2017 was a tough year. Probably the hardest year I have ever had.

But 2018 is a fresh start, a new year and a time to reflect on where I am, where I am going and what I want.

As part of this, I have revamped my personal website, birkbeck.org.uk, take a look and let me know what you think. I run a number of different sites, some personal ones such as this for myself, and a few other company ones for others. These have all been migrated to Digital Ocean, with an Nginx reverse proxy server sitting in front of the web services, and Let’s Encrypt dealing with SSL certificates.

I also decided to throw myself into the Internet of Things, and to learn some basics of electronics. I built my first very basic circuit and controlled it via python, you might be surprised at how satisfying it is to wave your hand in front of a sensor and see different LEDs light up. Perhaps I am just easily pleased!

I am now looking to expand that knowledge and build various IoT devices for around the home. More of that to come.