Projects

This is a collection of small experiments, tools, and ongoing work. For finished work, see my portfolio; for code, see Github.


Nominal to real dollars

Nominal to Real Dollar Conversions

A common mistake when describing changes in price over time is to use nominal dollars values instead of inflation-adjusted numbers. I wrote this Python class that uses the consumer price index data from the BLS to convert dollar values from one year to another.


Apartment Layout

Apartment Layout

When I found my new apartment I took measurements and drafted a rough floor plan in InDesign. Then I wondered how long it would take to make an interactive version. I created images for furniture, threw together a webpage, and loaded Prototype and Scriptaculous. Read more at Feng shui my apartment.


Lava lamp

Lava Lamp

This experiment uses the jQuery color plugin to cycle randomly through colors, framed by a semi-transparent image. The result is simple, but there are a few subtle touches: the lamp takes longer to turn on than to turn off, and the on/off switch slides from side to side. One improvement would be to use <canvas> to animate blobs within the lamp.


Quoteboard Logo

Quoteboard

When one of my professors said something amusing in class I decided to throw together a place where classmates could share overheard quotes from around school. By the next class I had Quoteboard. Functionality is limited to adding and deleting quotes. I'd like to add the ability to rate quotes and display different sets. This is a demo installation, so feel free to add or delete anything you want. If all the quotes are deleted, the installation will just refresh itself.


Crossword Creator Screenshot

Crossword Puzzle Creator

I started this unfinished project when my interest in crosswords was at its peak. My goal was to allow users to create a grid, place words, write clues, and download or save a copy of their work.