This website
Yes, listing this very site as a project is peak self-indulgence. But hey, my site, my rules.
What it’s all about
I’ve been threatening to create a digital portfolio since I was last looking for a job in mid-2018. I found all sorts of excuses over the years; mostly that there was no urgent need, and – you know – it looked like a lot of effort.
Fast-forward to 2026, and coding agents have taken a lot of that friction away. So should I ever need to look for a job again (disclaimer to current employer), I’d rather not be building a site from zero. It’s brutal out there, and everyone’s doing what they can to be special.
What it took
While figuring out the concept, I kept getting stuck on which register to use. A polished, composed one, so I come across as a professional you’d put on a stage? That felt too dry. Or a more candid one, with a bit more personality? Then it hit me: websites come in dark & light mode, so why the hell don’t I do the same for myself, and let you turn my personality up or down.
And that’s how I got to having one site, with twice the content.
After publishing, I came across this article by Anamol Rajbhandari on how AI is eroding authenticity, pushing us all to put forward a ‘synthetic self’. It really resonated with me, especially since places like LinkedIn have become echo-chambers of humble-bragging and recycled AI ‘thought leadership’. It’s fake. It’s cringe. And I hate it.
The article also introduced me to sociologist Erving Goffman’s description of ordinary social life as a kind of theatre, with a front stage and a back stage we’re always moving between. When I read it I was like, “OMG, that’s my site concept!” Except I’m done hiding the backstage version. We all put our best selves forward at work, and fair enough. But I’m tired of pretending there’s nothing behind it, so here I’m leaning into the chaos behind the curtain.
I’ve put a lot of love and effort into this site, and if you want the technical details, you can read what’s under the hood on my colophon. Maybe I’ll even write a proper blog post about it.
Top tip, this site currently has 12 utterly obscure easter eggs. Have fun finding them. I certainly enjoyed building them.
Where it’s going
I don’t have grand plans for this site – it’s a professional and personal showcase, somewhere to put the things I actually want to share. The next big piece is a portfolio of work I’ve done over the years. Beyond that, it’s mostly keeping things current (see my now page), writing an actual blog post, and capturing new projects or talks as they come up.
Last updated 25 October 2026