the journal.
A place for short development updates, release notes, and explanations of what I’m changing as these projects evolve.
ICHNOS: I Have No Idea What I'm Doing.
I've never built a piece of hardware before.
Naturally, I decided the best way to start was by building a handheld device that tracks down mysterious noises on film sets.
The original plan was to use a Raspberry Pi Zero. It was small, relatively inexpensive, and seemed perfect for what I had in mind.
There was just one problem. I couldn't find one.
Before I even bought anything, I somehow ended up in a rabbit hole about the Raspberry Pi shortage.
Apparently, during the pandemic, a global chip shortage made it difficult for Raspberry Pi to manufacture enough boards. At the same time, demand was going through the roof, especially from businesses that relied on these tiny computers for their products. Raspberry Pi prioritized existing commercial customers, which meant regular people trying to buy one for a personal project often had a much harder time finding one.
I started reading old forum discussions, supply updates, and articles about people waiting months just to get their hands on one. The worst of the shortage was supposedly over, but I was still struggling to find the specific Raspberry Pi Zero I wanted at a reasonable price.
At some point, I realized I'd spent more time researching the availability of a computer than learning how to actually use one.
So I bought a Raspberry Pi 4 instead.
It was bigger, more expensive, and probably way more computer than I needed. But at least I could actually get one.
And that's how my first hardware project began. Not with engineering, but with an unexpected history lesson in semiconductor supply chains.
I spent an embarrassing amount of time searching different sketchy websites, checking prices, and trying to understand why a computer roughly the size of a stick of gum was giving me this much trouble.
Do I need all that extra processing power? I have absolutely no idea.
But I now own a Raspberry Pi 4, which I suppose makes this a very expensive way to discover whether I'm any good at building hardware.
Do I know how to use a Raspberry Pi 4? No.
Was it more money than I wanted to spend? Absolutely.
I kept telling myself I didn't want to sink too much money into this project, especially since I've never worked with hardware before. I don't even know if I can make the thing I have in my head.
But I was curious. And apparently, curiosity is expensive.
The idea behind ICHNOS is pretty simple. When you're filming, there's almost always some mysterious noise ruining your audio. A hum, a buzz, something rattling in another room. Sometimes you can hear it, but you have absolutely no idea where it's coming from.
I want to build something that helps you find it.
The problem is that I have to figure out how to turn a Raspberry Pi, a microphone, a little screen, and some buttons into an actual working device.
And right now, I'm not entirely sure where to start.
But that's also what makes this exciting. I like the idea of eventually holding something in my hands that I built from scratch, especially when I started out knowing practically nothing about how it worked.
Maybe I'll get good at this. Maybe I'll spend the next few weeks staring at a tiny computer wondering why nothing is working.
Probably both.
For now, I've spent more money than I planned, bought a computer I don't know how to use, and committed myself to learning an entirely new skill.
We'll see how this goes.
Oct 25th 2026 · 10:29 PM
Oct 25th 2026 · 10:29 PM
ICHNOS: I Have No Idea What I'm Doing.
I've never built a piece of hardware before.
Naturally, I decided the best way to start was by building a handheld device that tracks down mysterious noises on film sets.
The original plan was to use a Raspberry Pi Zero. It was small, relatively inexpensive, and seemed perfect for what I had in mind.
There was just one problem. I couldn't find one.
Before I even bought anything, I somehow ended up in a rabbit hole about the Raspberry Pi shortage.
Apparently, during the pandemic, a global chip shortage made it difficult for Raspberry Pi to manufacture enough boards. At the same time, demand was going through the roof, especially from businesses that relied on these tiny computers for their products. Raspberry Pi prioritized existing commercial customers, which meant regular people trying to buy one for a personal project often had a much harder time finding one.
I started reading old forum discussions, supply updates, and articles about people waiting months just to get their hands on one. The worst of the shortage was supposedly over, but I was still struggling to find the specific Raspberry Pi Zero I wanted at a reasonable price.
At some point, I realized I'd spent more time researching the availability of a computer than learning how to actually use one.
So I bought a Raspberry Pi 4 instead.
It was bigger, more expensive, and probably way more computer than I needed. But at least I could actually get one.
And that's how my first hardware project began. Not with engineering, but with an unexpected history lesson in semiconductor supply chains.
I spent an embarrassing amount of time searching different sketchy websites, checking prices, and trying to understand why a computer roughly the size of a stick of gum was giving me this much trouble.
Do I need all that extra processing power? I have absolutely no idea.
But I now own a Raspberry Pi 4, which I suppose makes this a very expensive way to discover whether I'm any good at building hardware.
Do I know how to use a Raspberry Pi 4? No.
Was it more money than I wanted to spend? Absolutely.
I kept telling myself I didn't want to sink too much money into this project, especially since I've never worked with hardware before. I don't even know if I can make the thing I have in my head.
But I was curious. And apparently, curiosity is expensive.
The idea behind ICHNOS is pretty simple. When you're filming, there's almost always some mysterious noise ruining your audio. A hum, a buzz, something rattling in another room. Sometimes you can hear it, but you have absolutely no idea where it's coming from.
I want to build something that helps you find it.
The problem is that I have to figure out how to turn a Raspberry Pi, a microphone, a little screen, and some buttons into an actual working device.
And right now, I'm not entirely sure where to start.
