Most of the things I build start with something that bothers me. Where did my money go? How do I plan a day that leaves room for being a person? Where did I put that article I was sure I’d remember?
Those questions turn into apps, small tools, and sometimes another folder of unfinished code. I’m most interested in software that works on your own device and keeps your information there. Useful things you can keep, understand, and make your own.
Built from spare parts
TheTechBiscuit grew out of years of websites, ambitious ideas, archived code, and starting again. There was a WordPress site, a YouTube channel, and a project called HackBabble. Each attempt left something behind that I wanted to keep.
In my first post, I called the result a Frankenstein’s monster. I still like that. The spare parts eventually became a place that felt like mine.
The workbench carries on that tradition. Some projects are private builds, some are early experiments. I share where they stand, what they do, and what I’m working towards.
Why I write
I noticed that most of my writing had become messages, comments, and short posts. I was getting used to squeezing a thought down before I’d had time to understand it.
Writing here gives me that time back. Some ideas become essays. Others stay as field notes: a question, an observation, something worth coming back to.
I’ll get things wrong and change my mind. I’d rather leave room for that. If something here helps you, or gives us something interesting to talk about, it’s done its job.
A shelf for other people’s work
Not everything worth keeping is something I’ve made. Kept is a small collection of poems and art, with the people who made them credited. The homepage shelves hold books, tools, projects, and things to listen to.
Say hello
Tell me what you’re making, send me something worth reading, or tell me where you think I’ve got it wrong. You can reach me at reachme@thetechbiscuit.com or find me as @onlytechbiscuit.