Hi, I’m Shaun.
I’ve been programming since 7th grade — and, it all started because of my hatred Apple and IOS. That pushed me into Android development, where I first started learning with a tool called App Inventor. Back in 2011, it was a simple drag-and-drop puzzle-style way to make apps (it’s come a long way since then). Pretty quickly, I moved on to Java and C#. But when it came to web development, I found myself preferring PHP over ASP.NET — and PHP became my go-to language for years.
In college, I took the Information Systems track in my computer science degree. That meant fewer low-level programming classes (like C) and more web, infrastructure, and business-focused courses. It worked out well — I could stick with my comfort zone of PHP and Java while still being able satisfy all course requirements.
Fast forward to today: I’m four years into my career, and things have changed. I’m now the sole developer of a utility billing management web application. That means building interactive dashboards, complex charts, and heavy-duty algorithms for data normalization. PHP isn’t exactly built for the kind of responsiveness and concurrency I need to deliver a smooth, professional experience. So, I’ve been branching out — learning new languages, frameworks, and environments to keep up.
I started this site to share that journey — the wins, the mistakes, and everything in between. You’ll find posts about:
- Homelab & Self-Hosting experiments
- Release notes & dev logs for Emerald Notes— my open-source note-taking app I using to help me learn React and Next.js (with a lots help from Cursor)
- Tech commentary — especially on AI and the ever-changing fate of Windows (I run linux for all my computer but one laptop)
If you’re into programming, tech tinkering, or just want to follow along as I figure things out, you’re in the right place.