But that's also what makes this exciting. I like the idea of eventually holding something in my hands that I built from scratch, especially when I started out knowing practically nothing about how it worked.
Maybe I'll get good at this. Maybe I'll spend the next few weeks staring at a tiny computer wondering why nothing is working.
Probably both.
For now, I've spent more money than I planned, bought a computer I don't know how to use, and committed myself to learning an entirely new skill.
We'll see how this goes.
Oct 25th 2026 · 10:29 PM
Oct 25th 2026 · 10:29 PM
I didn't set out to make an app. I just wanted my girlfriend to stop getting terrible professors.
Every semester, it felt like the same story. She'd spend hours researching classes, scrolling through Rate My Professors, reading reviews, and comparing ratings. She was doing everything right.
And somehow, she'd still end up with a professor who made the semester harder than it needed to be.
I remember thinking how ridiculous that was. We have access to so much information, yet choosing a professor still feels like a gamble.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized something was missing.
A good professor isn't necessarily a good professor for you.
Some students love lectures. Others need discussions. Some want challenging assignments and strict deadlines. Others learn better with flexibility. A professor could have glowing reviews from hundreds of students and still be completely wrong for the way someone else learns.
Yet we were all looking at essentially the same ratings.
So I started building something different.
I called it Professor Matchmaker.
The idea was to take what students actually say about professors and make that information useful on a personal level. Instead of just showing a rating, the app would consider your preferences, analyze student feedback, and help explain whether a professor might be a good fit.
I wanted it to feel less like browsing reviews and more like getting advice from someone who understood how you learn.
Of course, having an idea and actually building it are two very different things.
There were plenty of moments when I had no idea what I was doing. I'd figure one thing out, break something else, and spend hours trying to understand why. But there was something genuinely exciting about watching a little idea turn into something I could actually use.
And somewhere along the way, a project I started for one person became something I wanted to share with everyone.
In September 2026, Professor Matchmaker launched on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
I made it completely free. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no locked features. Students already spend enough money trying to get an education.
I also know Professor Matchmaker can't promise anyone a perfect professor. People are complicated, reviews are subjective, and sometimes a class just doesn't go the way you hoped.
But maybe it can make that decision a little less random.
The funny thing is, I never really thought of myself as someone who would make an education app. I'm a filmmaker. I'm studying political science. I just happen to get curious about problems and sometimes can't leave them alone.
This one happened to be sitting right in front of me.
I built Professor Matchmaker because someone I love kept having a problem, and I wanted to see if I could do something about it.
Sometimes that's all the reason you need :)
Sep 29th 2026 · 9:12 PM
Professor Matchmaker: Big News!
Professor Matchmaker: Big News!
I've never built a piece of hardware before.
Naturally, I decided the best way to start was by building a handheld device that tracks down mysterious noises on film sets.
The original plan was to use a Raspberry Pi Zero. It was small, relatively inexpensive, and seemed perfect for what I had in mind.
There was just one problem. I couldn't find one.
Before I even bought anything, I somehow ended up in a rabbit hole about the Raspberry Pi shortage.
Apparently, during the pandemic, a global chip shortage made it difficult for Raspberry Pi to manufacture enough boards. At the same time, demand was going through the roof, especially from businesses that relied on these tiny computers for their products. Raspberry Pi prioritized existing commercial customers, which meant regular people trying to buy one for a personal project often had a much harder time finding one.
I started reading old forum discussions, supply updates, and articles about people waiting months just to get their hands on one. The worst of the shortage was supposedly over, but I was still struggling to find the specific Raspberry Pi Zero I wanted at a reasonable price.
At some point, I realized I'd spent more time researching the availability of a computer than learning how to actually use one.
So I bought a Raspberry Pi 4 instead.
It was bigger, more expensive, and probably way more computer than I needed. But at least I could actually get one.
And that's how my first hardware project began. Not with engineering, but with an unexpected history lesson in semiconductor supply chains.
I spent an embarrassing amount of time searching different sketchy websites, checking prices, and trying to understand why a computer roughly the size of a stick of gum was giving me this much trouble.
Do I need all that extra processing power? I have absolutely no idea.
But I now own a Raspberry Pi 4, which I suppose makes this a very expensive way to discover whether I'm any good at building hardware.
Do I know how to use a Raspberry Pi 4? No.
Was it more money than I wanted to spend? Absolutely.
I kept telling myself I didn't want to sink too much money into this project, especially since I've never worked with hardware before. I don't even know if I can make the thing I have in my head.
But I was curious. And apparently, curiosity is expensive.
The idea behind ICHNOS is pretty simple. When you're filming, there's almost always some mysterious noise ruining your audio. A hum, a buzz, something rattling in another room. Sometimes you can hear it, but you have absolutely no idea where it's coming from.
I want to build something that helps you find it.
The problem is that I have to figure out how to turn a Raspberry Pi, a microphone, a little screen, and some buttons into an actual working device.
And right now, I'm not entirely sure where to start.
But that's also what makes this exciting. I like the idea of eventually holding something in my hands that I built from scratch, especially when I started out knowing practically nothing about how it worked.
Maybe I'll get good at this. Maybe I'll spend the next few weeks staring at a tiny computer wondering why nothing is working.
Probably both.
For now, I've spent more money than I planned, bought a computer I don't know how to use, and committed myself to learning an entirely new skill.
We'll see how this goes.
SEPT 29th 2026 · 9:12 PM