In my spare time I’m always exploring different concepts that I find innovative/interesting. Here is a shortlist of projects I’ve learned a lot from (and had fun building!).

National Security Administration Social Media Surveillance/Control

  • Tapped the PRAW API to build bots that control Reddit content in the Fall of 2014
  • Downvotes posts with terrorist keywords from the NSA Analyst’s Desktop Binder (See section 2.13 for examples)
  • Upvotes posts from innocuous subreddits (reddit.com/r/aww, reddit.com/r/memes etc)
  • Interacts with new posts so that content is affected when its ranking is most volatile
  • A simple start - but kindled an interest in the development/design of social media systems

Smart Home Automation

  • Cofounder working on growth and mobile app development
  • Raised $115,000 on Kickstarter, sold over 5000 units of a bluetooth hardware product and companion mobile app
  • Managed 130 person developer community and built javascript developer API
  • Investments from R/GA Ventures, The House Fund, the Citris Foundry, and angel investors
  • Engineered integrations including LIFX, Chromecast, and Spotify and built out location-based beacon mobile messaging
  • Designed and executed marketing campaign – covered in Mashable, USAToday, Digital Trends and more
  • Video Link

Autonomous Vehicles - Mars Rover Team

  • Lead team of 3 computer science underclassmen for UC Berkeley’s Mars rover team
  • Trained data using Tensorflow/OpenCV to identify competition end state (finding a tennis ball in the desert)
  • Architected SLAM algorithm built on top of ROS using GPS data and point clouds from calibrated stereoscopic images

Pricing Discrimination as a Service

  • Strapp verifies whether or not a consumer is on EBT, then allows businesses to charge a lower price to that segment (nothing invasive, consumers willingly submit EBT card photos)
  • This platform allows economically disprivileged individuals access to goods/services outside of their price range, and allows businesses to access a new market segment
  • Piloted the program in online education space with Wozniak University (95% discount) and DataCamp (20% discount)

Realtime Feedback for API Technical Writers

  • Critojs is an inline feedback tool that allows API documentation writers to tighten their customer feedback loop
  • Developers can highlight API documentation and alert the technical writers of bugs or out of data information
  • In order to implement our highlight for feedback system, simply copy and paste a few lines of javascript code

Supply Chain Transparency for Consumers

  • Built a Chrome extension to explore aligning market incentives and social good
  • Stepcott seeks to solve the ephemerality of the news cycle with contextual reminders not to support corporations that are against your beliefs
  • Example causes include environmentalism, Israel/Palestine conflict, Labor Rights, Fox News Sponsors, Women’s Rights, Pro-Life or Pro-Choice.
  • Never publicly launched, but still passionate about the principles behind the project

Messaging Based Prediction Contests

  • Fun project - users compete in Trivia HQ style prediction contests, winning up to $100 per game
  • Built Twilio SMS application to run prediction contests for 2019 NBA playoff season
  • Secured sponsorship from local bar
  • Grew 15% game over game growth from referrals alone - reached ~400 users

Long Form Social Media Network

  • Mobile app designed to foster meaningful dialogue on deep thoughts that matter the most to you. The app rewards long-form content and 1:1 dialogue
  • Designed a unique hybrid messaging/posting algorithm - content begins as a message, then is converted to a public post if and only if users consistently spend time reading it and forward the message to other users
  • Examples of content shared on the app include political debates
  • Latest project, still in development, MVP currently in closed beta w/ 100 users - hit me up if you want an invite code!