Personal Projects & Interests is my sandbox for life outside the office—where spreadsheets, sensors, and code tackle real-world chores and passions. Here you’ll see data models guiding gear buys, DIY automations that make the house (and gate) smarter, endurance training logged like an experiment, and reflections that tie it all together.
For the BMW Marathon in Dallas, I’m targeting 7:30/mile pace—a 3:16:45 finish, what training plan should I follow from today? Work has been insane stressful, and has destroyed my training. Can AI help me here? My long runs felt good at that pace for 8-10 miles, so I thought I was on track. I’m always […] read more
Some posts I write to inform others of cool stuff. Others posts I write to save someone else time when they google. This post is just a story of frustration, written to look like the second example. You have been warned. Several years ago, I bought this pressure washer and then let it sit unused […] read more
Note: Check out the app and try the model for yourself. UPDATE: Need to incorporate Pink Bike! Fresh off a weekend of riding in Bentonville, I realized I need to replace my 2006 Gary Fisher Cake. But I’m data driven and love figuring out a market before I dive in. I wanted more than crowd-sourced […] read more
In today’s crowded used‐EV market, it can be nearly impossible to sift through hundreds of messy web pages and figure out what really drives a Tesla Model Y’s price. That’s why I’m taking a data‐first approach: we’ll pull the full listing text for 250 Long Range Model Ys from CarMax (despite their tangled HTML), clean […] read more
I can’t get my heart rate up on the bike, even when I feel I’m pushing hard. I grind up hills, spin through flats, and yet it’s hard to get above 120–130 bpm. I run at 160 bpm and race at 170-180. Cycling is a very muscle‑specific sport. Unlike running, where your whole body (and the […] read more
Training for a Half Ironman (70.3) is equal parts endurance, nutrition, and smart pacing. Over the last few months, I’ve spent countless hours in the pool (plus on the bike and run) to prepare. Below is the nutrition and timing strategy I’m trying out for race day. I normally like to show my work, but […] read more
Aging makes running harder: recovery slows, endurance wanes, and managing weight is tougher. Stress from increased work responsibilities compounds these challenges. My last job pushed my stress levels high, prompting me to seek relief through distance running—a hardship chosen and controlled, providing a welcome contrast to life’s uncontrollable demands. In that spirit, I did a […] read more
My son was jumping around the neighborhood on his 2019 Men’s Stumpjumper ST Comp Alloy 29 and noticed his chain sticking on the back of his bike. He was jumping around and noticed that the rear gears and chain were binding. You can see this below: I took off the derailleur and noticed the notch […] read more
It’s a question that has likely crossed many minds: Won’t heaven be boring? When we read Revelation 4:8 about beings who “day and night never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,'” it might sound like a monotonous loop of endless repetition. Doesn’t anything done forever sound exhausting? But this modern […] read more
Plato is an unexpected architect of progressive thought, but his name has come up as the bad guy in some conservative circles lately. This is partly because at the heart of Plato’s political philosophy lies the concept of the philosopher-king, a notion that resonates with progressive governance and control. The philosopher-king concept fundamentally assumes that […] read more