Category: Random Projects

AI is Transforming Programming: Enabling Everyone to Have ‘Superpowers’

GitHub Copilot, VS Code, and WSL2 can provide any Windows user with the ability to be a developer, Novice and Pro

Pictured: VS Code Insiders, GitHub Copilot, and WSL2 Ubuntu

Building a web app can feel daunting, especially when you’re not a professional software engineer. But today, thanks to advancements in AI and modern tools, even someone like me—an OK sysadmin or mechanic or handyperson on my best days!—can take on ambitious projects with confidence…

Take my current project: I’m building a web app for a neighbor who runs a dog-sitting business. At first, the idea seemed simple—a functional application tailored to their businesses’ simple needs. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this concept could apply to many other industry verticals and be the start of something to meet the broader market in the future!

The app would allow users to:

  • Schedule and store records for dog owners and their pets.
  • Provide real-time service booking via a front-end calendar.
  • Send pet owners SMS updates during their pets’ stay.
  • (Eventually) accept payments directly through the app.

I decided to start building it with a PHP backend, a Vue.js frontend, and a MySQL database, all running in a Dockerized environment. Ten years ago, this would have felt overwhelming. Today, however, tools like GitHub Copilot, VS Code Insiders, and WSL2 make it not just possible but achievable.

Here’s where the magic happens: AI-powered tools like GitHub Copilot provide what I jokingly call “programming superpowers.” They won’t make you a coding wizard overnight, but they can bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

For instance, Copilot can explain code snippets, suggest syntax, or even help scaffold out an entire feature. It’s like having a mentor on demand, drastically reducing the time it takes to figure things out. Is it perfect? No. Sometimes it stumbles or provides suboptimal recommendations. But the progress AI has made in the past year alone is staggering, and it’s only getting better.

That’s the real game-changer: there are fewer excuses now for not diving into programming projects. With the combination of modern tools and AI assistance, the barriers to entry have never been lower.

Sure, you still need foundational knowledge—how to configure environments, wire systems together, and debug when things go sideways. But AI tools don’t replace expertise; they amplify it. They let you stretch your capabilities and take on challenges that might have felt totally out of reach 10 years ago.

  • VS Code ( I enjoy using Insiders )
  • Windows subsystem for linux ( Ubuntu is good, other distros available! )
  • GitHub Copilot ( Now free for any user account! )

These three tools combine on Windows to create a development environment in a snap that you can use to perform AI-driven development in. For pros, it offers a way to accelerate their development. For novices, it can educate you and help you along your learning journey.

2011 F150 5.0 oil pan leak and transmission coolant line swap

Last year I did some work to my F-150. It was really fun and a little bit nerve-wracking given I had never done any work like this on my own before. It turned out well, I made mistakes and learned from them, and fixed up a very old truck to keep it going and help facilitate a move.

  • Front suspension shock / strut, sway, upper control arms
  • Transmission coolant lines and radiator
  • Transmission fluid and pan gasket
  • Oil pan gasket
  • Rocker panel covers black plastic molded
  • Interior work (water damaged)
The transmission coolant lines are prone to breaking at the forward plastic connectors, causing catastrophic failure for the 6r80 transmission.
Oil pan and rear main seal area after replacing the gasket with fresh RTV. The oil leak stopped.

The oil pan gasket was leaking which prompted me to investigate and found that there was oil dripping off the bottom of the rear main seal. The rear main seal is not leaking and I have changed out the gasket for the oil pan. The oil pan is tough to finagle out of the truck and it requires the front differential to be lowered. The oil pan gasket has held luckily for more than 6-months now despite a bolt shearing on the rear passenger side of the oil pan. A single bolt is not enough of a problem when you have fresh RTV.

The sway bar end links provided noticeable improvement for the ride quality.

Upper control arms and shocks. Not OEM so we’ll see how long they last…

I swapped the carpet out of the interior for some ebay vinyl. Removing the supercab seats is annoying but once you do it once, you’ll be able to do it the second time in no time. Ebay vinyl floor material came as one uncut sheet. I formed and cut it to the interior and mounted the seats back in. Steam cleaning the seats, replaced the door handles, and painted the speaker grilles black. Invisible glass to the windshield and a decent android auto head unit make it feel like a new truck again.

2011 Ford F150 XL 5.0 4×4

Stitched on a leather steering wheel cover. Oh yeahhh…

Runs great through the NC Mountains. Even with 130k+ miles, the 5.0 sings.

