Hackathon · build log

Build fast.
Ship faster.

A collection of projects born from time pressure, wild constraints, and that specific kind of focus you only get when the clock is running. Some broke. Most shipped. All taught something.

See the builds How it works
24h
average build window
100%
AI-assisted projects
0
excuses for not shipping

01 —Projects

Everything here was built under hackathon conditions — a hard deadline, a single idea, and whatever tools were at hand.

AI · 24h build

AI Prompt Helper

A prompt engineering assistant that rewrites vague inputs into structured, model-ready prompts. Built to solve the "I don't know how to ask" problem.

live — tools/ai-prompt-helper.html
Try it
Utility · weekend sprint

QR Generator

Dead-simple QR code creation that runs entirely in the browser — no uploads, no server, no fuss. Born from needing one in the middle of a talk.

live — tools/qr-generator.html
Try it
Image · 48h build

Image Converter

Browser-native format conversion — JPEG, PNG, WebP, and more. No file uploads, no privacy trade-offs. All processing happens locally.

live — tools/image-converter.html
Try it
Brewing · niche idea

SRM Checker

A beer colour calculator for homebrewers. A genuinely niche idea that turned into a surprisingly useful tool for a very specific audience.

live — tools/srm-checker.html
Try it
Game · fun build

Times Table Game

A fast-paced multiplication quiz with a score streak mechanic. Proof that even basic maths practice can get competitive when the UX is right.

live — tools/times-table-game.html
Try it
Coming soon

Next build

The workbench is never empty. Whatever's currently half-built will land here — follow along on YouTube to catch it as it happens.

in progress
Watch live

02 —How it works

Every build follows the same rough structure — a constraint, a clock, and a commitment to shipping something real.

Hour 0

Pick the idea

One problem, one constraint, one hour to scope it down to something that could actually ship. No product roadmaps, no consensus meetings.

Hour 1–4

Prototype hard

Core functionality only. Get the thing working before making it pretty. AI assists heavily here — pair programming on steroids.

Hour 5–20

Iterate and refine

Polish the edges that matter, cut anything that doesn't. This is where scope creep fights for its life and usually loses.

Hour 21–24

Ship it

Done is better than perfect. The build goes live, gets documented, and earns its place in the tools drawer or the graveyard.

03 —The rules

  • Time-box everything. If it isn't done by the deadline, ship what exists and call it a v1.
  • One core feature. Resist every temptation to add "just one more thing" until it ships.
  • Use AI freely. Prompting is a skill. Pair with it, argue with it, learn from the gaps.
  • No sign-ups, no paywalls. Hackathon builds go in the free tools drawer. Always.
  • Document what broke. The failures are as worth writing down as the wins.
  • Build in public. Share progress early. Embarrassment is just accountability with a bad reputation.

Got an idea? Ship it.

The tools drawer is open. If you've built something worth sharing or want to suggest the next hackathon idea, find me on YouTube.

Follow along on YouTube

04 —Why do this at all

Constraints unlock creativity

A 24-hour window stops you overthinking. You build the essential version, learn what the core actually is, and end up with something cleaner than a month of planning would produce.

Shipping beats perfecting

Every "done" build is a reference point. You learn more from something that's live and getting used than from something polished in a dev environment for six months.

AI makes it feasible

One person, one day, a useful tool. That wasn't realistic before. AI assistants compress the implementation gap — the idea-to-ship distance is shorter than it's ever been.