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solowebdev.bsky.social
Solo Web Dev
@solowebdev.bsky.social
Software dev with decades of experience but still working on building my own thing. I’ll never be completely happy until I’m running my own successful business. Personal freedom is my goal.

Building https://www.runbooky.com
Pinned
After years of failed startup ideas, I tried something different. Instead of building on a hunch, I let AI run a full market analysis to find a validated problem worth solving. Here's what I learned and how you might do the same. #buildinpublic
I’m a checklist kind of person, so to keep me motivated with my side project I hooked AI up to Linear and fed it my project plan (also created by AI). It created projects and tasks for me in the right order, and broke them up by day.

It’s super motivating to be able to check a few off each day!
January 11, 2026 at 6:33 PM
The older I get, the more I realize that success is not about money or status. It’s about freedom.
January 11, 2026 at 5:48 PM
My brain has two modes: “I can build anything” and “I forgot how to write a for loop.” There is no in-between.
January 11, 2026 at 12:41 AM
The dreaded “Summarizing conversation history…” in Copilot AI ⏳
January 9, 2026 at 11:38 PM
A work colleague and I re-purposed a work meeting that nobody else showed up to, to vent about some frustrating stuff going on lately. Meanwhile, Gemini was dutifully recording and summarizing everything we said… and sent to all participants at the end 🤦‍♂️

Luckily it wasn’t too bad, but be careful!
January 9, 2026 at 11:20 PM
I asked AI to create a pitch deck for my project. Not because I plan on raising money, but because it'll help me focus on the core ideas. I think it did pretty well! runbooky.com/runbooky-dec.... See if something similar could help you!

For context, see my pinned post. #buildinpublic #runbook
runbooky.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:17 AM
After years of failed startup ideas, I tried something different. Instead of building on a hunch, I let AI run a full market analysis to find a validated problem worth solving. Here's what I learned and how you might do the same. #buildinpublic
December 30, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Last week I put in 70 hours of work (excluding working through the previous weekend) because it was literally the only way to meet an insane timeline.

I was hoping that it was a one-time slog that would cause things to get better. Instead, they just want more of the same with unrealistic deadlines.
March 3, 2025 at 12:48 AM
One interesting takeaway for me is that I’m grateful for the salary I currently have. I had a feeling that I was paid higher that the typical salary for my position, but this confirms it with more than anecdotal data
Can I get your brutally honest opinion of my POC?

Is it useful enough to be exciting to you? Why or why not?

Especially if you are a software engineer or manager, I would love your feedback, whether good or bad!

#buildinpublic

dgaxik927ls9y.cloudfront.net
React App
Web site created using create-react-app
dgaxik927ls9y.cloudfront.net
December 29, 2024 at 8:31 PM
Can I get your brutally honest opinion of my POC?

Is it useful enough to be exciting to you? Why or why not?

Especially if you are a software engineer or manager, I would love your feedback, whether good or bad!

#buildinpublic

dgaxik927ls9y.cloudfront.net
React App
Web site created using create-react-app
dgaxik927ls9y.cloudfront.net
December 29, 2024 at 5:58 PM
The best code is no code at all.

If you must write code, keep it as simple (architecturally and syntactically) as possible. The fewer lines of [readable/maintainable] code, the better.
December 3, 2024 at 6:18 PM
Took the last week off to relax and have fun for a bit.

My idea of fun: hacking on a new idea I was so excited about that I couldn’t sleep last Friday night. Got to play around with a bunch of new (to me) AWS tech and architecture. It’s going to be really hard going back to my normal job next week.
December 1, 2024 at 12:34 AM
How do I silence these voices in my head that tell me that the new idea I just thought of would be way more fun or successful than the one I’m already working on? It’s a vicious cycle.
November 26, 2024 at 12:10 AM
“Skeet” still cracks me up every time I see it
November 24, 2024 at 6:06 AM
Finally getting past my old guy “get off my lawn” attitude with AI.

My teenage daughter is getting into coding, and I have a feeling I need to nudge her toward working closely and fluidly with AI instead of treating it as a simple nice-to-have bonus tool.
November 24, 2024 at 5:13 AM
Reposted by Solo Web Dev
You're not "late to the party" when you enjoy an old book for the first time. Books don't have an RSVP deadline. The party started long ago, and guests show up when they're meant to.
November 23, 2024 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Solo Web Dev
In 5 years, you’ll disagree with some of the things you currently believe.

And you’ll know things that right now you don’t even know you don’t know.

So, be more open to new ideas — one of those revelations might be happing right now.
November 23, 2024 at 3:19 PM
Man it feels good to doomscroll on t̶w̶i̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ Bluesky
November 24, 2024 at 1:18 AM
I wish I could turn some of these starter packs into dedicated feeds or lists
November 24, 2024 at 12:16 AM
I went a little crazy following a bunch of interesting tech and indie startup starter packs, but now my feed is instantly overflowing with all the stuff I love to read. So cool!

I already don’t miss or feel nostalgic for that other place
November 24, 2024 at 12:12 AM
Reposted by Solo Web Dev
Bluesky now has over 20M people!! 🎉

We've been adding over a million users per day for the last few days. To celebrate, here are 20 fun facts about Bluesky:
November 19, 2024 at 6:51 PM
My advice for anyone who feels like they don’t have a good grasp on design patterns: just search “<your favorite language> <specific design pattern you want to learn better>” (for example “ruby factory design pattern”) on YouTube.
November 20, 2024 at 4:07 AM
Fewer platitudes and more real life commentary please
November 18, 2024 at 4:02 AM
Where do I find these starter packs everyone is talking about?
November 18, 2024 at 1:37 AM
The bsky Discover feed is so good now that more people have joined. It’s what I wanted on Twitter, except it isn’t full of nazis, racists, and hate 🎉
November 18, 2024 at 1:32 AM