Welcome!

Hi, I'm Tom, a developer and smart home enthusiast.

Blog posts

Paternoster: My 2025 game jam game

I took part in the GMTK Game Jam 2025.

Skip sponsor segments in YouTube videos on Smart TVs

iSponsorBlockTV runs in Docker to skip sponsor segments on any Smart TV.

Let ChatGPT welcome you home

OpenAI generates a unique welcome message each time you arrive home.

Automating the bathroom window

A Shelly relay and humidity sensor automate the bathroom window.

Using Tailscale to access Home Assistant from everywhere

Tailscale Funnel exposes Home Assistant without port forwarding or a VPN.

DIY Ambilight with HDMI 2.1 support

HyperHDR and WLED bring bias lighting to any HDMI 2.1 source.

Convert Meal Plan Images with Python, OpenCV, and Tesseract

Tesseract and OpenCV extract a cafeteria's meal plan from a photograph.

Save songs from radio to a Spotify playlist

Node-RED automatically saves the current radio song to a Spotify playlist.

Let Alexa welcome you home

Alexa announces who is home and how long others have been gone.

Save and restore light states using Home Assistant

Home Assistant scenes snapshot and restore a room's full light state.

Alexa connected to an audio receiver (with Home Assistant)

Alexa talks through its own speaker while music routes to the receiver.

Monitor remaining water bottles with ESPHome and Home Assistant

An HX711 scale counts remaining water bottles and sends low-stock alerts.

Cover that only opens if there's nothing in it's way in Home Assistant

A template cover refuses to open if the balcony door is ajar.

Making the windows smart

Magnetic contacts and an ESP8266 report every window's open state.

Building a smart home theater with Home Assistant

A Sonoff Dual replaces the projector screen's factory controller.