After 25 years, there aren’t many ways a thing on the web can break that I haven’t already seen and fixed.

I’ve always had a knack for finding solutions to complex technical problems, even ones that looked unsolvable, and for understanding unfamiliar systems quickly.

That’s the part of this work I like most, and it’s why people tend to call me when something has gone wrong with their web presence.

I got into web development back in 2001, when I had to figure out what to do for a living. It was the wild west of the dotcom era, with plenty of exciting technology around, but you had to work hard to learn and understand it.

I’ve been working with PHP and WordPress almost since they began, so I know them inside out. For bigger, more complex builds that tend to quickly outgrow WordPress, Laravel eventually became my framework of choice.

Underneath the code, I’m just as well versed on the server side: hosting, domains, DNS, and email deliverability, the plumbing of the Internet that most people only think about once it breaks.

I’ve worked for London consulting company KAI, Cologne’s official city portal koeln.de, and a range of agencies and media companies. As a freelancer I’ve built large web platforms, custom applications, content management systems, and websites.

I’ve also always been an active contributor in support forums and on Q&A sites. On Stack Overflow, the world’s #1 programming Q&A site, I was a long-term worldwide top-ten user.

I spent a lot of time on the site’s Meta trying to help make the culture friendlier and happier – which is also how I like to work in general.

Originally from southern Germany, I now live and work in the rural north of Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands, part of Spain.