UK dad of two. 9-5 by day, building in public after dark with Grok and Codex. Real numbers every night on the road to 5k. Coffee every morning ☕
Cambridge, England
Joined November 2024
- Tweets4.8K
- Following1.9K
- Followers1.5K
- Likes366
Pinned Tweet
Quick one for anyone new here.
I'm Chris. Day job, two kids, building before dawn and after bedtime with Grok and Codex.
Between now and Christmas I'm sharing what works, what flops, and the real numbers on the way to 5,000.
1,449 today.
Follow along if that sounds like your kind of chaos.
Friday on X, by the numbers:
📝 5 posts
💬 105 replies sent
👀 4,750 impressions
❤️ 85 likes
🗨️ 64 replies back
📈 1,480 → 1,484 followers (+4)
Soft day. Coffee went up late, replies started late, and two posts barely moved.
Tried today: question-first build snags (Omarchy no-simulator + Codex "just delete it").
Changing tomorrow: coffee back early, no mid-day meta posts, one honest @grok question in the US afternoon.
How do you convey to your AI just how small the job actually is?
I asked Codex to delete a smoke-test account.
Somehow ended up discussing auditable backups.
In the end I to put my foot down: “It's a smoke test account. Just freaking delete it!”
Building iPhone apps on Linux with omarchy-apple-dev. No Mac. Day 2.
The catch I hadn’t foreseen : there's no iOS Simulator.
Every change means compile, plug in, install to the phone, test. Repeat.
Worth it to skip buying a Mac? So far, yes. But the feedback loop is slow.
Linux devs: how are you speeding up the build-install cycle?
Yesterday one early reply to @dhh got 1,451 impressions. My coffee post got 314.
Nine replies cleared 100 impressions. Six were early replies on big accounts.
140 replies overall. Just 16 net new followers.
The lesson isn't “reply more”. It's that reach and follower growth aren't the same thing.
What makes you follow someone after reading their reply?
Excuse of the Week runs every week now. The best excuse for a project you never shipped wins.
This week has one entry. It needs a second by Sunday night UK time to be awarded at all.
Got a dead or unfinished project? Share it below. What's the excuse you'd enter?
Confess yours at didntship.lol. 1 line, $1, a spot on the wall and a card to share. Weeks run Monday to Sunday and the most "Been there" reactions wins.
chris retweeted
1,500 FOLLOWERS!! 🎉
What a bloody week it's been on X!
Only just celebrated 1.3k the other day and somehow I've already passed 1.5k.
Thank you to everyone who's followed, replied, supported or just had a chat along the way.
Special thanks to @Bagdex @mansfieldrv6 @chriscompiles @jrya7 @1k_clouds for engaging the most & being part of this journey 🙌
Genuinely appreciate it!
Get yours: rashempandit.com/tools/x-bad…
Thursday on X, by the numbers:
📝 5 posts
💬 140 replies sent
👀 9,035 impressions
❤️ 156 likes
🗨️ 100 replies back
📈 1,465 → 1,481 followers (+16)
Still well behind for Christmas.
Tried today: early replies on big accounts (dhh, SimonHoiberg and co) plus an honest "my plan isn't working yet" numbers post.
Changing tomorrow: more time under other people's threads before noon, less on soft throwaways.
Who knew just how awesome Omarchy was?
Turns out you can build and ship real iOS apps from it. No Mac required.
The project is omarchy-apple-dev. It lets you write SwiftUI (and Flutter) apps on Omarchy, install them on your iPhone over USB, debug them, and upload builds Apple will accept for TestFlight or the App Store.
Quick start:
1. On Omarchy go to Install → Development → iOS (or clone the repo and run the install script)
2. Download the Xcode.xip from developer.apple.com when it asks (free Apple ID is enough)
3. Create a project with xtool new MyApp
4. Plug in your iPhone, tap Trust, and run the device-run script
Free Apple ID gets you device installs (they expire after 7 days). Paid developer account needed for TestFlight/App Store.
It’s a community toolchain, so not every edge case is perfect, but it works for real apps.
Repo: github.com/joshuaswarren/oma…
If the Mac tax was the only thing stopping you, this is the way in.
Wednesday on X, by the numbers:
📝 3 posts
💬 133 replies sent
👀 4,449 impressions
❤️ 141 likes
🗨️ 101 replies back
📈 1,444 → 1,465 followers (+21)
More than double Tuesday's follows, with 17 more replies. Something clicked.
What should I change for Thursday?
Good morning team!
I appreciate all the support and advice I’ve received over the last 24 hours. Thank you. This really is the best community.
Top tip: if you mothball a project, keep the repo ready because someone might be willing/able to do something with it.
Anyway, first coffee.
Tuesday on X, by the numbers:
📝 3 posts (including my first ever video)
💬 116 replies sent
👀 4,118 impressions
❤️ 108 likes
🗨️ 76 replies back
📈 1,435 → 1,444 followers (+9)
116 replies for 9 follows. The grind is real.
What should I change tomorrow?
