Useful tools · shipped pages · proof instead of portfolio fan fiction · quicker front-door routing

Work that already left the garage.

This is the useful version of a portfolio page: live projects, source links, what changed, and why the thing matters. The practical tools lead now, because they do the clearest talking.

If you need a fast page, a sharper rebuild, or a weird little web object with a pulse, this is the evidence that I actually finish things — including a grocery-price tool and a layoff runway calculator that are already out in public.

Start a project Try Unit Price Checker Try Layoff Runway Read ship log
Featured live tool

Unit Price Checker

Best front-door proof for practical product work: open it, compare weird shelf math, inspect the repo, move on with your life.

Open tool View source
Also live

Layoff Runway

Shows the urgent-calculator lane: savings in, burn out, next-step pressure points in plain English.

Open tool View source
PublicLive pages and repos you can inspect right now
BiasUseful tools first, weird experiments still welcome
OutputUtilities, microsites, browser experiments, cleanup jobs
UpdatedHomepage now routes visitors by useful, weird, or hire-me intent
Board pushSEC-board accounts are now real, verified, and waiting on approval instead of living as notes-only theory
Need the quick route? The homepage now has a three-door shortcut deck for useful, weird, or hire-me traffic. Want the stranger demo? Signal Garden is still the best proof that I am not trapped in a SaaS waiting room. Skip directly to the brief Email is still the cleanest way to throw a real project over the wall.
Project index

Find the right kind of thing fast

Not everybody wants the full case-study sermon first. This index lets visitors scan by type, vibe, and urgency, then jump straight to the right proof.

Fastest practical proof Use now

Unit Price Checker

Best for anyone who wants proof that I build practical little tools instead of portfolio furniture.

  • Utility
  • Mobile-friendly
  • Real-world math
Best if you need: A small consumer-facing tool with immediate value and clean interaction.
Read case study Open tool
High-stakes utility Live

Layoff Runway

Shows the “take a stressful problem and turn it into a calm, usable answer” part of my brain.

  • Calculator
  • Private-first
  • Action-oriented
Best if you need: A focused tool or page that handles an urgent user question without nonsense.
Read case study Open tool
Front-door rebuild Case study

GaryTalbot.site

The site itself is part of the proof: positioning cleanup, stronger structure, better inquiry flow, less beige tax software energy.

  • Homepage
  • Positioning
  • Static site
Best if you need: A sharper personal site, launch page, or work hub that feels owned instead of rented.
Read case study View homepage
Weird little internet object Playable

Signal Garden

This is the taste-and-feel lane: motion, delight, browser weirdness, and proof that I’m not spiritually trapped in a SaaS waiting room.

  • Interactive
  • Visual
  • Experimental
Best if you need: A small branded experiment or interactive page with a pulse and a memory.
Read case study Play it
Launch window

Current 24-hour queue

Short on purpose: one clean front door, the next three public swings, then fold the proof back into the site before it cools off.

Now

Use the work hub as the one-link destination

The custom domain is still acting haunted, so the GitHub Pages work hub is the clean canonical link for this launch window.

Next swings

Signal Garden first, then the practical tools

  • Show HN: Signal Garden gets the first high-upside shot.
  • r/Frugal: Unit Price Checker goes out with real grocery math and a screenshot instead of build-story perfume.
  • r/layoffs: Layoff Runway follows with the calm privacy-first framing, not novelty nonsense.
After traffic

Turn launch proof into permanent proof

Good comments, screenshots, and fixes should boomerang back into the site the same day, while they still have a pulse.

  • Capture: useful replies, edge cases, proof artifacts, and fixes.
  • Fold back in: the updates archive and proof surfaces get the best bits before the window goes stale.
Selected projects

The current shelf

The stack finally has some practical muscle. The tools go first because people can use them immediately.

Case study 01 Live now

Unit Price Checker

A mobile-friendly grocery and household comparison tool that cuts through shelf-label nonsense by showing the real price per unit across mixed sizes, pack counts, and coupon scenarios.

TypePractical consumer utility
StrengthMixed-unit conversion, pack math, shareable state
ProofLive URL plus public repo

Why it matters

  • Solves a common everyday problem with immediate payoff instead of abstract “engagement.”
  • Handles the ugly details people actually hit in stores: ounces vs pounds, multi-packs, and coupons.
  • Shows I can build small useful tools that feel clean, fast, and reusable.
Open tool View source
Case study 02 Live now

Layoff Runway

A focused layoff survival calculator built around the first blunt question after bad news: how many months of runway do I actually have, what is my burn, and what should I cut first?

TypePost-layoff planning utility
PromiseFast runway estimate and practical next steps
ProofLive URL plus public repo

Why it matters

  • Narrow, emotionally relevant, and easy to explain in one sentence.
  • Gives a useful answer fast without forcing signup friction on somebody already having a rough day.
  • Shows I can turn a messy, urgent problem into a focused static product with a clear CTA.
Open tool View source
Case study 03 Live now

GaryTalbot.site

My public front door: repositioned from a generic personal page into a sharper proof-and-inquiry machine with real offers, click-through proof, an updates archive, and a clearer path to contact.

StackHTML, CSS, static deploy
ScopeHomepage, work layer, updates archive, metadata
OutcomeMore credible, easier to browse, built to convert

What changed

  • Rewrote the positioning so it sounds like a person instead of a template.
  • Gave the work and updates their own dedicated pages so proof has room to breathe.
  • Moved the two most useful tools to the front so visitors hit something practical immediately.
View live site View source
Case study 04 Live now

Signal Garden

A small interactive browser experiment where each click plants a glowing procedural bloom with a generated name. The point is not enterprise impact. The point is shipping something visual, playful, and unmistakably alive.

TypeInteractive browser toy
StrengthVisual feel, delight, instant interaction
ProofPlayable URL plus public repo

Why it matters

  • Shows I can ship front-end work that does more than sit there looking employed.
  • Demonstrates taste, motion, and willingness to make small ideas real.
  • Acts as a better credibility signal than another paragraph promising future genius.
Play it View source
Receipts

What makes this page credible

Proof is a stack. Live URLs are good. Public repos, sharp positioning, and multiple shipped things are better.

Inspectable

Source over storytelling

Every featured project has public code behind it. You do not have to trust adjectives when the files are right there.

Useful

Real tools, not just mood boards

The top of the page now points at practical utilities first, because “here, use this” beats “imagine what I might build someday.”

Reachable

Direct inquiry path

Real contact info, real CTA, real GitHub profile. No “join waitlist for my calendar” carnival ride.

Best-fit work

Projects I can push forward fast

I’m strongest when the job needs good judgment, sharp copy, fast shipping, and somebody willing to make the thing feel owned.

Fast launch

Landing page that actually sells the idea

Positioning, copy, visual direction, metadata, responsive build, and a deploy-ready handoff without a month of interpretive ceremony.

Small but useful

Microsite or web utility

Little tools, directories, interactive pages, launch support pieces, and niche web objects with enough bite to earn attention.

Rebuild mode

Existing site, stronger signal

Take the limp version you already have and make it clearer, faster, more persuasive, and less likely to be mistaken for office carpeting.

Contact

If it needs to ship, send the brief

Best opening message: what it is, who it is for, what is failing now, and when you need the fix in the wild.

How I usually run

Fast, opinionated, alive

  1. Find the angle. Strip the project down to the real hook.
  2. Build the page or object. Copy, structure, visuals, and deployable code.
  3. Ship with receipts. Live URL, clean source, and something worth sending around.