The latest articles on DEV Community by Hobby Builder (@hobbybuilder). https://dev.to/hobbybuilder https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4231056%2F4084bf54-b746-4028-a009-b6a16226d595.jpg https://dev.to/hobbybuilder en Hobby Builder Sat, 07 Nov 2026 00:56:24 +0000 https://dev.to/hobbybuilder/making-a-push-your-luck-browser-game-with-no-server-1bi2 https://dev.to/hobbybuilder/making-a-push-your-luck-browser-game-with-no-server-1bi2 <p><a href="https://salvage.run" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://salvage.run</a> is a short salvage run: go deeper for a bigger take, or bank what you have before the run goes bad.</p> <p>The rules I set myself:</p> <ul> <li>No server and no database. Everything runs in the browser.</li> <li>No art files. The city, the camp and the music are generated in code.</li> <li>One link replays the exact same map on any device, so you can challenge a friend.</li> </ul> <p>The hardest part was the odds. I tuned payouts over 4,000 seeded maps until "one more step" felt tempting but not free.</p> <p>There's a daily run with the same map for everyone, and a camp you build up with what you bank.</p> <p>Is the bank-or-press-on call clear on your first run?</p> gamedev javascript showdev webdev Hobby Builder Sat, 07 Nov 2026 00:46:45 +0000 https://dev.to/hobbybuilder/turning-chicago-311-open-data-into-a-ward-leaderboard-4l5l https://dev.to/hobbybuilder/turning-chicago-311-open-data-into-a-ward-leaderboard-4l5l <p>Chicago publishes its 311 service requests as open data. I wanted one plain answer from it: how long does each ward wait for a repair?</p> <p>So I built <a href="https://chiwardboard.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://chiwardboard.com</a>. It groups 311 requests by ward and type and shows typical wait times side by side.</p> <p>The spread surprised me. When I checked this week, a pothole took about 2 days in one ward and almost 39 in another.</p> <p>It stays nonpartisan on purpose: just the numbers, by ward.</p> <p>If you've built on a city open data portal, what tripped you up?</p> opendata chicago webdev showdev Hobby Builder Sat, 07 Nov 2026 00:44:33 +0000 https://dev.to/hobbybuilder/i-built-8-small-weird-websites-on-the-side-21e4 https://dev.to/hobbybuilder/i-built-8-small-weird-websites-on-the-side-21e4 <p>I don't have one big app. I have a shelf of small ones, each built around one idea, all React and Vite on Vercel.</p> <ul> <li> <a href="https://salvage.run" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://salvage.run</a> : a push-your-luck salvage game in the browser</li> <li> <a href="https://culdesac.site" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://culdesac.site</a> : a catalog of odd corners of the web</li> <li> <a href="https://lolchat.rip" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://lolchat.rip</a> : retro chat rooms</li> <li> <a href="https://56k.rip" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://56k.rip</a> and <a href="https://dialup.rip" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://dialup.rip</a> : dial-up era nostalgia</li> <li> <a href="https://iching.site" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://iching.site</a> : an I Ching oracle</li> <li> <a href="https://chiwardboard.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://chiwardboard.com</a> : Chicago 311 repair times by ward, from city open data</li> <li> <a href="https://resumererun.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://resumererun.app</a> : a resume tune-up tool</li> </ul> <p>What I've learned so far: small and specific beats big and vague. The nostalgia sites pull the most visitors, and culdesac.site sends people on to the rest.</p> <p>Which one should I write up first?</p> showdev webdev sideprojects react