Blog Posts

On job applications

Considering joining my team (at Vercel)?

A Raspberry Pi an OpenClaw and a packet of peanuts

I built an open-source AI agent that runs on a Raspberry Pi, takes commands via WhatsApp, and gets better at its job over time. It started with a knock-knock joke. By Wednesday morning it was ordering peanuts from Amazon.

Feature flags with Vercel Toolbar, Edge Config, and Next.js

How I set up feature flags to toggle between two homepage designs using Vercel Edge Config, the flags SDK, and the Vercel Toolbar - including the gotchas that cost me an evening.

Releasing Uptimer – a self-hosted uptime monitoring tool

I built Uptimer over a weekend using Next.js, Neon PostgreSQL, Vercel, and Resend. It monitors websites and APIs, tracks SSL certificates, sends email alerts, and provides clean dashboards - all within free-tier limits. Today I'm releasing it as an open-source template.

Building a second brain with Claude and Obsidian

I've been building software for decades, but my second brain was always a whiteboard. In early 2026 I decided to build a proper one - local, Markdown-based, Claude-assisted, and completely mine. This is what happened.

X's API is accessible again-here's the full Vercel stack to use it

How I rebuilt my automated weekly X (Twitter) tweet using the X API, Vercel AI Gateway, AI SDK, Cron, and Workflows-with a nod to the old days when posting to Twitter was the hello world of the hour.

Building a Travel Map with Next.js, Leaflet, and Vercel Blob

How I built an interactive travel map for my personal site using Leaflet, Vercel Blob for image storage, and an admin interface for managing travel data. A deep dive into the technical challenges, production deployment issues, and the solutions that made it work.

Building an AI Chatbot with Vercel AI SDK and AI Gateway

How I built a professional AI chatbot for my personal site using Vercel's AI infrastructure, Next.js, and a custom floating interface. A deep dive into the technical implementation, RAG considerations, and the benefits of Vercel's AI ecosystem.

Optimising for AI SEO with Next.js and Vercel

A comprehensive approach to making your website AI-friendly using Next.js App Router, Vercel's edge infrastructure, and modern web standards. How I transformed my site for better AI discoverability and search rankings.

The 5 Levels of Authority

It's essential for the expectations of the manager and the team member to be aligned.

Bluesky profile update automation

Automating Bluesky profile updates with Next.js and Vercel Cron

New Site Photos, powered by Flickr, created by v0

It's day 1 of 2024, and I've already done what will be one of my favourite activites for the year

Day One

It's day 1 of 2024, and I've already done what will be one of my favourite activites for the year

The Technical Presales Triangle

Capability, Value, Implication

Touched By An Angel

a beautiful poem by Maya Angelou

The Poem Tree

From an engraving made on a tree in 1844...

Starting a new role

... is like starting a new game

Error ‘unable to verify the first certificate’

…this error left npm and many of my CLI tool inoperable

How to measure the Sales Engineers

... though not everything that matters can be measured

Story Collecting

One of my favourite hobbies

On job applications

Considering joining my team (at Vercel)?

Why care?

On the benefits of compassion.

Chambers encyclopaedia, 1890

1890, on 'flight'

My Flight Album

Dreamer on the run

Top 5s

Books, Music, Films

Changing Sundays

How we spend our time, energy and attention are perhaps the most fundamental of our choices.

On Hobbies

I've been wondering about new hobbies for a while

The 2020 Web Almanac

Co-Author of the Media chapter

Better Nextjs Responsive Images using Sizes

Give the browser the information it needs

Better Nextjs Responsive Image Breakpoints

More considered image candidate lists

Image Art Direction

Leveraging the Picture element

Careers Thoughts

How do you quantify the value of a job?

Drexler Sibbet model

Orientation, trust, goals, commitments, implemetation, high performance, renewal

Short Lessons for the Kids

Some thoughts while in-flight

Cloudinary Images

Essential First Aid

Fight or Flight

Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of your fears.

The Struggle

Sometimes help is a hindrance

Responsive Images in Jekyll without a plugin

Embedding Videos into Jekyll without a plugin

Getting Kids Into Coding

It's never too early to start

NaBloPoMo Finale

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back

Live Fully Now

'Now' is both immeasurably small, and utterly all there is

Blog Posts - Categories & Tags

A guide to organizing blog content with categories and tags for better discoverability and SEO. Covers best practices for content structure and taxonomy.

