Personal site of James Callaghan — Architect at Microsoft, based in Manchester. App development, AI, GitHub Copilot, Azure, smart-home automation, cooking, photography and the projects in between.https://jcallaghan.dev/https://jcallaghan.dev/2026/05/unifi-protect-webhook-shortcuts/https://jcallaghan.dev/2026/05/unifi-protect-webhook-shortcuts/UniFi Protect 7.1.55 added webhook shortcuts to the camera live view. I wired four to a single Home Assistant automation the same evening — one webhook, one query parameter, the room is sorted.Fri, 15 May 2026 00:30:00 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2026/05/kallos-cafe-wine-bar-salford/https://jcallaghan.dev/2026/05/kallos-cafe-wine-bar-salford/A stress-free Wednesday meze at Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar in Salford, with a sleeping toddler on my shoulder, a dome of blistered pita I now have to reverse-engineer, and a chickpea stew I'll be cooking for weeks.Wed, 13 May 2026 21:00:00 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2026/05/fells-forests-and-family/https://jcallaghan.dev/2026/05/fells-forests-and-family/L's first proper trip away — two nights in a Yorkshire cabin, off-grid, with Poppy, a fire pit facing the valley, and an unexpected film crew on the hillside.Fri, 08 May 2026 09:00:00 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2025/05/street-art-abandoned-building/https://jcallaghan.dev/2025/05/street-art-abandoned-building/A Baby Yoda mural on a crumbling exterior wall, then inside: every surface covered in colour. Two images from a derelict find.Thu, 22 May 2025 21:34:09 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2025/05/visiting-clarksons-pub-the-farmers-dog/https://jcallaghan.dev/2025/05/visiting-clarksons-pub-the-farmers-dog/Poppy, a pint of Hawkstone, and a farm gate with Cotswolds hills rolling out behind it. A visit to Jeremy Clarkson's pub near Burford.Thu, 22 May 2025 21:34:09 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2025/04/sage-coffee-machine-solenoid-arcing-fault/https://jcallaghan.dev/2025/04/sage-coffee-machine-solenoid-arcing-fault/Fixing a solenoid fault on my Sage Oracle Touch and the memories it preserves.Sun, 27 Apr 2025 16:12:51 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2021/07/event-access-management-power-app-barcode-scanning/https://jcallaghan.dev/2021/07/event-access-management-power-app-barcode-scanning/Building a kiosk Power App for event entry. External barcode scanners feed a hidden text input — fast, contact-free pass scanning for 500+ attendees.Sat, 31 Jul 2021 19:19:47 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2021/06/smart-dog-training-buttons/https://jcallaghan.dev/2021/06/smart-dog-training-buttons/Smart pet buttons for our 8-week-old puppy Poppy. A Sonoff Zigbee button hidden inside a paw-embossed RF case, wired up to Home Assistant for text-to-speech.Sat, 26 Jun 2021 09:20:00 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2020/03/can-you-iot-an-airwick-air-freshener/https://jcallaghan.dev/2020/03/can-you-iot-an-airwick-air-freshener/I IoT'd an Airwick. An ESP32, a 5V relay, ESPHome on the firmware, Home Assistant on top. Aesthetics non-negotiable; the unit had to look stock.Fri, 13 Mar 2020 18:51:28 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2020/03/turn-lights-on-and-off-with-windows-hello/https://jcallaghan.dev/2020/03/turn-lights-on-and-off-with-windows-hello/Sit down at the desk, Windows Hello unlocks, the monitor backlight comes on. A Task Scheduler trigger calling the Home Assistant REST API, wired through one piece of 1990s VBScript.Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2019/10/delicate-mushroom-risotto/https://jcallaghan.dev/2019/10/delicate-mushroom-risotto/A delicate mushroom risotto in the spirit of Theo Randall and Marco Pierre White. Hot stock, careful stirring, a shaving of black truffle to finish.Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2019/10/little-morton-hall/https://jcallaghan.dev/2019/10/little-morton-hall/A weekend walk around Little Moreton Hall, a Tudor National Trust property in Cheshire that has settled, leaned and warped into a wonky timber masterpiece.Sat, 19 Oct 2019 21:13:55 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2019/10/rutting-deer-tatton-park/https://jcallaghan.dev/2019/10/rutting-deer-tatton-park/A misty autumn walk at Tatton Park turned into an unexpected wildlife shoot. Rutting stags, a Fuji X-T4, and a 500mm that wasn't quite long enough.Sat, 12 Oct 2019 19:34:09 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2019/09/rufford-old-hall/https://jcallaghan.dev/2019/09/rufford-old-hall/An early-autumn walk at Rufford Old Hall, a Tudor National Trust property in Lancashire, with the canal towpath a few minutes away.Sat, 14 Sep 2019 18:11:03 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2019/09/sharepoint-footer/https://jcallaghan.dev/2019/09/sharepoint-footer/180 SharePoint Online sites. 29 clicks each to configure the modern footer. That is 4,860 clicks. So I built a set of PnP PowerShell functions instead.Thu, 05 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2019/03/summer-snowflakes-not-snowdrops-dunham-massey/https://jcallaghan.dev/2019/03/summer-snowflakes-not-snowdrops-dunham-massey/A spring walk at Dunham Massey turned into a botanical correction. What I had photographed as Snowdrops were actually Summer Snowflakes.Sat, 30 Mar 2019 19:09:54 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2016/11/battery-powered-portable-sonos-play1/https://jcallaghan.dev/2016/11/battery-powered-portable-sonos-play1/Voided the warranty on a brand-new Sonos Play:1 in 24 hours, replaced the figure-eight mains lead with a micro-USB socket and a step-up converter, and made the speaker move with me.Tue, 01 Nov 2016 22:32:12 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2015/03/believe-dreams/https://jcallaghan.dev/2015/03/believe-dreams/Ten years after a Microsoft Research conference in Cambridge, I got the blue badge. A short story about a research clock, a researcher who remembered me, and a dream that took a decade.Mon, 30 Mar 2015 21:17:46 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2014/04/grandads-carrot-soup/https://jcallaghan.dev/2014/04/grandads-carrot-soup/Grandad Callaghan's carrot soup. A Christmas-dinner starter at home, quick enough to lead a weeknight bowl with bread.Sat, 19 Apr 2014 14:03:56 GMThttps://jcallaghan.dev/2011/04/green-pea-chowder/https://jcallaghan.dev/2011/04/green-pea-chowder/A vivid green pea soup that comes together in under 20 minutes. Bay, mint, and a little single cream for a bowl that suits any season.Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:32:06 GMT