Security, DevOps & Trading Tech — Practical Guides

Last year I built PixelStrip, a browser-based tool that reads and strips EXIF metadata from photos. When I started, I assumed I’d pull in exifr or piexifjs and call it a day. Instead, I ended up writing the parser from scratch — because the JPEG binary format is surprisingly approachable… Read more →

I ran the same 10 images through five different online compressors and measured everything: output file size, visual quality loss, compression speed, and what happened to my data. Two of the five uploaded my photos to servers in jurisdictions I couldn’t identify. One silently downscaled my images. And the one… Read more →

The Pomodoro Technique — work for 25 minutes, break for 5 — has been around since 1987. The science backs it up: time-boxing reduces procrastination and improves focus. But here’s the problem: most people try it for three days and quit. Not because the technique fails, but because a plain… Read more →

EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format. It’s a standard that embeds technical metadata inside every JPEG and TIFF photo. When you share a photo, this invisible data goes with it — including your GPS location. What EXIF Data Contains 📌 TL;DR: EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format. It’s a standard… Read more →

I built 3 of these tools because I got tired of desktop apps phoning home. After 12 years as a security engineer in Big Tech, I’ve watched network traffic from “offline” desktop apps — the telemetry, the analytics pings, the “anonymous” usage data that includes your file paths and timestamps…. Read more →

Every time you take a photo with your phone, the exact GPS coordinates are embedded in the image file. When you share that photo online — on forums, marketplaces, or messaging apps — anyone who downloads it can see exactly where you were standing. Here’s how to remove it in… Read more →

You need to send a photo by email but it’s 8MB. You need to upload a product image but the CMS has a 2MB limit. You need to speed up your website but your hero image is 4MB. The solution is always the same: compress the image. But most tools… Read more →

When I complained about noise to my building manager, they asked for evidence. “It’s loud” wasn’t enough. They wanted dates, times, and decibel readings. So I built an app that gives you all three — and generates a report you can actually hand to someone. The Noise Complaint Trap 📌 TL;DR: When… Read more →

I’ve downloaded at least ten Pomodoro timer apps over the years. I used each one for about three days before forgetting it existed. Then I built FocusForge, added XP and levels, and accidentally created a focus habit I can’t stop. The Pomodoro Problem 📌 TL;DR: I’ve downloaded at least ten Pomodoro timer… Read more →

I needed a place to store code snippets, email templates, and frequently pasted text blocks. Everything I found was either a full IDE extension, a note-taking app in disguise, or yet another Electron app eating 200MB of RAM. So I built TypeFast — a snippet manager that runs in a… Read more →