Notes from building B.A.I.S.
Short, plain writing on local-first AI, what we're finding as we build, and the procurement and compliance angles that come up when the pitch is "this never touches the cloud."
How do I extract tables from scanned PDFs with Python?
How do I extract tables from scanned PDFs with Python? Rasterise each page to an image, clean it up (deskew, reduce noise, improve contrast), detect the…
1 November 2026
📝How do I automate splitting PDFs every week?
How do I automate splitting PDFs every week? Put incoming PDFs in an inbox folder, write a short script that splits each file by a clear rule and moves the…
30 October 2026
📝How do I convert a photo of a table into Excel?
How do I convert a photo of a table into Excel? The quickest route is optical character recognition (OCR), which reads the text in a photo and places it…
29 October 2026
📝How do I split a large PDF into separate files?
How do I split a large PDF into separate files? Open the PDF in an editor or your print dialogue, choose the page range for each document, and save it as a…
28 October 2026
📝What should a monthly sales report for a small business include?
What should a monthly sales report for a small business include? A monthly sales report should show total sales, order numbers, average order value, costs…
27 October 2026
📝How do I write a voiceover script that sounds natural?
How do I write a voiceover script that sounds natural? To write a voiceover script that sounds natural, focus on clarity, simplicity, and engaging…
24 October 2026
📝What does local-first AI mean?
What does local-first AI mean? Local-first AI means running artificial intelligence applications on your own device, keeping data processing and storage…
18 October 2026
📝Is there a pay per use OCR API for PDFs?
Is there a pay per use OCR API for PDFs? Yes, there are pay-per-use OCR APIs available for PDFs.
15 October 2026
📝How much does an AI chatbot cost for a small business in the UK?
How much does an AI chatbot cost for a small business in the UK? The cost of an AI chatbot for a small business in the UK can vary widely, ranging from…
14 October 2026
📝Which admin tasks should a small business automate first?
Which admin tasks should a small business automate first? For a small business, automating tasks such as invoicing, data entry, and scheduling can…
13 October 2026
📝What is the best offline text to speech for Windows or Linux?
What is the best offline text to speech for Windows or Linux? For Windows, the open-source eSpeak is highly recommended due to its lightweight nature and…
12 October 2026
📝Is local OCR more private than cloud OCR?
Is local OCR more private than cloud OCR? Local OCR tends to offer more privacy since the data stays on your device, whereas cloud OCR processes documents…
11 October 2026
📝How do I OCR PDFs offline on my own computer?
How do I OCR PDFs offline on my own computer? To OCR PDFs offline on your own computer, you can use a script that automates the process of Optical Character…
10 October 2026
📝How do I convert a PDF bank statement to Excel in the UK?
How do I convert a PDF bank statement to Excel in the UK? To convert a PDF bank statement to Excel, you can use online tools like Smallpdf (free) or Adobe…
9 October 2026
📝How do I turn a spreadsheet into a report?
How do I turn a spreadsheet into a report? To turn your spreadsheet into a report, first organize the data clearly by categories such as dates, amounts, and…
2 October 2026
📝How many words is a 60 second voiceover script?
How many words is a 60 second voiceover script? A 60-second voiceover script typically contains around 120 to 180 words, depending on the speaking rate of…
1 October 2026
📝How do I turn my self-published book into an audiobook in the UK?
How do I turn my self-published book into an audiobook in the UK? To turn your self-published book into an audiobook in the UK, you can use online services…
30 September 2026
📝Offline text-to-speech: what it's good for and what it isn't
Offline text-to-speech voiceovers generated on your own machine.
29 September 2026
📝Local OCR vs cloud OCR for private documents
Turn scanned tables into spreadsheets on your own machine, as a script you run yourself.
28 September 2026
📝What to check before trusting a scanned-to-Excel conversion
Send scans or photos of tables, invoices or statements; get back a clean, checked Excel file.
26 September 2026
📝Why a scanned PDF isn't searchable and how OCR fixes it
Make scanned PDFs searchable (OCR), split or merge them, or convert them — done the same day.
25 September 2026
📊We turned a spreadsheet into a proper report with one command — here's exactly what it does
An honest look at our CSV-in, report-out tool — what it produces, how it works, and what it isn't (a dashboard subscription).
13 September 2026
🧠What "local-first AI" actually means, and why it's harder to fake than it sounds
A plain explanation of what running an AI assistant entirely on-device actually requires — and how we verify the claim instead of just asserting it.
13 September 2026
📡The UK telecare analogue switch-off: why on-device AI is becoming a procurement requirement
A short explainer on the January 2027 UK PSTN switch-off and why it turns "does it need the cloud?" from a nice-to-have question into a compliance one for telecare and assistive-tech buyers.
13 September 2026