Steve's Blog

Updates, thoughts and detailed breakdowns of my projects, experiments and the world of digital content and publishing.

The Advent App I Made That Turned Into A Christmas Tool For Hundreds Of Companies

A simple idea for an online advent calendar grew into Adventify, a shared Christmas tool used by hundreds of companies. Here's how a small project took off.

Tuesday, 9th December 2025

How I Used Magic Potions To Get A YouTube Silver Play Button

How a quirky YouTube channel built on homemade magic potions grew to millions of views, unexpected fans, surreal videos and eventually a silver play button.

Thursday, 4th December 2025

How I Infiltrated The Secret Bunker Known As The UK's Area 51

The true story of how I infiltrated the secret Cold War bunker known as the UK's Area 51, from early explores at Monkton Farleigh to a rare visit inside Burlington.

Wednesday, 26th November 2025

Speedy Pete The Forgotten Search Engine That Dared To Take On Google

The true story behind the spoof search engine, Speedy Pete's Internet Directory. Find out why I made it, and read about the technology behind it.

Sunday, 16th November 2025

How I Accidentally Created A Viral Starbucks Red Cups Website

The story of how a pub idea to launch an online countdown to Starbucks' red cups went viral around the world, attracting half a million visitors each Christmas.

Thursday, 13th November 2025

Learning To Make Coffee (Properly, Sort Of)

My journey into home coffee making with the Breville Barista Mini, fresh beans, local roasters and the morning ritual that turned into a quiet obsession.

Saturday, 8th November 2025

Remembering The Works Nightclub In Bristol

Step back into Bristol's nightlife of the 90s and 00s with memories of The Works nightclub, from cheap drinks and wild design to unforgettable nights out.

Tuesday, 23rd September 2025

TP-Link Possible Fire Risk: My HS100 Smart Plug Nearly Caught Fire

Recently, one of my TP-Link HS100 smart plugs failed in a way that could easily have led to a fire in my home. Here's the cause and how TP-Link handled the fault.

Thursday, 4th September 2025

Legal.com and the Suspicious Website Acquisition Offer That Wasn't What It Seemed

Recently, I was approached by someone claiming to be a legal advisor representing a client interested in acquiring my website. At first, this seemed like a legitimate inquiry—after all, but as the conversation progressed, the entire thing started to unravel.

Thursday, 30th January 2025

'Sandkings': My Experimental Alien Breeding Simulation Game

Based partly on George R. R. Martin's novelette, 'Sandkings', but more so an episode of 'The Outer Limits', this simulation game is all about breeding a colony of alien insects that hatch from eggs brought back by a Mars lander. The game uses a third-party AI to generated in-game journal entries.

Friday, 4th October 2024

Steve Higgins Launches New Paranormal Ghostwriting Service

Steve Higgins, the founder of Higgypop.com, a leading paranormal news website, is set to launch a new ghostwriting service under the banner of Project Weird.

Monday, 1st July 2024

My Live Steaming Home DJ Studio

From bedroom DJing in the 90s to building a full home nightclub with pro decks, lights, cameras and streaming my passion for mixing is stronger than ever.

Friday, 23rd September 2022