Bug Plowman

Most of all, I build, analyze, and break things

I work on foundational infrastructure, self-hosted environments, and the physical hardware underneath both. Instead of chasing the latest JavaScript framework, I spend my time configuring OpenBSD servers, writing system services in C and Python, running enterprise network gear in my living room, and reviving hardware other people gave up on.

This site is the archive of that work: project logs, writeups, and deep dives into the technologies that give people actual leverage over their own computing. The Projects page has the architecture; the Homelab has the hardware.

I model constraints that actually exist

The thread running through everything I build is simulating the real properties of the physical world rather than the convenient ones.

Nova is mostly an exercise in this. Replica placement is easy right up until you admit that two machines can share a power supply, a building, or an ISP, and that any of them can disappear in the middle of a write. The homelab is the same idea in hardware: a switch, a few small boards, and the physical limits that come with them.

A world model that matches the world is harder to build than one that is tidy. It is also the only kind that survives contact with production.

Breadth is a search strategy, not indecision

I did not get here in a straight line. I studied international relations, then mortuary science, and left both. I followed where the dopamine led, and I do not particularly regret the detours.

The technical path looks more deliberate in hindsight than it felt: malware analysis, prompt engineering, software engineering, and finally networking and infrastructure. That is Monte Carlo tree search. You sample a lot of branches shallowly to find out which ones return anything, then commit depth to the one that does. I sampled widely. Networking is where I am spending the depth.

It also means I am a generalist on purpose.

The best training I got was hardware that couldn't keep up

I grew up without much hardware, which turned out to be good training. When the machine is too slow for what you want to do, you learn what is actually costing you — config files, registry keys, driver versions, and everything else the box would rather you left alone.

Darknet Diaries reignited the interest around 2022 and pointed me at security first. Running Arch as my only OS from April 2024 is where it stopped being a hobby.

I also spent time at The Multiverse School, learning prompt engineering under Liz Howard and eventually writing as their Lead Content Writer on the practical frontiers of large language models and NLP. My work is still up there. I recommend their Agentic SDLC class to anyone who wants to leverage AI as a second brain and partner in crime.

Where I choose control over convenience

I am a heavy advocate for Linux, BSD, and free and open source software. Complete privacy and security is an uphill battle and I am not going to pretend otherwise. The goal is narrower and more useful than that: helping people explicitly decide where they choose control over convenience, whether that means running a personal Matrix server, routing through anonymous networks, or simply understanding how their data moves.

This site is what that looks like applied to myself. Minimal JavaScript, no third-party assets, nothing watching you read. A custom Python static site generator, Jinja2 templates, a SQLite database, and a handful of small C services, all served by Caddy on OpenBSD. It is loosely inspired by the Yesterweb, the IndieWeb, and the tildeverse.

The Links page collects decentralized and open source replacements for popular technology, and the Shrines are a treasure trove of information about me if you think I'm cool or whatever. Not like I even care one bit 😑

And join a webring. They are how you find things without an algorithm optimising for your anger, and the quality is usually better than whatever your feed decided you should see today. Be aware you will also find Q-Anon-grade conspiracy in this corner of the web. If you want to build your own site, 32bit.cafe has the guides.

How I use AI tools

I am the primary human maintainer and technical decision-maker. I use Claude Code and Codex as development tools for implementation, review, and documentation; I remain responsible for requirements, architecture, verification, deployment, and published claims.