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Now that I use AI regularly to help write code and complete tasks, I find myself in a position where I’m not learning as much as I used to. That feels a bit crummy. Fairly often, Claude writes code I don’t fully understand. For example: I know enough TypeScript to be dangerous, but I’m definitely not an expert. Recently I had Claude take some typing I thought was overcomplicated and drastically simplify it. The new version was clearly better — I just couldn’t tell you why. So I asked Claude to explain it in simple terms. Sure enough, it did. I guess that’s a silver lining to using AI: it can at least explain why it did what it did. A coworker mentioned he has Claude write one-off explanations with examples whenever this happens, and I liked that idea. So I built a skill around it. The skill looks at my uncommitted code, breaks it down, and writes a short blog article for me to read. I’m a fan of Josh Comeau’s blog and the way he uses interactive examples to teach a concept, so I made that part of the skill too — Claude generates interactive examples alongside the explanation, then packages everything up in a small Vite environment. The first iteration was expensive to run. At least 3 minutes, and roughly 10K tokens. I’m fine burning tokens, but I’m also thrifty 😬. The second iteration kept the Vite environment and styles already wired up, so Claude only had to write the article and the examples. That brought it down to about a minute and 7K tokens. Better — though I’d still like to get the token usage lower. The blog format is great, but it’s a lot of work (for Claude) to generate all of this just to delete it when I’m done reading. It’d be nice to have these articles persist somewhere I could revisit later, or share with other people. That brought me to my current iteration. It’s an Astro project that lives on GitHub. The skill works roughly the same way — review uncommitted code, generate a post complete with interactive examples — but now it publishes to a TIL subdomain where I can read the articles at my leisure or pass them along. It’s all vibe coded, and that feels appropriate. I’m up front about it on the site itself: Things Claude changed that I didn’t understand — explained… by Claude. I’ll probably keep tinkering to bring the token usage down further, but it was a fun project to put together, and I’m happy to let Claude teach me what it’s doing.
This is an updated list of what I’m using in 2026. I’m only sharing what’s changed since last year’s list. Applications Chrome — Chrome was on my list last year, but I’m mentioning it again because I actually used Brave for most of 2025. I like Brave, and honestly I can’t even remember why I switched back to Chrome 🤷🏻. ChatGPT — I hate that I’m listing AI tools, but if I’m going to be transparent, it has to be here. I use it a bit for code, but mostly for rewording messages or rubber-ducking ideas. Claude Code — I wrote about my thoughts and reluctance to embrace AI for coding. My company pays for it, so I use it. Endel — I’m neurodiverse and have been trying to be more intentional about using tools that help me stay focused. Endel is super cool and has a lot of genuinely helpful features. Hyper — I was previously using iTerm2, but switched to Hyper mostly because it feels prettier. That’s probably a dumb reason since I could have customized iTerm2, but I installed Hyper on my new machine and never felt the need to switch back. Retcon — My team is pretty opinionated about Git history, and rewriting history via the command line or VS Code started to feel tedious. Several coworkers use LazyGit, but I didn’t want another terminal-based tool. Retcon does exactly what it promises and lets me handle more advanced Git workflows without having to be a Git super-nerd. Notion — I was using Bear for notes, but didn’t feel like I was getting enough value out of paying for it. That’s not a knock against Bear—it’s a great product. Notion’s free plan works just fine for me. I also tried Obsidian this year and liked it, but parts of it felt quirky. It also seemed like a bigger time investment to make it feel as polished as Notion or Bear. VS Code — I tried Zed for a bit, and there are things I really like about it. That said, I ran into a few weird and buggy behaviors that I just couldn’t get past. Equipment I got a 2025 M4 MacBook Pro when I started my new job this year. It’s more than powerful enough for anything I need to do.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as a web designer is how often people expect a website for next to nothing. Somewhere along the way, the perception formed that a website is a commodity—quick, cheap, and interchangeable. So when someone asks what I charge (for a very basic marketing site), I usually reply, “That’ll cost around $5,000.” That number isn’t a gimmick—it’s a filter. It immediately reveals who understands the craft behind the screen, who values quality, and who’s serious about investing in their own business. It separates those looking for something fast and inexpensive from those seeking something purposeful and crafted. It used to frustrate me when people balked at the cost. Now? I see it as a helpful sorting mechanism. It shows me who I actually want to work with. The Cost of “Cheap” There’s no shortage of DIY website builders promising professional results at a low price. And honestly—sometimes that’s fine. If you just need something quick and functional, a template might be all you need. But a boutique website is something entirely different. When you hire me, you’re not buying convenience—you’re investing in craft. A boutique site is designed and engineered specifically for you. It’s not a template dressed up with new colors. It’s built intentionally, shaped around your goals, your audience, your brand’s personality, and the experience you want people to have. And cheap solutions often come with hidden costs: lost conversions poor usability and performance accessibility issues a generic, forgettable brand presence The value of a bespoke website isn’t just in what it does. It’s in how it’s made—and what it communicates about you. Why Bespoke Work Matters When I build a custom website, it’s not just about aesthetics. It’s about alignment—making sure every part of the experience supports your story, your content, and your clients’ needs. Every choice—typography, layout, semantics, performance—is intentional. Anyone can make a website that looks good. I handcraft websites that feel right and function beautifully. As a design engineer, I don’t hand off a static mockup and hope the final result captures the original intent. I design with the intent to build, carrying the project from concept to code so the final experience is cohesive, thoughtful, and true to the vision. That’s what boutique design is: every pixel and every line of code has purpose. The Bottom Line If you only need a website, you don’t need me. But if you want a boutique digital experience—something that reflects your values, your vision, and your commitment to quality—then I’m the right fit. You’re not paying for a website. You’re paying for craftsmanship, collaboration, and care. And while not everyone values that, the right clients do. My pricing isn’t just a number—it’s a filter that helps me focus on the people who appreciate the work, the craft, and the impact it can create.
