I’m an artist, writer and content specialist. For my day job I can be found fixing marketing and content problems. This site is a sandbox to experiment with the web and to also journal my thoughts and ideas.
- Blog
-
Diving into ai – What I’ve learnt and what’s next?
Do you feel like you’re falling behind the Ai game? Each month it feels like a new leap forward jumps the tech even further ahead of me. I’ve dabbled quite a bit with Ai image generation to inspire my worldbuilding. But, what I didn’t like was how long it took to prompt engineer something that…
-
Remove query params from URL with BigQuery SQL
This is a continuation of my GA4 real-time analytics project using BigQuery, Google Analytics and Looker Studio. Code to remove query params from URL There is an article by Matt Mazur published in 2018 that includes the code needed to remove the query params. His article includes the full BigQuery syntax to strip the params…
-
Content design for Alpha Huddersfield
I’ve recently helped the team at Alpha Course Huddersfield launch their new website by providing my content design skill set. What I did. The project manager wrote copy for the website and worked closely alongside the editor. This produced a piece of well written copy to go on the website. My role was to divide…
-
Using VDO Ninja to record remote interviews in OBS
Tonight I used VDO Ninja for the first time. It’s a great bit of kit and really easy to login and chat. However, being the director and trying to understand all of the powerful features was tough. At first use. Thankfully I wasn’t recording an interview, it was a project catch up with my long-time…
-
Fear of being the expert
One thing I love about this website is that it feels like a safe space. A sandbox to play and throw ideas around, and not worry if I sound stupid. I don’t know how to process or explain it other than I’ve intellectually boxed off Vancano.com from any expectation. This is MY personal space and…
-
Starting YouTube
Starting a YouTube channel has been on my mind for a number of years. And now I’ve started. Here’s the introduction video: I’m a writer by trade and so speaking on camera feels awkward. However, I see the value in being able to speak on camera and present ideas in this way. Although I write…
-
Connecting Epomaker EK21 to VIA (errors fixed)
For my birthday I’ve bought the Epomaker EK21 keypad with the intention of turning it into a macro pad by using VIA to reprogram it. VIA is an open source tool for reprogramming keyboards – this means you can change the function of each button and in some cases even record macros. However, the reviews…
-
Replaying Age of Empires II after 10 years?
I saw Age of Empires II (AoE2) in the Steam winter sale for £9 and had to buy it. So I did. How long has it been since I played Age of Empires II? Gosh I have no idea but it must be more than 11 years. AoE2 was one of the first PC games…
-
Creating a website structure to rank a dance printing business
I’ve started an dance printing business with my wife. Well technically, it’s an expansion to the dance business she owns – but we’re enjoying working together figuring it out. I really enjoy working with my wife, she’s someone who just knows how to get things done and how to achieve. Plus our skills, strengths and…
-
GA4 real-time report: Using BigQuery and Looker Studio
This post is here to document what I’ve learnt about creating a GA4 real-time report. You need to use Google BigQuery to process data from Google Analytics so it can be delivered near real-time into Looker Studio. Why do I need a GA4 real-time report? It’s a simple reason. I needed to see advertising traffic…
-
Daily writing practice – leveraging knowledge and skills to help the wider business
Writing is the core skill I’ve built my career around. However, it’s easily swallowed by the rush and noise of other jobs and responsibilities. Which is a weakness because I do believe communicating clearly via written words is a superpower that reaches far beyond the point in time taken to create it, or even beyond…
-
Struggling with my digital identity
Do you struggle with your online identity? By that I mean calculating how to reconcile your vast interests into neat website packages so search engines and “the audience” can find and connect with your ideas. I’m not railing against these things. I’ve worked as a web content specialist for over 15 years to good success.…