Book of Dates (1752-2111)

This booklet of dates started as a Java programming practice exercise.  I expanded on a small example program that would create a one-month calendar when a month and year were specified by the user.  Instead of one month, I had my program output a full 359 years calendars.

The raw data wasn't very usable, so I formatted it such that four years dates at a time would fit on a printed page.  In the outside margin of each page I specified the dates covered.  The position of this indicator is an indicator of itself - at the beginning of the booklet it is near the top of the page, but by the last page it has moved nearly to the bottom.

To complete the package I wrote up the results of some calendar research I had done, added a colophon and the Java code, and turned the whole thing into a PDF.

Interface Mockup for Custom Testing Software

As I put it in one version of my resume: "Created and documented a mockup of a database-backed system for test tracking and recording."  Some of the resulting visuals are in the composite image to the right..

This was a self-initiated project sparked by seeing how inefficient and mistake-prone testing could be, even with clear regulation-based guidelines.  Some common problems came from turnover in the testing workforce, the sheer volume of test items, the volume and variety of test data, and the frequency of delays during the tests.

My proposed database-backed system would take advantage of the formalized guidelines to make the testing process run on rails, and would thus solve the just-listed problems.

UPDATE 1: Speaking of rails, as I researched the best way to implement the system, I got a taste of the future when my research took me to the Ruby on Rails project; I could see that web-based approach was certainly the best solution.

UPDATE 2: Looking back from early 2013, I can also now see that tablet-like devices would have been (and still would be) the ideal hardware to match with the software described/shown.  On-the-floor testing makes even notebook-type solutions awkward, but a direct touch-based interface running on a small tablet would be just right.

Aluminum Chess Set

I designed and built this set of minimalist-style chess pieces.  Materials and tools used were one-inch aluminum barstock, an Okuma CNC lathe with live tooling, and a wire EDM (to cut the groove representing the bishop’s mitre).  All pieces are anodized and have green felt bottoms.

Cut Spoon

Simply a stainless steel soup spoon with an arrow symbol cutout.  I designed the symbol, programmed the wire EDM machine, and did some minor finishing work.  The spoon was cut in 2002, but the graphics below were made in 2009 and 2010.