Once every couple of months, I get an opportunity to teach middle schoolers/high schoolers about computer science. Computer science and software development are very broad disciplines, so I could cover anything from web styling to computer networks. Among all of those possible topics, I find that I like to work on sorting algorithms.

I’ve been learning about and playing with PICO-8, a “fantasy console” (as their website phrases it). It’s a virtual machine with specs designed to be extremely limited compared to modern computers. With a 128×128 display, 16 colors, and a program size confined to 32K, you’re dealing with what would now be considered pretty dated specs. […]

Recently, I saw Windows 95 running under Electron. The project definitely brought up some old memories from when I was young and new to computers in the mid-1990s. Back then, I spent all of my time outside of school learning how to write code in BASIC. I discovered that the Windows 95 under Electron project […]

If you ask any software developer, there’s a decent chance that they have tried their hand at game development. It seems like a natural fit since it uses many of the same skills. What’s more, programmers come into it with the knowledge that most aspiring game makers lack: how to write good code and create effective […]

I recently upgraded to a 2018 MacBook Pro. I’m enjoying the additional cores and memory (😀) and coming to terms with the touchbar (🤨). A low point of my first week came when I plugged into my external display, and the image looked really bad. In this post, I’ll describe what I learned and how […]

One of the most convenient new features added to the Unity game engine is the NavMesh system. These built-in components allow for automatic pathfinding with minimal configuration in a scene. They also offer an impressive amount of customization out-of-the-box, such as dealing with more complex geometries and adding multiple custom agent sizes and step heights.

It’s been nearly four years since Scott Vokes made the first version of the “Callaloo” bathroom occupancy monitoring system in our Grand Rapids office. As we grew in size and moved to a brand new building, I revamped and expanded the system to fit our new office. And now with our Ann Arbor office growing in […]

I haven’t touched a light switch in weeks. Over the past few months, I’ve been rolling out a smart light network throughout my house. To successfully complete the project, I followed a simple Agile process that we use all the time at Atomic to help clients navigate large software projects with lots of stakeholders. If […]