no deadlines, no reviewers

Hobbies

Little things I make for my own joy, outside research and production work.

Mac apps · Swift · free on GitHub

Desk Pals

KittenPal, PandaPal and PenguinHeadPal

Little Mac desktop companions that sit in the corner of the screen and keep a focus timer with you. Each pet’s mood follows the timer: sleepy while idle, focused while it runs, waiting when you pause, celebrating when you finish. PenguinHeadPal also reminds you, out loud, to drink water and stand up: “Hey! Tiny water break!” Built in Swift for macOS.

Download on GitHub GitHub

For Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or newer; macOS 12+, PenguinHeadPal macOS 13+).

Web toy · plays in your browser · open on GitHub

Travel Scratch Map

An interactive first-visit travel journal: a scratchable US map with colour coding for two travelers (add your own names), year filters, memories, photos and JSON backups. Built with vanilla JavaScript, SVG and browser storage, with pixel-art penguin and panda companions. Each visitor’s map stays in their own browser.

Try it Source on GitHub

Web app · a searchable cookbook

Recipe Finder

A searchable cookbook of the cooking posts I’ve saved: open a card for the ingredients and method, search by recipe, ingredient or mood, and filter by type, style and how complete each recipe is. Every recipe links back to its creator. The collection was compiled with Muse.

Try it

Mini toy

Penguin fact generator1 of 13

Speedrun
Gentoos are the fastest-swimming birds, at about 36 km/h.
Game idea: an underwater speedrun.
Crafted item
Penguins can drink seawater: a gland above their eyes filters the salt.
Game idea: a built-in water purifier.
Escort mission
Emperor fathers keep the egg on their feet for about two winter months.
Game idea: the longest escort mission.
Stealth skin
Dark backs and white bellies hide penguins from above and below.
Game idea: camouflage for two camera angles.
Final boss
Emperor penguins, the largest species, stand over a metre tall.
Game idea: the ice level’s final boss.
Fast travel
On ice, penguins slide on their bellies to save energy.
Game idea: the original slide mechanic.
Rare spawn
Nearly all penguins live in the south, but Galápagos penguins live by the equator.
Game idea: a spawn point nobody expects.
Player tag
Emperor chicks and parents find each other by voice; every call is unique.
Game idea: your voice is your player tag.
Tiny build
The little penguin, the smallest species, is about 30 cm tall.
Game idea: small hitbox, big speed.
Deepest dungeon
Emperor penguins can dive more than 500 metres deep.
Game idea: the deepest level any bird reaches.
New skin
Once a year, penguins replace all their feathers at once.
Game idea: a full skin swap, with a cooldown.
Co-op mode
Emperors huddle through winter, taking turns in the warm middle.
Game idea: co-op survival.
Medium swap
Penguin wings became flippers, so they fly through water instead.
Game idea: same mechanic, new medium.

more side quests waddling in soon…