Jarad avatar

I'm a programmer with artistic tendencies, who loves building things that make the world slightly more awesome. I particularly enjoy finding ways to add little bits of randomization to projects.

I studied Software Engineering at Auburn University, made a lot of personal projects, and am currently working on more projects + making a portfolio.

Infinite Pads

Musical instrument Android app that plays continuous lush pad sounds in any key.

Infinite Pads app featured graphic

Why
I needed to lead worship at church when the keyboard player couldn’t attend.

How
Java + Android SDK
Idea -> lots of tutorials + documentation -> implementation

Impact
500k+ downloads

Challenges

  • Design - The finished app may look simple, but it took a lot of research, experimentation, and trial and error to arrive here.
  • Audio processing - This app required processing audio data byte by byte to achieve perfect continuous playback + customizable high/lowpass filtering and fade in/out duration + smaller bundled audio files.
  • Targeting different devices and newer android versions
  • Google Play Store publishing requirements
  • "Verify your identity" - I never met this requirement (because I didn't like my home address being on the Play Store) so Infinite Pads is now removed from the Play Store 🙁

Playtime Tracker

Play-time tracking tool for Anbernic RG35XX Plus handheld console.

Playtime Tracker app screenshot

Why
Since the days of the Nintendo Wii I’ve enjoyed seeing how much time I’ve put into each game I play. The RG35XX Plus doesn’t offer this natively, so after learning it was possible, I decided it would be a fun project to implement.

How
Python + Bash, Linux
Idea -> code examples -> implementation

Challenges

  • Resource constraints - This is the first project I've made targeting something that isn't a PC or smartphone. I was surprised that rendering four resized PNGs wasn't instant.
  • Primitive GUI development - Having to work with the lightweight Linux firmware installed on the device, the entire GUI is built from drawing shapes, text, and images with Python's PIL library.

Windows Dynamic Wallpaper

A personalization app for Windows that automatically changes the desktop background throughout the day based on your location.

Windows Dynamic Wallpaper demo gif

Why
I wanted MacOS-style dynamic wallpapers on my laptop.

How
C#/.NET + WPF
Idea -> research, StackOverflow -> implementation

Challenges

  • Designing a simple way to let users create their own dynamic wallpapers with a set of images
  • Simplifying how the sun's position is associated with an image
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