DinoDash

Chrome's default new tab page is uninspiring and static — a missed opportunity for both productivity and delight. The goal was to build a privacy-first, offline-ready Chrome Extension that reimagines this space entirely.

Technical Challenges

• Achieving a deterministic [[60fps]] physics simulation across varied host machines without heavy libraries
• Building a high-performance canvas game within the constraints of an extension environment
• Handling browsing history categorisation and favourites tracking entirely client-side
• Storing persistent high scores using localStorage — guaranteeing data privacy and instant responsiveness

Game Engine

• Designed a custom 2D rendering pipeline running at a deterministic 60fps
• Modular procedural obstacle generation — each run is fresh but supports seeding for replays
• Zero external servers — all processing happens via Web Extension APIs on the user's device

Themes

Dashboard Features

• Arrow key controls let users jump from search to game sprint in one keystroke
• Browsing analytics, bookmarks, and history all rendered locally — no data ever leaves the device
• Theme changes update the entire visual colour space of every widget simultaneously

What This Reinforced

• Client-side-only execution is far more powerful than most developers assume
• Web Extension APIs provide a surprisingly capable local data layer when used intentionally
• Canvas game development inside an extension demands a very different performance mindset

What I'd Build Next

• Expand community voting mechanics for theme popularity rankings
• Introduce web-monetized customisable visual components for power users
• Push performance testing across lower-spec machines to find edge cases

Bottom line: The new tab page can be more than a utility — it can breathe life into a browser.