When I first got into hand-lettering, I had a hard time finding people who shared their full process—especially the digitizing phase. So here’s a look at how I typically work. Everyone’s process is different, and a lot depends on your style and how you plan to present the piece. For me, since I don’t have the steadiest hand, I tend to embrace rough, scrappy, distressed looks. Most of my work ends up digital anyway, so mistakes can be fixed later. Here’s a short process video I made a while back. Thumbnails & Sketching Start with quick thumbnail ideas on scrap paper. Refine the chosen direction with a pencil on Bristol Paper. If possible, I use a drawing pencil (softer, lighter lead makes cleanup easier). After inking, I clean up with an art gum eraser. Inking My go-tos are Microns in different thicknesses. In the video I sharedI used a .08 for outlines and Graphic 1 for filling letters. I used a Gelly Roll 10 to add cut-outs, create depth, and fix small mistakes 😬. Digitizing I scan the inked artwork using Scanner Pro on iOS. Clean up in Pixelmator Pro. Add textures for distress and wear (I’ve collected a bunch of texture packs over the years). Where I’ve Used This This is basically the same process I followed for my State Motto series, and most of my other lettering projects. Don’t be afraid to lean into your natural tendencies (like a scrappier style if your hand isn’t steady) and use the digital phase to enhance or correct. Trial and error is a huge part of it.
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I listen to a lot of podcasts, and I like how they fit around other tasks. I press play, lock my phone, and put it down. I’m free to wash the dishes, fold the laundry, or shop for groceries. Unfortunately, more and more information is only published as a video. Technical talks, conference sessions, video essays – they don’t work in an audio-only podcast app. I could convert these videos to MP3 files, but that breaks down the moment a video isn’t pure spoken word. If a speaker says, “Look at this slide” or holds up a diagram, an audio-only file leaves me stranded. I don’t want to give up the podcast player I like, nor stare at a screen for an hour – but I do want the information in these videos. To solve this, I’m abusing my podcast player’s chapter support. This gives me the best of both worlds: I can listen to a video as audio-first, and glance at my lock screen if I need a moment of visual context. The idea: Chapters every few seconds MP3 files can have ID3 metadata, and ID3 metadata can include chapters. A chapter covers a particular time range, and it can have an associated title, description, and cover art. My podcast app of choice is Overcast, which can’t play videos, but it does have robust chapter support. I can jump between chapters, navigate a table of contents, and see per-chapter cover art. To get videos into Overcast, I’m creating MP3 files with a new chapter every few seconds, and the per-chapter cover art is a corresponding frame from the video. As I play the file, I get a slow, stop-motion-like rendition of the original video. If my phone is locked, I can glance at my lock screen and see the current frame in the Now Playing screen. Overcast is developed by Marco Arment, and I got this idea from Forecast, his app for adding chapters to podcasts. In particular, I was struck by its ability to create chapters that don’t display in the chapter list – ideal if I don’t want a table of contents with hundreds of entries. As I was developing my script, I compared my output to the output from Forecast to ensure I was creating the chapters correctly. The code: FFmpeg and Mutagen There are three steps in this process: Convert a video file to an MP3 Extract images from the video at a fixed interval Insert the images as hidden chapters in the MP3 file Let’s go through each in turn. 1. Convert a video file to an MP3 Converting a video file to an MP3 is a single FFmpeg command: ffmpeg -i video.mp4 audio.mp3 This is consistently the slowest step of the process, and I do wonder if I could use different settings or an alternative encoder to make it go faster – but it’s not slow enough to be worth further investigation. 