[fifty:two] · a 52-week experiment
52 weeks. 52 things. One post a week.
Every week I pick one topic, build or learn something, and write it up. Some weeks are AI. Some are solder and filament. Some happen on the living room floor with Freyja.
The calendar
Use the arrow keys to move between weeks.
- AI Models, agents and what they’re actually good for.
- Maker Printers, solder, circuits and code.
- Weekend Small builds with Freyja and for the house.
- Filled tile = post written
All 52 weeks as a list
- 1
An AI agent from scratch
What actually happens between my prompt and the answer?
- 2
Print-in-place hinges
How tight can a tolerance get before it fuses solid?
- 3
Blanket fort lights
Can an ESP32 make a fort feel like a spaceship?
- 4
A model on my own laptop
How good is an AI that never leaves my desk?
- 5
My first PCB
Can I go from breadboard to a real board in a week?
- 6
Voice in, voice out
Can Freyja the device hear and talk back on a tiny chip?
- 7
Tile adapters
Which printed parts make magnetic tiles do new tricks?
- 8
Is this prompt any good?
How do I test a prompt instead of guessing?
- 9
Kaiboard keycaps
What should a key for prompting look and feel like?
- 10
Chat with my notes
Can AI find things in years of messy notes?
- 11
Kitchen-table stop-motion
How few frames make a toy look alive?
- 12
E-ink family dashboard
What does a calm screen for the hallway show?
- 13
AI meets a service blueprint
Can AI map a service, or just draw boxes?
- 14
Resin vs filament
When is the smelly printer worth it?
- 15
Bird feeder camera
Who visits the garden when we’re not looking?
- 16
A camera that sorts toys
Can computer vision tidy the playroom by colour?
- 17
Tiny parts by hand
Can I solder surface-mount parts without a microscope?
- 18
AI on a microcontroller
How small can a useful model get?
- 19
Busy board
Which switches and latches does a two-year-old love most?
- 20
AI that describes pictures
Can AI write alt text I’d actually publish?
- 21
Design for repair
Which broken things at home can I fix with a print?
- 22
Plugging AI into my tools
What changes when AI can use my apps directly?
- 23
Garden weather station
Is it really windier here than in town?
- 24
Designing with code
Is parametric CAD faster than pushing pixels?
- 25
Memories as point clouds
How far can one photo go in 3D?
- 26
Halfway: what broke
What did 25 weeks of failing fast actually teach me?
- 27
Agents that browse
Can an agent book a train ticket without help?
- 28
Live data on LEDs
What else could a wall of lights show besides trains?
- 29
Synthetic users
Can AI stand in for research? Or does it just agree with me?
- 30
Bedtime story button
Can one big button make up a story with Freyja in it?
- 31
Inside a key switch
Why does one click feel better than another?
- 32
Teach a small model
Is fine-tuning worth it for one narrow job?
- 33
A toy with no screen
Can I make something smart that doesn’t glow?
- 34
Running on batteries
How long can an ESP32 sleep between jobs?
- 35
AI in Figma
Where does AI help a designer, and where does it get in the way?
- 36
Design for making many
What changes when it’s 100 copies, not one?
- 37
A printed board game
Can we design a game a toddler and adults both enjoy?
- 38
What I won’t build
Where are my lines with AI, and why?
- 39
Open-source week
Can I land a useful pull request in a project I use?
- 40
See, hear, talk
What happens when one AI gets eyes, ears and a voice?
- 41
A clock for a toddler
How do you show “not morning yet” without numbers?
- 42
Motors and buzzes
Can feedback you feel replace a screen?
- 43
An assistant that remembers
What should an AI remember, and what should it forget?
- 44
Indoor winter play kit
What keeps a toddler busy through a dark Danish afternoon?
- 45
A room that measures itself
When does the living room need fresh air?
- 46
A service prototype in a day
How far can AI take an idea from Monday to Monday night?
- 47
Printed ornaments
Can the family design the decorations this year?
- 48
A tiny robot
What’s the smallest thing that can move on its own?
- 49
Cheap and fast AI
How do I make AI quick and cheap enough for a toy?
- 50
Gift workshop
Can every present this year be something we made?
- 51
Filming the build
What’s the simplest setup that shows the mess honestly?
- 52
52 loops later
What did a year of building every week change?