About Me

I'm someone who gets curious about how things work and then builds them.

❤️ Who I Am

By day, I investigate complex digital cases for PSNI Cyber Support Unit. By evening and weekend, I'm usually building something - whether it's automating mushroom growing, 3D printing telescope components, or setting up mesh networks.

What connects these seemingly different activities is curiosity about systems and a love for solving real problems. Whether it's recovering critical digital evidence or designing a solar-powered bird camera, the approach is similar: understand the problem, experiment with solutions, document what works (and what doesn't).

This site documents those experiments and shares lessons learned. Sharing the journey and hoping it might help someone else with a similar problem.

💡 What Drives Me

Understanding Systems
From digital evidence workflows to garden ecosystems - how do complex systems actually work?
Building Solutions
Creating tools and systems that solve real problems, whether professional or personal.
Sharing Knowledge
Documenting what works (and what doesn't) so others can build on the experience.
Continuous Learning
There's always a new technology to explore, a better way to approach problems.

🎯 Professional Background

Context for understanding my technical perspective

My day job involves digital forensics and cybercrime investigation, which has taught me systematic problem-solving, attention to detail, and working with complex technical systems under pressure.

This background influences how I approach personal projects - whether designing robust electronics systems or planning sustainable growing operations. The methodical approach to evidence analysis translates well to debugging sensor failures or optimizing 3D print settings.

Skills From Professional Work:

Mobile Device Analysis Systematic Problem Solving Technical Documentation Root Cause Analysis Process Design Customer Success Technical Communication

🔧 Current Projects & Interests

🔭 Hadley Telescope Build
3D printing precision components - learning when to prioritize accuracy vs. speed in manufacturing.
🌱 Polytunnel Automation
Automated climate control for 33ft x 18ft growing space using Raspberry Pi and sensors.
📹 ESP32 Bird Camera
Solar-powered wildlife monitoring with mesh networking for remote deployment.
🤖 Local AI Experiments
Privacy-first automation using Ollama and local LLMs for practical tasks.

📅 Qualifications & Continuous Learning

Current Certifications

With focus on practical application rather than credential collection

MQGI - Magnet Qualified GrayKey Investigator CCPA - Cellebrite Certified Physical Analyst CSDRA - Core Skills in Data Recovery & Analysis AX300 - Magnet AXIOM Advanced Mobile Forensics XRY Intermediate - MSAB Mobile Forensics CCO - Cellebrite Certified Operator

Always Learning Something New

Italian Language (Beginner) Precision 3D Printing (Intermediate) Solar Power Systems (Learning) Mycology & Growing (Experimenting) LoRa Mesh Networks (Testing) Local AI/ML (Exploring)