2. Extract images from the video at a fixed interval Extracting images from a video needs a more complicated FFmpeg command: ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \ -vf 'fps=1/5,scale=iw*sar:ih,scale=min(iw\,945):min(ih\,945):force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease' \ thumbnail_%04d.jpg This extracts an image every 5 seconds, downscales any image larger than 945 pixels square (while preserving the original aspect ratio), and saves the results as sequentially numbered JPEG images (thumbnail_0001.png, thumbnail_0002.png, and so on). The key is the -vf flag, which defines two FFmpeg filters: The fps filter selects one frame every 5 seconds (fps=1/5). The first scale filter scales the width based on the sample aspect ratio (scale=iw*sar:ih). Without this filter, frames can be stretched and distorted. The second scale filter scales the input video, preserving the original aspect ratio (force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease), and ensuring the output images fit within 945×945px or the size of the input video, whichever is smaller. My limit is 945 pixels because that’s the largest size that cover art is shown on my iPhone. This filter still isn’t completely correct – it sometimes creates images from portrait videos that are smaller than I’m expecting – but it’s good enough. These are only thumbnails for glancing at, and if I want to change it later, I can always do the image resizing outside FFmpeg. 3. Insert the images as hidden chapters in the MP3 file Inserting the chapters into the MP3 file is more complicated. Although FFmpeg has basic support for ID3 metadata, as far as I know, it can’t insert chapters with per-chapter artwork. Instead, I’m going to reach for Python and the Mutagen library. Here’s the code to add a chapter to an MP3 file: from mutagen.id3 import APIC, CHAP, ID3, PictureType audio = ID3("audio.mp3") with open("thumbnail_0001.jpg", "rb") as f: img_data = f.read() image_frame = APIC(mime="image/jpeg", type=PictureType.OTHER, data=img_data) chapter_frame = CHAP( element_id="chp1", start_time=0, end_time=5 * 1000, sub_frames=[image_frame] ) audio.add(chapter_frame) audio.save() This creates a single chapter that lasts the first 5 seconds (0 to 5000 milliseconds), and the per-chapter cover art is thumbnail_0001.jpg. If we ran this in a loop, we could add images for every 5 second slice of the original video. This code is inserting two frames into the ID3 metadata: The CHAP (chapter) frame contains the timing information, and it can have subframes for metadata like title, chapter art, or associated URL. The APIC (attached picture) subframe contains information about a picture, which can either be a blob of image data or a URL to an image on the web. Normally, you’d also insert a CTOC frame which defines a table of contents, but I don’t want a TOC with hundreds of 5-second chapters, so I’m deliberately not doing this here. This is allowed by the ID3 spec – you’re not required to insert a CTOC frame if you’re using chapters, and you can have chapters that aren’t listed in your table of contents. To work out which frames I needed, I used Forecast to create some chapters by hand, and I inspected their frames. In particular, loading an MP3 and calling Mutagen’s pprint() method shows a human-readable list of frames, and then I could drill into the individual fields: from mutagen.id3 import ID3 audio = ID3("audio.mp3") print(audio.pprint()) I wrapped all this code in a project called glancecast, which allows you to convert a video file with a single command, with optional flags to set the frame length and chapter art size: $ python3 glancecast.py interesting_talk.mp4 interesting_talk.mp3 The process takes a minute or so to complete, most of which is spent transcoding the video file to MP3. The resulting MP3s are usually 40 to 50 MB in size, which is very reasonable. The outcome: How it looks in practice Here’s what one of these “glanceable” podcasts looks like in Overcast and on my lock screen: Maggie Appleton presented this talk over two years ago and it’s been on my “talks to watch” list ever since. Once I put it in Overcast? I listened to it in less than a day. It’s not a lot of extra information, but enough that I can quickly glance down and get the gist of what a speaker is saying. Both views update with a new frame every few seconds, or I can put my phone in my pocket and ignore the screen. I’ve used this approach for half a dozen videos so far, and I’m happy with the results. I expect to keep using it, because I have a long queue of videos I’ve been meaning to watch. If you’d like to try this, check out glancecast for the full code and instructions. [If the formatting of this post looks odd in your feed reader, visit the original article]
Andrew Baker, the current Group CIO at Capitec Bank wrote an interesting piece on AI and open source, and how these tools that generate code according to one’s specification may replace the general reliance on open source implementations done by contributors around the world. I’d really recommend reading it. I have great admiration and respectContinue reading "AI Isn’t Replacing Open Source"
I've mostly given up keeping up with agent trends. Every few months, I ignore all of it and ask what I'm actually getting use out of. Three things…
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