I'm Matthew, a software developer & systems administrator living in Metro Vancouver, Canada.
Welcome to my website! This website is one of my bespoke creations where I post articles and information of interest, notes to myself, projects and other bits I've come across over the years.
I started teaching myself to code on the Commodore 64, spending hours after school in the library typing programs. That solitary focus—learning by doing, figuring things out—shaped how I think about building.
Then over the years, I moved on to building systems: bulletin board systems that connected people locally, community wireless networks as well as simulations and games. I've worked as a system administrator building, operating and auditing infrastructure, built ecommerce platforms and even had my hand in developing a hardware based payment solution for arcade systems. I write code - PHP mostly, with experience across Java, Python and others. Simply put - I love to build things that solve real problems.
More recently I've been using AI as a genuine development force multiplier — not just for code completion, but for sustained complex project development. I built a full BBS and FidoNet mail exchange platform from the ground up using AI-assisted development. It's changed how I work and what's possible as a solo developer.
The specifics of each project change, but the throughline is consistent: I'm drawn to infrastructure, to systems that connect people, to the work of making things. I'm a landscape photographer too. There's something similar in both: the patience, the attention to detail, the focus required to get something right.
I'm available for contract work with Canadian businesses and remote clients worldwide. If your team has a problem that's too complex, too legacy, or too cross-disciplinary for a specialist, that's usually where I do my best work.