A little room for what comes next.

I’m Michael Clifford, a father of two who loves technology, gadgets, and good design. I appreciate well-built hardware, thoughtfully written software, and homemade things crafted with care. I also appreciate a good bourbon collection, especially when there are people I care about around to share it.

Suite Potato began as a joke more than 30 years ago. In a computer science class, we were learning animation routines in Borland Turbo C++ using a potato-stamp example: stamp a pattern, erase it, and stamp it again to create movement. I joked that potatoes everywhere were appalled at being used this way. A fictional company was born, complete with a pun on software and office suites. The name stuck. I always knew I’d do something with it.

These days, making things gives me a welcome break from the day-to-day. Sometimes that means woodworking: cutting boards, charcuterie boards, coasters, or a fleet of tap handles for a local brewery. I love the contrast between walnut, red oak, and cherry, the detail of laser engraving, and the way oil and wax bring a finished piece to life. People sometimes tell me the boards are too beautiful to use. I’m proud of that, though I hope they eventually get a few knife marks.

Other times, I’m 3D printing or writing software, including Settlement 2X86, a tactical RPG for the Game Boy Color.

For now, Suite Potato is mostly me, with room to sprout into something more. Follow along on the blog, explore my public GitHub projects, or browse my gists. If you care about how things are made, I hope you’ll find something here worth sticking around for.