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 →
Security, DevOps & Trading Tech — Practical Guides
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How to Remove GPS Location from Photos Before Sharing Online
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 →
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Compress Images Without Losing Quality (Free Tool)
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 →
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NoiseLog: A Sound Meter App for Noisy Neighbors
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 →
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FocusForge: How Gamification Tricked Me Into Deep Focus
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 →
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TypeFast: Snippet Manager Without Electron Bloat
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 →
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PixelStrip: Stop Photos Broadcasting Your Location
Every photo taken on a smartphone embeds invisible metadata — including GPS coordinates accurate to within a few meters. PixelStrip strips it all out before you share. Zero upload, zero tracking, zero excuses. A Quick Experiment 📌 TL;DR: Every photo taken on a smartphone embeds invisible metadata — including GPS coordinates accurate… Read more →
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QuickShrink: Browser Image Compressor, No Uploads
I got tired of uploading personal photos to random websites just to shrink them. So I built QuickShrink — an image compressor that runs entirely in your browser. Your images never touch a server. The Dirty Secret of “Free” Image Compressors 📌 TL;DR: I got tired of uploading personal photos to random… Read more →
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Secure Remote Access for Your Homelab
I manage my homelab remotely every day—30+ Docker containers on TrueNAS SCALE, accessed from coffee shops, airports, and hotel Wi-Fi. After finding brute-force attempts in my logs within hours of opening SSH to the internet, I locked everything down. Here’s exactly how I secure remote access now. Introduction to Secure Remote… Read more →
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Home Network Segmentation with OPNsense
My homelab runs 30+ Docker containers on TrueNAS SCALE. Without network segmentation, every one of them could talk to every device in my house—including IoT cameras, guest phones, and my kids’ tablets. Here’s the OPNsense configuration that keeps them properly isolated. Introduction to Network Segmentation 📌 TL;DR: Learn how to apply enterprise-grade… Read more →