about me

tl;dr:

I'm a technologist who helps amazing teams build cool software.

I enjoy figuring out how things work, making technology approachable to non-technical people, and doing whatever I can to help get something built (whether that's strategy, engineering, managing, or being a goofball that spreads joy).

I'm currently a Senior Software Engineer at Yardstik, where we build the best-in-class background check solution for gig platforms, marketplaces, and other businesses.

i've got some time, gimme the longer version.

To paraphrase Marge Simpson: I think technology is pretty neat.

Even when I couldn't understand how to do anything on it, I took any chance I could get to be on my family's DOS-powered PC. I made my first website in third grade. In middle school, I wrote games for the TI-83+ graphing calculator and maintained the internet's largest Ralph Wiggum fan website. I was one of only two kids in my grade who owned a Cybiko. I taught teachers in high school how to use proxy servers to get around our school's firewalls so they could check their MySpace during class.

I was lucky enough to get into the University of Minnesota's computer engineering program. A physics midterm went so poorly for me, however, that I dropped out and chose to pursue a degree in journalism instead. While at the U, I helped spin up a student-run television broadcast club. I also joined a band comprised of professors and got to record an album while the university paid me. I trained for and completed my first marathon as part of a physiology class.

Instead of jumping right into the corporate life after college, I made the most of my journalism degree and worked as a freelance videographer. I ideated, scripted, recorded, edited, and distributed videos for organizations like Pepsi, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the National Academy of Television, and Fox Sports North. (I also did wedding videography which, uh, never again.)

I also had spent the last few years jailbreaking my iPhone and figuring out how to write software for it. Around this time, my buddy from high school and I started a custom software development consultancy.

We spent the next ten years building a successful agency, collaborating on cool projects like building self-driving cars and making traffic stops more safe and equitable. In addition to our work with startups, we also built apps for Fortune 500 companies. This meant we got to see how each small decision impacted millions of people every month.

I left the agency after ten years and joined another creative agency as their Chief Technology Officer. Our main project was to assist a large wellness plan administrator with their transition from their crumbling legacy software solutions to a single, modern Ruby on Rails stack.

While working at that agency, advancements in artificial intelligence made it approachable enough for an engineering school dropout like me. I now give talks and share my opinions on how to use these novel tools to solve tough problems.

I spent most of 2024 working through some severe anxiety and depression (0/5 stars would not recommend). I'm in a much better headspace now, and I found a new gig as an engineer at Yardstik, a company which provides background checks and similar services. It's an honor to be part of an amazing team of exceptional people.

okay, cool, that's pretty much all work stuff... what else do you do?

When I'm not begging computers to do something useful, I'm spending as much quality time as possible with my wife and kids.

My wife and I have been married for eleven years, and we are always looking for the next adventure to share together. Whether that's exploring Europe and North America, running marathons, singing karaoke, sharing memes, or just chilling on our patio, there's not a morning that goes by where I'm not grateful for having her by my side.

I'm also digging the time I get to spend watching my kids grow up. My daughter is in third grade, and watching her learn about how the world works is such a treat. My son is a kindergartner, and I'm not entirely sure how that happened so quickly, but I love being able to watch him be his goofy, charismatic, witty self. Those two challenge me every single day to be a better person and I am so grateful for them.

Outside of family time, my favorite activity is walking. It doesn't matter if I'm alone or with a friend... if my bucket is empty, a walk will always fill it up. I'm slowly working my way back into my other passion of running. I've signed up for a spring 10k, and I'm getting in around 4 miles every other day. I'm also embarking on a mission to do 100 situps, squats, and push-ups every day. I dunno, I feel like I gotta use my body or watch it slowly deteriorate. Teddy Roosevelt once said, "We must all either wear our or rust out, every one of us. My choice is to wear out."

Other hobbies that I enjoy include playing the guitar, visiting all the breweries in the state, experimenting with LLMs, learning how to solder and repair old electronics, listening to new music, watching TV with my wife, playing Retro Bowl for iOS (currently on year 160), reading through my Instapaper queue, hanging out with lovely people, and podcasting.

colophon

Here are the tools I used to build this site:

• Ruby on Rails
• Visual Studio Code
• Linode
• Transmit
• 2023 Macbook Pro with an M3 Max (this thing screams)

My goal with this design was to make things as sustainable and fast as possible. There's very minimal Javascript being used on this site, and I also try hard to only use text and emojis instead of images.

This about page was last updated on 2024-12-20.