67 Camaro67 Camaro [Sept 2005 - Present]
During my first senior year of college my dad called to tell me he found an inexpensive first-gen Chevy Camaro - wanting to know if I had any interest in restoring it. He was a car nut, he knew I really liked the first-gen Camaros, he thought it would be a fun project. After going from a simple paint and polish to a frame-up restore, it has taken a bit more time than expected. It is currently in the process of getting plumbing and electrical before getting sent out for the interior. It has been painted and the body is as close spotless as a fifty year old muscle car should be.
Crane Consulting LogoCrane Consulting [July 2005 - Present]
http://www.cranec.com/
I started my own consulting company a few years ago to offer better service and support to the many people that continually ask me for help. Their main complaint is that the technicians patch symptoms rather than solve problems. My goal was to create long-term solutions for my clients in the most simple manner possible. If a technology is too complicated for an end-user to utilize then it is not an effective solution. Although I have not pursued this in a full-time capacity clients always seem to keep me busy, I have even been to London for one project. The consulting business is rewarding as it allows you to pick and choose more interesting projects while giving the client a truly valuable and robust solution.
Circuit BoardSenior Design [Sept 2006 - Apr 2007]
Project Mini-Site
To graduate (Bachelor's) from UCF's College of Engineering and Computer Science, you have to complete (successfully) Senior Design. I have to say I was proud of our team's efforts and still think we had one of the best projects that semester. The project mini-site explains all you need to know about it with outputs, code, and circuit design, with improvements from the final fabrication (manufacturer specs aren't always accurate).
Apple Newton MessagepadEngadget Feature [Feb 2005]
Engadget Article / Full-Size Image
Engadget, one of my favorite sites in early days of weblogs, jokingly challenged readers to take control of their computers through VNC on a Newton. Since I had a Newton laying around I gave it a shot. No, they never paid up. It was amazing to see the kind of interest a silly project like that can generate.
CarputerCarputer [May 2004]
iPods were still firewire, CDs were still common, email was usually a pop account on a computer. GPS systems were still ridiculously expensive and most incapable of being updated. ...The dark days before iPhones. I wanted 25,000 searchable tracks ready to go on in my car, I wanted the track name to appear on the display, I wanted the controls on the stereo to be functional. I wanted my email and alerts to come with me on the go in case I needed them. I wanted real GPS navigation with powerful routing and a large touchscreen display all to be routed through my stereo so I could hear it. I decided to make my own solution. The result was a micro-ATX computer with custom made aluminum case, not too dissimilar from the Mac Mini released early the year after (Jan 2005). It had a "huge" 120GB HD for plenty of music, GPS software with turn-by-turn, a 7" touchscreen and the most difficult bit: a hearty little DC-DC power supply that would start up with the car's ignition and power off when the key was turned off and removed, or 20 minutes after the ignition stopped if you accidentally left the key on, and most importantly: survive an engine-crank without rebooting. So by the time the car was on, the PC was ready to go and acquiring GPS signal. From Off to Ready in about 10 seconds. This was all custom molded into the dash, replacing some poorly designed cup-holders and providing a factory look.