I have always been fascinated by stories of how computers work, how electricity works, how we harness wild energy with wilder mathematics to create useful tools. Until recently these were just stories to me. Flickering points of curiosity over a pint or a coffee with people who happen to know something interesting. Long conversations with friends and collegues working in the field inspired and interested me, but it was always something very 'other' to what I was doing, tales from the edge of a strange world.

Circumstances recently opened this world up to me. I joined Southend Linux User Group following a talk, my brother gave me a Raspberry Pi for Christmas to see what would happen, and I was commissioned by Home Live Art to make an artwork for a fete with Royal Holloway University's Computer Science Department. The combination of hands-on meddling, the comparatively low-risk/high-possibility playground of the Raspberry Pi, and the immersion in high level theory transformed this world from a distant legend to a place I found myself exploring. Practically and in some detail.

I wasn't interested in being a digital artist, or particularly interested in how I could use technology in art. I was, and am, interested in learning this stuff for its own sake. Some of the things that will come out of this journey will be art. Some will just be things. Some, only ideas, or learning with no particular outcome. Wome will be things I learn how to do that can help other people. This stuff powerfully interests me. I want to learn more.

I'm actively looking for formal training, but so far everything accredited is way out of my achingly tiny budget (I'm currently paying for components, tools and books by doing online surveys and selling stuff on Ebay). But I can't bear not knowing, so I've set up this site to keep track of what I am learning socially and through my own meddling.

I'm lucky to have found a community of brilliant, generous, curious souls keen to share, explore and learn themselves. I hope this grows as I learn more and meet more folks.

This is a casual, rough workbook of a site. I'll be sharing the things I frack up as much as the things I get right. I'm opening my learning progress up for people to see because I've been inspired by reading blogs, sites and tweets of others who have done the same. I don't expect a lot of people to look at it, but if you are reading this, I hope you take with you a flicker of warmth from my campfire, a glimmer of how interesting this world is, and maybe have a bash at exploring it yourself.