Explore My Gaggiuino Project Photos: DIY Espresso Machine Mod

I’m excited to share my latest open-source project, Gaggiuino—a fun DIY mod for the Gaggia Classic espresso machine. I’m currently putting together the internal electronics, using Arduino to control temperature, pressure, and shot timing. The goal is to give coffee lovers more control over their brew while keeping the process hands-on. It’s all about blending old-school espresso making with modern tech, and I can’t wait to see where it goes!

Update August 2024: I’ve been running the machine successfully for about six months now and it is fantastic! It has become a very powerful entry-pro espresso machine worth much more $$$ than the original sticker price.

My completed machine with the 3d printed LCD display from Ali Express:


My complete setup with a custom built coffee bar cabinet:

https://gaggiuino.github.io/#/guides-stm32/lego-component-build-guide

Initial build of 3d printed enclosure. Was messy and difficult to get these wires so tightly packed into the case. Trick is to run some between the expansion board and the blackpill.

3d printed enclosure for the build. My friend Tony helped me with packing this thing tightly.

You do not have to disconnect as much as you think! Really just the brew switches. Leave the boiler wires attached!

After tidying the cables up a bit and realizing I only needed to move the boiler a small bit, not remove it, I proceeded:

Here it is booted!

8 Steps to Your Own NextCloud!

1. Go to https://cloud.techandme.se/index.php/s/whxC00V1I0l4CY8
2. Download OVA for ESXI/VM Deployment
3. Install to VM Hypervisor
4. Setup Domain to point to WAN IP via A record
5. Set Static IP to Local VM IP
6. Open 443 on Router to Local VM IP
7. Login and follow instructions, install optional addons as you wish
8. To resize, follow https://www.techandme.se/not-enough-space/

Java AOP

AspectJ Notes: Aspect Oriented Programming allows you to achieve an extra level of separation of concerns ontop of OOP methodology.

Key terms:
– Pointcut defines wherein the code a joinpoint (injection is what they should’ve called it) will occur.
– Advice defines what happens at the specific joinpoint.
– Weaving is the process of injecting the advice into the joinpoints.

Example code:

public aspect LicenseFee {

// playing with this to see if I can get this to work
// eclipse constantly checks to see if you actually are implementing the method before weaving occurs
// almost like it actively weaves before runtime, no wonder my computer is so slow running this thing
// so that means that when I go to run tests, some errors may occur but it should be okay/runnable despite the fact

pointcut test(): target(Main) &&
(call(void testSaveAccount()));

after(): test(){
System.out.println("TestSaveAccount called");
}

pointcut test2(): target(Main) &&
(call(void testOpenAccount()));

before(): test2(){
System.out.println("Derp");
}

}

Eclipse Semantics for Advice

In Car Tablet Project

A android tablet mounted into the center dash of a Honda Accord.
Not the most elegant thing but functionally it adds a lot to my day to day driving experience.

Over Christmas 2015, I picked up a $45 Android tablet with the intentions of mounting it into my 2010 Honda Accord as a media device. For now, I’ve used some black Velcro to mount it but would eventually like to explore the 3d printer realm and create a custom mount for it. I disabled many of the pre-installed applications, installed Spotify (a music subscription service), and installed a neat application called Tasker.

I used Tasker in conjunction with AutoInput which essentially mirrors any programmed key-presses by searching for the internal UI shell command. All of this can be accomplished without rooting. I purchased a USB charger for the center console power port in addition to a thin USB cable and 1/8″ cable. Luckily, my car turns off the power port automatically when the car is off, unlike some other domestic models. After about an hour of tweaking, I had a working in car entertainment device that would:

  1. On power/charging detection, would turn on the screen, open the Spotify app, wait 6 seconds, and Play music from the last specified playlist.
  2. On power/charging off, would pause Spotify, wait 3 seconds, and dim the screen. By leaving the app open, it syncs with my Wifi network when I pull into the driveway nightly.
  3. From 7am to 5:30pm, would turn the screen brightness to max setting.
  4. From 5:31pm to 6:59am, would turn the screen brightness to min setting.

A helpful guide I followed for programming Tasker is here, with the exception of the input commands, as those were taken care of by the AutoInput application. The most important thing to note is the use of wait times in Tasker, so that the device is provided with enough time to execute each operation and not ignore overlapped operation requests.

The latest development with this project, is that under extreme cold temperatures, the tablet greatly misbehaves. I need to probably program the tablet to turn off based on a weather forecast. We had a 10F low and I found that it had factory reset itself after being left in the car all night, which means that I need to reprogram it entirely. Avoiding that scenario, I will probably look for a custom recovery which would allow me to take a full image backup to keep on the Micro SD card.

The tablet I purchased can be found here. (as of Jan 2016)