Thoughts on infrastructure, platforms & building thingshttps://bilawal.net/en-gbhttps://bilawal.net/blog/myfl-ps5-homebrew-directory/https://bilawal.net/blog/myfl-ps5-homebrew-directory/A searchable resource directory with prerendered pages, GitHub release metadata and checks that keep the published content consistent.Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSoftware-EngineeringHomebrewhttps://bilawal.net/blog/nuvio-ps5-homebrew-port/https://bilawal.net/blog/nuvio-ps5-homebrew-port/Connecting Nuvio's browser interface to EVO Player, fixing controller focus and seeking, and serving the interface from the console.Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSoftware-EngineeringHomebrewhttps://bilawal.net/blog/pocketwiki/https://bilawal.net/blog/pocketwiki/An ESP32-C3 serving a searchable, Wikipedia-derived library over its own Wi-Fi, and the pack format that puts 825 articles in 1.9 MB without spending static RAM.Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTProjectsSoftware-Engineeringhttps://bilawal.net/blog/llm-fundamentals-18-papers/https://bilawal.net/blog/llm-fundamentals-18-papers/How language models generate text, how training methods differ, and how to interpret results from LoRA, QLoRA, LIMA, DPO and reasoning-model research.Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTML-AISoftware-Engineeringhttps://bilawal.net/blog/rag-everything-you-need-to-know/https://bilawal.net/blog/rag-everything-you-need-to-know/A practical guide to checking ingestion, retrieval, context, citations and permissions in a retrieval-augmented generation system.Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTML-AISoftware-Engineeringhttps://bilawal.net/blog/petlm-tiny-virtual-pet-language-model/https://bilawal.net/blog/petlm-tiny-virtual-pet-language-model/A 25M parameter model, a strict little DSL, and a browser toy that runs locally with WebGPU or WASM.Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTProjectshttps://bilawal.net/blog/self-hosted-sms-gateway/https://bilawal.net/blog/self-hosted-sms-gateway/How I built a self-hosted SMS gateway using a spare Android phone, a custom FastAPI relay, and Tailscale for secure, zero-cost text messaging from my AI agent.Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTProjectshttps://bilawal.net/blog/eduforge-ai-education-platform/https://bilawal.net/blog/eduforge-ai-education-platform/AI-powered K-12 educational platform. Generates curriculum-aligned worksheets, quizzes, and info sheets. Live at https://educated.spaceSat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTProjectshttps://bilawal.net/blog/fixing-quran-audio-segments-with-whisperx/https://bilawal.net/blog/fixing-quran-audio-segments-with-whisperx/How I used WhisperX forced alignment to fix inconsistent word timings in a Quran reading app.Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTProjectshttps://bilawal.net/blog/quranzen/https://bilawal.net/blog/quranzen/Building a full-stack Quran exploration app with React 19, FastAPI, and a hybrid database design.Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMTProjectshttps://bilawal.net/blog/running-llms-on-steam-deck/https://bilawal.net/blog/running-llms-on-steam-deck/A step-by-step guide to setting up your Steam Deck to run local Large Language Models (LLMs) using llama.cpp and a Distrobox container.Tue, 09 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMTML-AIhttps://bilawal.net/blog/finetuning-llama32-3b-for-transcripts/https://bilawal.net/blog/finetuning-llama32-3b-for-transcripts/How I fine-tuned Llama 3.2 3B to process transcripts locally, achieving better results than models 5-8x larger through specialized training.Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMTML-AIhttps://bilawal.net/blog/toddler-tones/https://bilawal.net/blog/toddler-tones/Designing and building a distraction-free Android app in Kotlin/Compose with low-latency audio and a gentle 'Find it' game.Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTSide-Projects