About the Operator

>_ WHOAMI

I’m Tony Swingley, a Senior Linux Engineer and Systems Architect based in the Pacific Northwest. By day, I design and oversee the implementation of new technologies for multi-billion dollar national supply chains.

By night, I am a Vocational Technologist.

To me, technology isn't just a career; it is a lifestyle and a lens through which I view the world. I don't just "work" in IT; I view my entire career as a hobby that pays the bills. My strength lies in scale—I approach my home projects with the same rigorous, enterprise-level architecture I use for massive corporate warehouses.

ScrappyBots is the output of that philosophy. It is where professional discipline meets the chaos of the garage.

>_ THE OPEN SOURCE ETHOS

I believe in the democratization of technology. Whether it's the code running my servers or the designs for my robot chassis, I am driven by the Open Source spirit.

We live in an era where "the cloud" is often just a lease on someone else’s computer. I prefer to own the metal. From self-hosting Large Language Models (LLMs) on local AMD hardware to running my own Kubernetes clusters, I believe in building systems that are resilient, private, and yours.

If I build it, I share it. If I break it, I document it.

>_ ACTIVE OPERATIONS

My projects are rarely single-domain; they are cross-functional collisions of software, hardware, and biology.

01. Robotics & Engineering

This is the core of ScrappyBots. I build custom robots using whatever is at hand—mobility scooter bases, ESP32 microcontrollers, and ROS2 frameworks. I use CAD and 3D printing (currently loving my Qidi Tech Q1 Pro) to fabricate parts that don't exist yet.

02. Local Artificial Intelligence

I am actively exploring the frontiers of self-hosted AI. I run models like Llama.cpp and vLLM on dedicated servers, proving that you don't need a subscription to access state-of-the-art intelligence.

03. Automated Agriculture (Mycology)

My latest venture is applying industrial automation to biology. I am designing automated shipping container systems for cultivating mushrooms—specifically Lion's Mane and Oyster varieties. The goal? To use sensors and code to create the perfect, self-sustaining growing environment.

04. The "Neotropolis" Project

I am currently engineering a fully functional LARP casino for Neotropolis 26/27. This involves everything from designing the game logic to building the physical props that will survive the California desert.

05. Legacy Modernization

I enjoy dragging old tech into the future. Whether it's converting a 1995 Dodge B2500 van into a modern, tech-enabled camper or automating model train layouts with DCC-EX, I love the challenge of making the old play nice with the new.

>_ TRANSMISSION END

This site is a living documentation of my work. It is messy, it is technical, and it is constantly compiling.

Welcome to the shop.