Zixian Chen | Public-Sector Tech by Day, Questionable Side Projects by Night

Interests

Stack: Go, TypeScript, and a bit of Zig.
Since: 2000 on/off. Back in the Frontpage, XHTML, PHP days.
Now: Building a home admin app. Trying to write organic, free-range code by hand. It's tempting to let Claude Code and OpenCode do it automatically but it doesn't feel the same.
Offline: Building PCs (love bargains, hate cable management). Learning about product design, business, and entrepreneurship.

Public sector tech, policy, comms, and service delivery roles.

2023

Build, run stuff for citizens + employees services. Also dismantle what doesn't work.

2021

Policies & funding for Govt cloud, on-prem hosting, SG Tech Stack, endpoint devices, dev toolchains.

2018

Developed & bought media analytic products. Led investments in NLP & CV research.

2017

Developed comms campaigns and strategies.

2015

Did public relations work. Got earned media. Managed crisis comms.

2013

Led NS policies for sportsmen, leave, citizenship, exit control.

Personal tools, experiments, and small products built outside the day job.

A personal ERP for the household

Go · SvelteKit · Postgres · Grafana Cloud

The language of Singapore’s Public Service, explained

Go · htmx · Meilisearch · Grafana Cloud

Status: Live glossary and Public Service newbie guide
Problem: New officers encounter abbreviations and workplace language before they have the context to understand them
Scope: 4,000+ entries across abbreviations, branded terms and workplace phrases; 222 newbie terms, 51 essentials and quiz practice

Home renovation blog for budget folks

Astro · Pagefind

Retired projects, prototypes, and older builds that fed into current ones.

Apptitude: Structured technology learning and decision supportSvelteKit, Postgres, Meilisearch, Axiom; Read case study: Apptitude
Cancel Ninja: SaaS & Dark Pattern trackerSvelteKit, Drizzle, Postgres; Folded into Cubby
Roamichi: Trip management & travel plannerSvelteKit, Go, Postgres, Stytch; Folded into Cubby

ShowHide 8 more retired builds

Eat Your Medicine!: Medicine dose trackerDjango, htmx, SQLite; Folded into Cubby
Rank-a-Mate: Drag & drop ranking v0.1Django, htmx, SQLite; Became Appraize
BTOnomics (Wordpress): Home renovation blog for budget folksWordPress; Became BTOnomics
Appraize: Drag & Drop RankingSvelteKit, SortableJS, Drizzle, Postgres, Clerk
Grumplr: Reddit-lite style bulletin boardGo, htmx, Templ, Postgres, Keycloak
Meetrics: Meeting cost calculatorSvelteKit
Rinku: URL shortenerGo
Wronged: Products, Problems, UX ChatbotGo, htmx, Postgres, OpenRouter

Recent writing.