LukeLabs has a new home!

After years of procrastination, LukeLabs has a shiny new home at LukeLabs.com.  My last blog was hacked, partly due to the number of steps required to secure a WordPress blog properly, partly due to shitty web hosting.

This time around I want to spend less time managing the system(s) I use to write about my projects, and more time working on the projects themselves. For this reason I chose to simply host on WordPress.com with a custom domain for the low price of ~$50 AUD a year.  That’s a bargain when you consider the cost of managing the infrastructure yourself.

Some options I considered include:

• Static site generators – I tried both Jekyll and Hugo but just didn’t like how much work was required to get them running to my liking. This would also have required building a deployment process and managing the assets myself via a CDN.
• Running WordPress inside Docker containers – I manage a WordPress installation as my day job so have the resources to get this running, but it’s cost and time prohibitive when you consider the number of moving pieces required for a highly available setup.
• Running WordPress on an AWS EC2 instance – Poor value considering the cost of even the smallest EC2 instance.

What else has changed?

I keep telling myself this time will be different. I have plenty of good ideas for projects and have removed the constraints getting in the way of actually starting (and finishing!) them. Past constraints have included:

• Space – I now have a double garage with an entire side dedicated to project workspace. I’ve also got plenty of space inside the house if needed. 
• Tools – I’ve recently purchases a Shapeoko 3 CNC machine which will unlock a lot of new projects. Having space also means I can use the table saw with less fluffing around.

So, what exactly are you going to build?

I want to focus less on ‘wouldn’t it be cool if …’ type projects and more on ‘yes, that’s something I could actually build and learn a whole lot’ type ideas. These include:

• A sturdy workbench – I’ve always wanted a proper workbench. Putting projects together on the kitchen bench just won’t cut it anymore. This workbench will be going in the garage.
• The Shapeoko 3 CNC – I purchased this late in 2016 and it’s been sitting in a box whilst completing the workbench.
• A modular, analog synthesizer – I built the MFOS Noise Toaster late in 2016 and dedicated to building a full sized, modular analog synth.
• An RFID spoofer – The ability to print circuit boards means I can now complete this.

Next steps

I’m currently working on my workbench and will be posting about it shortly.  Until then, stay tuned. 🙂