hi, i'm alex.
i build ai tools, native apple apps, and small hardware that talks to agents. toronto. i build in public as thealxlabs, which means my bugs are also in public.
i like shipping more than planning. i bought this domain and started building it the same night.
- right now
- alex is around
- building
- conduit, a desk box for talking to my ai agents
- good at
- shipping ai agent products fast
- learning
- esp32 firmware, whisper, and mcp servers
- stack
- swift · typescript · python · esp32
- looking
- a real part-time job in 2027. actual team, actual paycheque. slightly terrifying.
- replies
- usually within a day. naps permitting.
- elsewhere
- github · x · thealxlabs.ca
work
- conduitoct 2026
a desk box for talking to my ai agents. started as fo voice.
- architectfeb 2026
ai code reviewer. paste code or link a repo, get scores and fixes.
- pagecraft studio2026
my web studio. ai-ready websites for small businesses.
- monojan 2026
brutalist timer and stopwatch for ipad and mac. swift.
- aetherjan 2026
a weather app with everything stripped out.
- exif dashboard projan 2026
drop in your photos, see how you actually shoot.
lately
pulled from my public github, so it updates itself.
routine
- learn something
- usually by breaking it first
- ship something
- or push a commit and call it shipping
- gym
- no. the cats get more exercise than me.
- sleep
- a lot, honestly. no notes.
side quests
- doodle art
- dense keith haring style linework, every inch filled
- wallet card art
- custom apple wallet card skins. the defaults are boring.
- weird domains
- i collect them. this one counts.
uses
- computer
- macbook air
- phone
- iphone
- workflow
- terminal first, always
- building
- swift for apple apps, typescript for the web, claude as a pair programmer
- hardware
- esp32 boards, raspberry pi 3s, a zimaboard running the relay
school
what i'm learning, and what i made with it. coming later.
contact
jobs, collabs, or questions. i reply, eventually. probably after a nap.
mono
jan 2026 · swift · swiftui · activitykit
what it is
a brutalist timer and stopwatch. one app for ipad, one for the mac.
how it works
- ipad: built for landscape, with live activities so the timer sits on the lock screen.
- mac: lives in the menu bar, full keyboard control, optional always-on-top window.
- both log your sessions and show totals and your longest run.
what broke
session history only lived in memory, so quitting the app wiped it. live activities won't run in the simulator, so every test meant a real device. on the mac the menu bar timer lags about a second.
what's next
save history with core data, csv/json export, custom presets and sounds. maybe an apple watch app.