About

I’m an engineer, musician and martial artist.

I’ve been interested in technology since I was very young. In 1984, my parents bought an old IBM AT personal computer with no graphics card, no hard drive and a monochrome display. Because few games would run on that machine, I started writing my own. While in high school, I became interested in the emerging Internet, and I created websites and dialup BBS systems in order to expand my horizons. Then at MIT, I discovered artificial intelligence research, which led me to choose Brain and Cognitive Sciences as my major and pursue further work at the MIT Media Lab. Since graduating, I’ve been passionate about creating applications that give users new and innovative experiences.

Music has helped shape my life. I started playing the violin in fourth grade, and the experience of being in an orchestra inspired me to pick up other instruments. I learned guitar by borrowing my mother’s old Yamaha, and in high school, I saved up enough to buy a used Les Paul, which is still my favorite today. My friends and I played in various bands through college, and I adopted more instruments to fill in where needed. I’m always up for a jam session, whether I’m playing guitar, drums or keyboard. It’s a great way to connect with people.

The practice of martial arts has always fascinated me. It began with Taekwondo, which I learned from a church pastor in Texas. I studied it for five years and achieved the rank of 1st degree black belt. However, I felt something was missing in practical technique and purpose. I left it behind to explore other forms of self defense, such as wrestling, that seemed more applicable to real-life situations. Then, after a long absence from any martial art, my wife and I began studying Jiu Jitsu in 2009. Training with her gave me renewed focus, and I discovered that the reason we train hard is to be able to protect each other, which is all the motivation and purpose we need.

I live in Massachusetts with my wife, Irene.