I thought I’d write an update very briefly covering the last couple of years. I finished researching and lecturing full-time in the summer of 2015. It felt like the end of an era; I’d spent around a third of … Read more (3 minute read)
travel life

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 Burnap and also by Dr Jeremy Pitt of Imperial College London. The whole PhD was an amazing … Read more (1 minute read)
life phd research

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 it’s good to have a relax and a catch-up for a few days. They have been the first proper few days … Read more (2 minute read)
life holiday

Decking Building 30 March 2013

I managed to turn about two tonnes of material into something vaguely resembling ‘decking’ in my back garden this weekend. It makes the area look much nicer, but whether it actually stays up is a completely different matter. Read more (1 minute read)
life