Mike Hall Architect & Creator
I build systems that value human agency—whether that's reclaiming a legacy platform or designing tactical card combat.
Phalanx Duel
Deterministic, tactical card combat. My latest project in pure tactical decision-making and product architecture. No luck, no accounts, just strategy.
I’ve spent the last two decades at the intersection of technology and community. I’m the person called in when systems become illegible and teams need a path back to sanity. Beyond the technical specs, I’m a father, a historian of technical movements, and a builder of "alive" things—from the UGtastic interview archive to the high-stakes tactics of Phalanx Duel.
What I Value
- Legibility over Magic: Software should be understandable by the humans who have to live with it.
- Agency & Intention: Every move should matter—in a codebase, in a user group, or in a card game.
- Archival Continuity: We stand on the shoulders of giants. I'm dedicated to preserving the "why" behind the DevOps and Craftsmanship movements.
- Modernization as Reclamation: Reclaiming the value locked in legacy systems is an act of craftsmanship and respect for what came before.