Starting Fresh: A Journal for the Things I Build (and Break)

I’ve been building software for a while now — almost 15 years, give or take — but this is my first time trying to write about it. I'm not here to act like a guru or pretend I have all the answers. Honestly, I just want a place where I can drop my thoughts, share the things I learn (or most of the time, forget and relearn), and maybe help a few people along the way.

I think of this as my developer journal. One that is public

Right now, I'm really into automation. I've been messing around with little scripts (bash, Python), using software like Keyboard Maestro to speed up daily tasks, and slowly piecing together a workflow that lets me focus more on building and less on repeating the same things every day. It's nothing fancy, but it saves me time, and that's a win.

I'm also learning Rust — which is a bit of a brain stretch, but I like the challenge. Feels good to learn something completely new again.

I'm more of an introvert, so writing is where I'm most comfortable. It gives me some time to think. It lets me express ideas clearly and honestly — and if you're reading this, it's working. Whether you're a fellow dev, a curious visitor, or even a potential employer 🙂: this blog is my way of showing what I can do, how I think, and how I solve problems.

What can you expect from this blog?

Honestly, a bit of everything:

• Random dev thoughts and experiments
• Simple automations that make life easier
• Stuff I break and fix
• Notes to my future self
• Maybe some behind-the-scenes on ideas I'm working on

If you're into dev stuff, building tools, saving time, or just like reading what other builders are up to — welcome. I hope you stick around. Would love to share more, and I hope something here might help or inspire you too.

Catch you in the next one.

— Mark