Category: Blog

Red light rushing

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There’s a very under rated film called Copland starring Stallone and Ray Liotta (RIP) and this particular scene sticks in my head.

Why rush to a red light? The goal is perpetual motion!…move sideways / diagonally or get stuck waiting for that light to change.

Everyone seems to be rushing at the moment.

Or…there is an alternative approach: knowing when the light has been on green for too long and slowing down.

Driving is, in a way, a lot like writing code, you can take your time, create something awesome or cause a three car pile up that someone else has to sort out.

Talent…and what defines it?

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Talent is subjective…you could be really good at oil rigging, a teacher, a nurse, a horse rider…I’ve never ridden a horse, but I have patted a Capybara!

I wish I was really good at one thing!…just one…unfortunately I chose the easier option of knowing everything, all the time, all at once.

Back in the 90’s the first job I had was delivering newspapers in Cheadle, at 13 years old…with a broken bike.

HTML, CSS and Javascript are easy to me, but daaaaaamn there are so many frameworks!

Give me a bike and some newspapers and I’ll deliver x

(but also checkout my latest website: https://cybernet-secure.com)

Agitate, defuse or levitate?

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There is a lot to be said about our US and UK leaders and the current global situation, but I won’t get into politics… “I’m not playing games or naming names… I’m trying to levitate like David Blaine” (shout out to Black Josh for that one).

But there is an argument that sometimes, if something isn’t right, it needs to be addressed: a typo, a widow, the wrong RGB colour, a ‘speeling’ mistake.

So, in business, should you call it out? Well, yeah. Will it agitate a colleague? Maybe. But it’s important to do it in the right way and, as I say to my son, be cool and calm, slow down.

If you don’t agitate, you don’t need to defuse…and then we can all levitate.

Peace and love x

WFH (working from home) during half term

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I think we can all agree, working from home is both a luxury and at times a nightmare.

I’m fortunate to have a wife who works full-time at a local Primary school and most days it’s deadly silent in the house, apart from the odd Guinea pig squeaks.

But, during school half term things take on a more chaotic, goblin like nature and the earbuds become a useless defence against the barrage of noise!

However, there are solutions. I’ve tried many locations in my search for solice, but I have to say Profolk in Stockport is the best working environment (this isn’t a sponsored post btw). Fast internet, friendly staff, free coffee and even Biscoff biscuits help sweeten things and it’s not too expensive either.

Profolk Stockport

There’s also Coffee Block on St. Petersgate, Stockport, they do the best flat whites and if you are lucky enough to get the booth you’ll be the envy of every fellow patron.

Coffee Block

Regardless of your WFM situation, as a freelancer it’s always good to get away from your usual work spot, even if it’s just changing from the man cave to the kitchen.

Wish me luck for the summer half term!

The life of a freelancer

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I remember the first freelance job I had, it was in 2008! It was for a local company which is just around the corner from me now in Great Moor…light years away from what was my bachelor pad in Cale Green.

There is a certain danger in taking that freelance step, to move away from a guaranteed salary, going into the unknown, and I’ve been very fortunate to work with some amazing clients and truly talented individuals during my career.

Pre Covid, everyone was expected to be in the office with a 9-5 mentality…but let’s be honest it was more like a 7-6 with the traffic / parking, particularly in MediaCityUK.

Post Covid we had a hybrid working environment…and we were agile, and it worked. There is so much more creative freedom in doing what you’re good at, in a hoodie, music on, at home, and I don’t miss the office environment.

Alistair Monaghan

Now its 2026, and I’m entering a new phase of my freelance career. I’m still upskilling and trying to find my niche in this tumultuous time, while ignoring all the targeted marketed base44 / bolt social media posts.

Onwards and upwards for 2026!!! – GSAP / Three.js

Hello 2026

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I’ve finally taken the plunge and created my first blog post. I’m going to use this platform, not as a selfish way to get more analytical hits (but that would be nice), but as a way of sharing some of the amazing things I’ve learnt during my illustrious career and some of the insightful things I’m still learning now.

By the way, I’m Alistair Monaghan — a front-end developer, WordPress expert, AV specialist & designer.

So, whats new?

Affinity by Canva. I’ve been using Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop since my college days on a Apple G3 (circa 1998), it’s always been what I’ve used, and I was happily familiar with it, but Adobes pricing model isn’t making it a viable choice for many designers, especially when Affinity have a free vector & pixel based software solution that offers many of the same features and even some exciting new advancements. Admittedly, there has been a slight learning curve, but the support and documentation has made the transition a no brainer.

Affinity

Three.js

I started my Three.js journey some time ago, and if you want to learn about 3D development for the web, it’s the best place to start, I just need to dedicate an hour or two each day to the course because it is really rewarding. Bruno is an artist and his teaching method makes a really, really complicated subject that little bit easier.

Three.js