Interests and Hobbies

Amateur electrical hobbyist/tinkerer

I've been toying with electronics since my first experiences working on cars as a auto technician. This experience provided a baseline of knowledge for a hobby that I'm sure will be of lifelong interest to me. I am profoundly fascinated by electricity and the devices we use to control the movement of electrons. Considered more deeply, my fascination stemps from the fact that of fundamental physical forces humans have discovered, electromagnetism is one of the most well understood. Futhermore, electricity has a fundamental level of precision by its very nature and controlling it can be very simplistic. For example, you can build a functional crystal radio using a hardcover book and a piece of aluminum foil as a capacitor that tunes radio frequencies from a radio station 40 miles away with a radio made from a single germanium diode and a coil of wire. On the other end of the complexity spectrum, electrical potential powers the majority of devices present in our homes and vehicles, not to mention modern day computers. As a curious person, I cannot help but be drawn into the magical realm of electricity. Simply put, if you can understand and control the electromagnetic force, you become a modern day wizard...

Now tell me thats not sorcery...

My current projects are:

200kV tesla coil I've been working on for ~3 years (Functional as of April 2019)
Software and hardware for automated cpu core temperature control for my Rasberry Pi3 (Up and Running as of June 2019!!!)
30 amp adjustable voltage (5-24V) power supply
Small scale Van de Graaff (high voltage electrical potential generator) to be used for experiments with strong static charge.

Updates will be put on project pages...

Scuba Diving

Outside of the previous hobbies I occasionally find myself at the local Wisconsin lakes (Devil's lake is my favorite) 20ft under water. Something about the technology necessary to achieve this feat and the blend of an almost weightless experience with an alien environment make scuba diving extremely attractive to me. Scuba diving in Wisconsin lakes is not always easy. In fact its often often uncomfortable, but its highly satisfying if you seek adventure. I absolutely do. I've been to 80 ft below the waves (~shivers uncontrollably~) and completed >35 dives. I now hold certifications for both enriched air and advanced open water diving. In the future, I'll likely complete a rescue course to prepare for emergencies that may arise and continue my pursuit to become a SCUBA instructor. Finally, I cannot wait for my first trip to tropical diving.

Chillin with the Largemouth Bass at Devils Lake. FYI they love crawfish, lift a rock or two and you'll make a friend for life 😄

Never expected to be weightless next to a gnome on the bottom of a wisconsin lake, but life has a funny way of surprising me...

SpaceX and anything related

I have an endless fascination with mans place in the universe, and I am so excited to see someone thats trying to advance our civilization for more than their own capital gain. If you haven't looked recent human spaceflight achievements you may want to start looking, its gona get very interesting soon!

Competitive Volleyball

I've been playing competitive volleyball since early high school. During undergraduate I joined the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh team for a brief time where I got my start in truely competitive ball. Since then I've been lucky to compete in many tournaments throughout wisconsin including: King of the Beach (Sheboygan, WI), Walleye Weekend (Fond Du Lac, WI) and the prestigious Waupaca Boatride tournament (Oshkosh, WI). I continue playing for fun and exercise in local Madison tournaments at Turner hall and the occasional sand game at Ten Pin Alley in the summer.