Recent Posts

Using Web Components For Progressive Enhancement

When developing enhancement-only features, I find using custom elements makes it easier and more organized. Custom elements are a natural fit for enhancements as they only execute if JavaScript runs. For example, this site supports a few different themes ... read more.

Ben's Top 5 Essential Apps and Services of 2025

Below are what I consider to be my top 5 essential apps and services of 2025. These apps and services respect my privacy and help me control what I focus on. If you are not using them or on the fence about one of them, I recommend you check them out in 202... read more.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2025 is already coming to an end. It's hard to believe that another year has already gone by. So many things happened this year, so many changes. I started this year completely burnt out from the end of 2024. The end of the year is a huge deadline for the... read more.

A Technical Refresh

I'm super excited to have just completed a technical refresh of this site. I've made things simpler to update the content. I hope that because it is easier, I will write more and use this site more. I've gone back to the framework that I started this blog... read more.

Creating a Home Assistant Smart Display

I'm a big Home Assistant fan and have been using it for a very long time. I've had my own smart display for a few years, running on balena-dash, but have been slowly reducing my dependencies on 3rd party clouds- replacing garage door controls with ratgdo, ... read more.