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AU/NZ
Summary: 3 days in Australia and 11 day roadtrip through both islands of New Zealand
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Story: Chris, Kelsey and I sat down to plan this trip in early 2019. It started off as a wild idea and slowly it turned into a reality. I distinctly remember a moment we were at the book bar, searching for all of the amazing things we could do and see. We finalized the itinerary and in November/December of 2019 we booked our trip for the summer of 2020.
Then 2020 happened.
Fast forward to 2022 and fresh air started to roll in. We dusted off the metaphorical cobwebs and reviewed our itinerary and were really happy. We made some minor adjustments and planned to go the summer of 2023.
The trip went out without a hitch. It was everything we could have ever hoped it could be. Our schedule was nearly perfect. The only thing we miscalculated was how much time we would spend taking photos. There was this never ending feeling of wanting stay still and enjoy the current beauty.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit, you should. Visit my IG for photos from the trip.
Project AC
Summary: Chris and I built a working prototype of a water cooled air conditioner
Goal: We wanted to make an air conditioner that didn't need to vent its hot air to the outside. We did this by generating hot water instead of hot air. The hot water is then reused or poured down the sink
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What went wrong: This machine used 5 gallons of water every hour. This means the maximum cooling capacity is 3,000 BTU/hour. The smallest normal AC is 5,000 BTU/hour. This means you get 60% the cooling AND every hour you have to change the water. This is too much work for very little reward.
This prototype generated between 1,250 and 1,500 BTU/hour. We built this by modifying a water chiller. The chiller's pump limited us to roughly 2,000 to 2,500 BTU/hour and then when you add in all of the other inefficiencies; the system generates about half the theoretical limit. So we were feeling 30% the cooling capacity which is a lot lower than 60% but even here we could tell that doubling was not going to be enough to be satisfying.
Calculations: We calculated this figure before we started building this prototype and we were convinced that 3,000 BTU/hour would be more than enough on a hot day. It was only after building the prototype and testing it did we realize that it's a wrong belief.
Alternative designs: By using more water, we can increase the cooling capacity. However that would make the machine huge. We could into the house's water lines and use as much water as we would like to. (There are companies on the market who do this professionally) The issue is, that is harder than just setting up a traditional AC and sticking a pipe out your window.
Just for reference, 1 minute in the shower uses over 2 gallons of water
Timeline: 8/21 to 8/22
Electricity Overcharge
Problem: I noticed my electricity bill was higher than it was at my previous SF apartments
Investigation: I bought a power meter and measured all of my electronics. Eventually, I unplugged everything except my fridge and could see a 50% difference between my measured value and the bill
Action: I reached out to my property manager and PGE. They agreed that the wrong power meter was installed. I emailed them every 2 weeks. I then reached out to the CPUC, they were able to get the power meters replaced
Conclusion: PGE compensated $550 me for the incorrected power bill. (Yes, I did frame the check 😅)
Timeline: 6/21 to 5/22
Coffee Table Cushion
One of my absolute gripes in the modern living room is that coffee tables are not comfortable to place your feet on.
So I set out to fix another minor inconvenience in my life. What you see is 8 hours of work with MDF, 2” high density foam, fabric, fabric paint, and a custom stencil.
Completed: February 2022
Cedar Desk
I have been building out my apartment for the past few months. I knew I wanted a fully custom desk. After a bit of research, I decided to jump right into it.
I used my iPad to record the entire process and hired a video editor from upwork to create this cut.
Enjoy the video! :D
Completed: July 2021
Mental Health & OmniFocus
In mid 2019, I made the decision to start therapy. It has been one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made. Since then, I’ve met with my therapist every week and spoken about everything.
I found that using OmniFocus to jot down 1-2 sentences about a feeling or an experience right after it happened made my therapy sessions significantly more productive. I’m able to recall the important events of that week with much more detail.
I have found this to be a major improvement over nightly journalling or similar sorts of daily habits.
App: OmniFocus
Iron Man Arc Reactor
Reason: Like most engineers, I’m a fan of Iron Man and this build was just a fun thing to work on a Sunday afternoon.
Kit: Amazon
Completed: March 2021
Folding@Home
Understanding: Folding@Home uses distributed computing to run protein simulations. These simulation help us understand and find cures for Covid-19, cancer, neurological diseases and more.
Contribution: 1 billion points as of May 22nd, 2023
Scale: My daily contribution is 1 drop in a bucket that is 1.5 pints large
Click image to download shortcut
Meditation - iOS Shortcut
Problem: Setting a timer, turning on Do Not Disturb, and adding the mindfulness minutes into the health app is cumbersome.
Solution: App through iOS Shortcuts
Speaker Build
Reason: Shelter in place started and I wanted a fun little project.
Video: Tuning the speakers
Equipment: Parts Express
Completed: March 2020
BlueStamp - Talk
This was an open ended talk to a handful of highschool students covering college/career advice, books, and a few of my stories.
Spoken: July 2019
Everest Base camp
My brother and I decided to take on hiking to Everest Base camp in April of 2019. Basecamp is where people summiting Everest begin their journey. Our peak is their beginning.
BTW, this was less difficult than Mont Blanc.
We went with my favorite travel company, Gadventures!
Tour Du Mont Blanc
My brother and I did the trek around Mont Blanc in the summer of 2018. This was by far the most difficult fitness endeavor I have and will ever go on. We went with my favorite travel company, Gadventures!
Why yes, that is a piece of chocolate dipped in peanut butter. I needed every calorie possible
Machu Picchu
My brother and I hiked Machu Picchu in the summer of 2016, just before the start of my senior year of college. We went with my favorite travel company, Gadventures!
Personal - Road Trip Analysis
Goal: Collect/Analyze car data from MI to CA roadtrip (2015)
Equipment: Iphone 6 & OBDII Sensor
Unique Finding: During a long stretch of road with cruise control, I saw my MPG varied about 15%. By using a weather archiver & Cd of the car, I was able to conclude my MPG variation was due to wind gusts.
Personal - Private Pilot
Goal: Learn how to fly an airplane
Execution: During high school, I put in about 60 flight hours and many more studying how to fly. Received my PPL in 2012
Conclusion: This was a critical point in forming my engineering mind. Flying forced me to be confident of my understanding of the aircraft. I learned that knowledge ≠ understanding.