One clear job.
A small helper should earn its place, not create another job for you. The browser tools do not need a Rob’s AI Tools account.
AN ARTIST. A MAKER. OCCASIONALLY, THE IT DEPARTMENT.
G’day. I’m Rob.
G’day. I’m Rob.
I made a thing.
It started with a very Australian business plan: “Surely there’s a less annoying way to do this.”
I’m Robin Custance, an Aboriginal Australian artist and independent maker based in Adelaide, South Australia. I make art, build websites and use AI-assisted tools to help bring ideas to life.
Somewhere along the way, I also became the person trying to work out which setting had eaten the afternoon. The promotion came with no pay rise and a surprisingly large number of browser tabs.
How a small annoyance grew wings ↓
THE SHORT VERSIONI wanted to make art.
I wanted to make art.
Not a career out of checking a meter.
Rob’s AI Tools began with a real problem, not a search for something to sell.
“Less faff” means less unnecessary fiddling.
A small phrase. A fairly large ambition.
A small phrase. A fairly large ambition.
A great tool. And another thing to check.
AI can be a brilliant creative helper. It can also introduce a whole new collection of things to manage: prompts, limits, resets, settings and that slightly awkward moment when the assistant helping you finish a job needs to stop halfway through it.
I found myself checking how much usage I had left instead of getting on with the work. Open the app. Find the settings. Find the right allowance. Remember which window it belongs to. Go back to the job. Forget the number.
Repeat until the coffee develops its own weather system.
So I wanted one small number.
Something quiet in my Mac’s menu bar that would show the main weekly allowance, with the other reported limits a click away. Not another dashboard to manage the dashboard. Just a useful little glance.
That idea became QuotaPerch: a small, independent companion being developed to make the information easier to see. It can’t create extra quota, change the provider’s rules or promise your next project will fit. It’s a little bird, not the Minister for Unlimited Computing.
Useful first. A little personality second.
Rob’s AI Tools grew from that same thought: when something keeps getting in the way, perhaps a small, well-explained tool can help.
The browser tools tackle simpler annoyances too: getting a clear brief out of a head full of ideas, or working out how far away a reset time actually is. Small jobs. Real life. Less unnecessary fiddling.
I use AI-assisted development as part of making these tools. That isn’t a substitute for checking the work. Tests, clear limits and honest release labels matter more than a very confident “all done”.
Another idea on the stove.
I’m also developing PorridgeWeb: website know-how with Australian businesses and creators in mind. A place for practical guidance, checklists and the questions that tend to arrive halfway through building a website.
More time for the good stuff.
The aim is to spend less time managing tools and more time creating, running a small business and being with the people who matter. That’s the bit worth making room for.
These tools aren’t meant to become the centre of your day. Ideally, you use one, think “that helped”, and get back to whatever you were doing. A quiet little win. We like those.
Have a look around. Try the browser tools. Tell me what keeps interrupting your day. And should one of these little helpers earn a coffee, lovely. No pressure—the bird hasn’t learned to operate the card machine.
Cheers,
Rob
Artist. Maker. Still learning which tab is playing the music.
No pretend certainty.
Missing information stays missing. A source preview stays a preview. QuotaPerch depends on a compatible Codex installation and your existing login.
Room for a smile.
Friendly graphics and the occasional good line. Clear instructions and serious safety information when they matter.
LESS FAFF. MORE DOING.
Find your next little helper.
The browser tools are ready to try. QuotaPerch is a Mac release candidate with public-release checks still to complete.