I’m Michael, a university lecturer and engineer based in Perth, Australia.
I go deep on whatever has my attention. Right now that might be rescuing vintage 3D printers. Next month it could be astrophotography or a road trip to Murchison. The thread connecting it all is the 80-20 philosophy: focus on what matters, skip the rest.
This site documents my experiments — not as an expert, but as someone learning in public. Some builds will fail. Some will surprise us both.
Currently hyperfocused on: restoring vintage RepRap printers with modern firmware, designing The Amalgam scavenge-able printer, and running a 5-station backyard observatory.
The 80-20 philosophy: 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort — and for most of us, 80% is more than enough. You don’t need a 12" dob when a 6" Newt shows you the same wonders. This applies to everything — printer builds, telescope setups, travel planning, life decisions.
Elsewhere: michaelborck.dev · retroverse.com