I created AstroChallenge to scratch my own itch: to have a place to keep an observation journal for astronomy and to share it with the rest of the community. In that I believe I’ve succeeded, check out my profile and journal. Since then the word has gotten out and other astronomers have been logging their own observations. Now, only 2 weeks after making AstroChallenge public, over 100 observations have been logged! Read more...

Edit 11/27/2014: GraniteMaps Santa Cruz is now available on the iOS store! link

It took me a while, but over the weekend I officially submitted my first app into the Google Play Store:

GraniteMaps: Santa Cruz is a digital trail map for those looking to hike, ride or trot the trails in and around Santa Cruz, CA. GraniteMaps: Santa Cruz provides an easy to read topographical map, current location, trail list, and extra information on local wildlife.

So technically, how did all this come together? Using a bunch of awesome libraries held together by dirty hacks, of course!

Read more...

Over the last week in Nicaragua I've seen a lot of new and interesting wildlife. I spotted a fearless [pygmy owl](https://www.flickr.com/photos/103377679@N03/15216679298/) on my first day here that let me get within 10 feet while shooting photos! Last night we went to a beach to watch some sea turles [lay their eggs](https://www.flickr.com/photos/103377679@N03/15439446002/), that was pretty cool too. But it's hard to beat the mantled howler monkey. Read more...

Thanks to my wonderul parents, I’m now the proud owner of a new GoPro. And thanks to theives in San Francisco, I’m also the proud owner of a new Ibis Mojo HDR which took the place of my lost Santa Cruz Blur LT. I finally got the chance to use both over the weekend on a very dry, very warm, January day: I really enjoyed the process of both filming and editing the video. Read more...

[]({{site.image_url}}/{{page.id | replace: ‘/’,'-’ | remove_first: ‘-'}}/screenshot.png)

I have to admit my favorite thing about the new year has to be all the awesome “Best Of” remixes and lists that come out just in time for the NYE parties.

I decided this year I was going to make my own. But instead of a boring list, why not make it interactive? So, I present to you:

Best Songs of 2013 with Three.js

Read more...

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we starting seeing websites like this? I usually hear people say they don’t use PGP because nobody else does. A fair complaint - PGP isn’t exactly easy to set up and without the proper motivation it’s hard to convince the people you communicate with to use it too. But PGP isn’t so hard to set up that our machines can’t use it to send us messages. Read more...

I’ve been on a cryptology kick recently, which is really no surprise. With all the recent news about domestic surveillance and services providing private communication being forcefully shut down, I have to admit my sympathy for the foil hats has increased considerably. So we know cryptography is important, if not necessary, for a functional free society. But it’s also really ‘effin cool. The world of cryptography is an even mix of mathematics, information science, and civil disobedience. Read more...

Recently we have learned that a certain branch of the government may be overstepping the consitutional right to privacy. While this may be old news for many the recent leaks by Edward Snowden have brought the issue to national attention and have caused quite a stir. And rightly so, the argument can be made that the NSA is violating the forth amendment. Restore the Fourth, a grassroots organization that sprung up nearly overnight, is making that argument and taking it to the public. Read more...