From a redstone computer in a Minecraft castle to a system that builds its own software — nineteen milestones, in order.
2017— started building a loop line computer inside a castle in the Minecraft world I first built for my kids.
A redstone loop-line computer, built by hand inside a Minecraft castle.
After seven years of tinkering, I finally worked out the serial-to-parallel latching system, landing the memory loop.
First 'done': serial bits caught into parallel registers — RegA diamond, RegB gold.
Eighteen months later and the last piece clicked on Loop 1.0— the five-bit answer reload. The machine actually computed!
The answer reloads back into the loop line — a 5-bit output closing the circle.
I thought about what Loop computing could be and designed Loop 2.0 in Minecraft, building the interface and display.
The redesign: built the display and controls before the arithmetic proved Minecraft too slow to be fun.
Realizing Minecraft would be too slow, I asked Claude 'Hey, you can code, right?'
Three weeks of nights and weekends, 331 total builds, and I had Loop 2.1— directed by me, built by Claude.
The manual flow computer: 18,000 lines, one HTML file, zero dependencies — the machine that outgrew Minecraft.
I realized I had a system here, and over the course of one weekend, it crawled out of my head.
The methodology, extracted in one weekend — 20 documents, 45,000 words.
I couldn't wait any longer and called out of work on Friday. On Monday, the Butcher Constellation shipped. It shipped!
The first real Loop MMT app: an order system for Deer Hill Butchers, built in four days.
After Butcher shipped, I realized this new system would build the next thing too— Loop MMT came to life.
As I further developed the system, the simple magic of "Derive, don't read" revealed itself to me.
Over the next month, the system molted five times as it evolved, sharper each time than the version before.
I thought about what we needed next— a Content Management System. So I had it build one for itself.
On June 1st, the system grew into Mature Maple— memory left the project files and took root in the repo.
A few weeks later, my model of 'one app' grew into 'many apps' grew into 'all the apps'.
I wanted my own platform for things like email, calendar, and contacts, so I had the system just build it.
A sovereign personal-data platform — email, calendar, contacts, and files on your own box. Live.
I wanted to do something nice for Jamie, so I designed a game for her that rhymes with Dr. Mario.
A falling-block game built as a gift for Jamie — installs to the home screen like any app.
Looking for an idea for a new game, I reached back to my college years and found Beam Wizards.
A 3D-optics puzzle: steer light through lenses and mirrors. A kids' game with a university-course origin.
I had a fun idea— smash Sudoku with Tic Tac Toe into a strategy sim and call it Battleganza!
A Forest-native multiplayer game: Sudoku smashed into Tic-Tac-Toe, head to head.
And today, the system is ready— built by itself, evolved by itself, excited to keep growing.
The site you're reading — Loop MMT, coming out.