I am Chris Chinchilla đź‘‹

I tell stories through documentation, blog posts, videos, books and more. I am a podcaster, video maker, writer of interactive fiction, and games.

More about me

Here's all I do, well mostly…

Writing

Find my blog posts and books or hire me to write and edit something for you!

Writing
Podcasts

Hear me on one of the many podcasts I regulary host and appear on.

Podcasts
Videos

Watch all my livestreams, recorded videos, and presentations.

Videos
Games

Download, buy, and play games I created or contributed to.

Games
Events

Meetups and conferences I'm speaking at, reporting on, or attending.

Events
Work

Who I've worked with, the work I've done, and how I can help you.

Work
Support

Like what I do? Support me with a donation, subscription, or buy merchandise.

Support

Latest content

Increasing focus with Apple Focus Modes and Raycast

Increasing focus with Apple Focus Modes and Raycast

05/10/2025
Surrounded by digital devices, it's all too easy to use any number of them to access a world of distractions, rather than focus on doing what you need to get done. In a strange, ironic twist, many of the devices and operating systems now offer tools to help block and filter these distractions. When I split myself between macOS and Android, I had focus modes set on both (conveniently, both OSs call them the same thing), but I never found them to be that effective, as I'd have to keep remembering to keep the equivalent modes the same on both devices. Then I bought an iPhone and discovered that the focus modes mostly sync between devices. With the arrival of the "Reduce Interruptions" focus mode in the 2024 operating systems, I went all in on optimising focus modes to work as efficiently as possible, not only blocking and filtering as many distractions as possible, but also automating them as much as possible.
Esoteric Languages Challenge Coders to Think Way Outside the Box

Esoteric Languages Challenge Coders to Think Way Outside the Box

04/09/2025
Have you ever tried programming with a language that uses musical notation? What about a language that never runs programs the same way? What about a language where you write code with photographs? All exist, among many others, in the world of esoteric programming languages, and Daniel Temkin has written a forthcoming book covering 44 of them, some of which exist and are usable to some interpretation of the word “usable.” The book, Forty-Four Esolangs: The Art of Esoteric Code, is out on 23 September, published by MIT Press.
At 30 years old, can MySQL Revamp Itself for the AI Age?

At 30 years old, can MySQL Revamp Itself for the AI Age?

14/08/2025
On May 23rd 2025, the MySQL database celebrated its 30th anniversary. Look at the usage trends for databases on DB-engine and MySQL and its owner since 2010, Oracle's own product occupy the top two spots. However, the same rankings show that the popularity of most of the top four is declining, especially for MySQL. It has been in slow decline since the era of "cloud computing" began, but like many other areas of technology, it is the demands of and for artificial intelligence (AI) that are causing the most pressure. As it celebrates its 30th year, what is the project doing to remain relevant and competitive in the new AI age? With rivals hot on its tail and some of its biggest competitors offering fully compatible, free alternatives, how does it plan to survive for another 30 years?

Join my mailing list