Posts

Orbital Workshop: power modes, one good key, and tools that save an AI's time

The problem. Modern computers all come with power-efficiency modes, and they're always either clunky to reach or missing something, whatever the maker or operating system. Microsoft also gave my keyboard a Copilot key I didn't want.

What I built. PowerCycler fills in whatever your computer is missing: a hotkey if there isn't one, a customizable tray app if there isn't one, access to the modes where the system hides them, and on-screen notifications you can customize too. It shows the mode that's really active, even when a hardware key or Windows changed it, and it listens to makers' own controls, like Lenovo's. Other makers, such as MSI, plug in as we write their plugins; it's set up for that from the start.

The Copilot key: I remapped it to open DesktopOpener. Remapping a key isn't special, but Microsoft giving me a dedicated key for my own dashboard is dandy.

The workshop also holds tools for working with AI. I wrote the folder-structure tool so the earliest LLMs could get the lay of a project without wasting precious tokens searching in the dark. It's still useful: it's the first thing an agent runs in an unfamiliar place.

Where it stands. PowerCycler is an early release with automated tests on Windows and Linux; the macOS app is in progress.

What I learned. Small tools that fill a gap you hit every day are worth building well.