The cobbler's children finally have shoes

I’m not sure where the proverb “the cobbler’s children have no shoes” comes from, or why cobblers specifically get called out, but the irony is universal: people with the skills to make things for themselves often don’t, because they’re too busy making them for everyone else.

I propose a modern equivalent: “The programmer’s website is under construction.”

The last time I launched a site with my name in the domain was, embarrassingly, over 17 years ago. So what you’re looking at right now - my own new website - is the equivalent of a cobbler’s child in a pair of shiny new shoes!

The gap years

Back in 2008 - the last time I launched a website for myself - I blogged regularly about design, development, and whatever nerdy stuff I was excited about that week. But over time, life got busy, client work picked up, and my own site - unloved and neglected - quietly died.

For over a decade, I didn’t have a proper online home. Which is wild for someone who makes a living on the internet. My consultancy, Push Code, has had a few licks of paint, but even that has had periods of neglect, and it’s never been my space. I was active on Twitter (back when it used to be good) but as social networks have slid into the bot-filled, rage-inducing hellholes they are today, I’ve felt more and more digitally homeless.

In 2024 I launched 2point0.ai as a way to get back into writing online. I kept it up for just over a year, posting about AI in development, and it felt good to be writing again. But the focus was too narrow. It was a blog about AI, not a home for everything I do. I realised I needed to go back to basics - a personal website, where I can show off my work, and write about whatever I want.

How I built it

Unlike the proverbial cobbler - whose services must have been in constant demand, judging by the whole child/shoe situation - I’ve been through a period of what you might politely call “in-between opportunities”.

With no client requirements (or clients, for that matter) to worry about, I got started on designing and building this site. No vibe coding - just plain, handcrafted HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Like the good old days.

Under the hood it’s Astro, Tailwind, and a minimal sprinkling of Svelte in a couple of components. I love Astro - it gives you framework conveniences without the framework baggage, while always keeping you close to the web fundamentals. It gets the balance right - you feel like you’re building a website, not an application.

I had some fun with the about page, where I built an interactive chronology that tells my story from a 15-year-old kid onwards, featuring some AI-generated, comic book style images of me through the years (with progressively less hair). The work page covers a mix of client projects, my open source Bitcoin and blockchain work, and recent dabblings in AI tooling.

And then there’s the blog - a place for me to just be. I expect I’ll write about development, the web, AI and other nerdy stuff - but also whatever else I feel like writing about. I’ve migrated a few posts from 2point0.ai, but this is a fresh start: no constraints, no narrow focus - just writing about what interests me.

What’s next

New year, new website. Feels like a good way to start 2026. So what else have I got cooking?

I’ve got a whiteboard with half a dozen rough project ideas - a mix of AI-based apps and products, plus some open source projects I want to take a proper look at. My goal is to ship at least two things in the first half of this year. I also want to get better at AI-assisted coding: finding that elusive balance between letting the agents run with the code and keeping tight control of direction and quality.

I’m also open to new opportunities - contract work or even the right full-time role. If you’re building something interesting and think we might be a good fit, get in touch.

For now though, I’m just happy to have a proper home on the web again. And that those poor children finally have some shoes.