Sales

Is discovering that one of the walls, turned out to be a curtain that you can step beyond.

Content Consumption & Sharing Workflow

A personal workflow for managing content consumption and curation using Twitter, Feedly, Pocket, Evernote, and Pinboard for effective information management.

Moving To Mac

Another Lap of the Sun

The Ratchet

A ratchet is a mechanical device that allows continuous linear or rotary motion in only one direction while preventing motion in the opposite direction.

What Motivates Us

Autonomy : Mastery : Purpose

Capturing Whiteboard Photos

Focus

Distractions stop us from becoming who we want to be.

Alan Watts

Alan Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker best known as an interpreter and populariser of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience

Home Photography Workflow

Curation is an act of love

Curation is an act of love

Maybe in curating photographs, we are curating our own identity, both for ourselves and our family and friends.

Making the most of your fears

Mortal fear, even when unwarranted, is a great opportunity for a life audit. Which are the things you would wish you had done... if this was the end?

Halfway

We're In This Together

Share what you learn

Reflecting On The Weekend

Photo365 - Flickr API

Dynamic Images 101 - NaBloPoMo 10

Responsive Images 101 - NaBloPoMo 9

An introduction to Responsive Images, srcset & sizes, and the picture element.

Jekyll Responsive Images without plugins - NaBloPoMo 8

Mobile Git with Git2Go - Jekyll workflow - NaBloPoMo 7

URL Schemes and 1Writer - Jekyll workflow - NaBloPoMo 6

Jekyll Markdown Skeleton automation with Workflow App - NaBloPoMo 5

Migrating Existing Content From Wordpress to Jekyll - NaBloPoMo 4

Getting Started with Github Pages - NaBloPoMo 3

Jekyll Static Site Generator - NaBloPoMo 2

Getting back into blogging - NaBloPoMo 1

Starting NaBloPoMo 2016 with a commitment to daily blogging, exploring mobile-first content creation and Jekyll workflow improvements.

Assert Your Freedom of Attention

Insights on protecting your attention and focus in a world of constant digital distractions, inspired by talks from Christopher Murphy and James Williams.

Be A Better Me

Personal development goals and strategies for continuous improvement, focusing on becoming a better version of yourself through intentional growth.

Practical Responsive Images : Book

The power of images isn’t just about improving website conversion.

You can't manage what you don't measure

As you may have read my previous posts on healthy working, I have been endeavouring to better manage some of my day-to-day lifestyle habits.

Healthy Working : Standing-Desk Edition

Azure Like It

Getting started with Microsoft Azure Websites

Over Engineering : 800 years of Operation

The Hook lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in the world.

The Apprentice Bowl

If you have not succeeded after 3 attempts you have two choices...

Healthy Working

In lieu of a sit/standing desk, I’m going to give this a bash...

Lightening Review of 2013

Inspired by @rem’s review, but lacking the time to do a proper post, here is my lightening review of 2013, (sorry I didn’t have the time needed to make it shorter

Node.js : hour 1

During half term, Em and the kids were off visiting family for a few days.

Terminal Velocity

I had one of those problems to solve, that initially had me toying with blowing the dust of some Python, but in the end it struck me as the perfect time to..

Web Performance Optimisation: hour 3

Following on from the 1st, and 2nd hours spent, on improving the performance of one of my websites… the obsession continues…

Web Performance Optimisation: hour 2

After Saturday’s rather fruitful hour, I set myself the follow up challenge to see how much more could I improve the Web Performance given a second hour.

Web Performance Optimisation: hour 1

On Saturday morning, I gave myself a challenge. How much could I improve the performance of one of my websites in 1 hour?

Change

absorb - accept - adapt - respond - optimise

Dalai Lama: humanity and money

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, said...

20 more years

If you could only work for 1 more year - what would you do with that time? What about 20 years?

What motivates us

Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose

Jetlag survival

Try to force yourself to the new eating patterns as soon as you can

(Commercial) Engagement

If you don’t care, why would I spend my time with you…?

Simplify

Life is Feeling

A little poem