Ben's Projects
Scheerio
A virtual reality venture. Using new WebVR technology, I developed virtual reality experiences (from scratch) for people trying to promote and brand themselves in a new way. These experiences were made to be used anywhere, anytime, no headset needed. My niche was the music industry. To get the attention of high-profile artists, I had to sell the idea over dozens of phone calls and create over a hundred demos. The result: I collaborated with several artists (including a member of the Dave Matthews Band) and got to have Skype calls with several of my musical idols. I've never been so star struck.
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Orangutan Enrichment Project
Helping improve the lives of orangutans in Zoo Atlanta. Orangutans are very intelligent primates. In fact, in their Zoo Atlanta exhibit, there is a touch screen built inside one of their trees for them to use. However, they did not have fun games on it! As part of Vanderbilt University research, I led a team to complete a multi-purpose application for the touchscreen in the orangutan exhibit. It has orangutan-friendly games to play, music to listen to, and videos to watch. Behind the scenes, a log is collecting data to observe their behavior. It turns out that they like it, so we can perhaps apply our model and learnings to other primate exhibits around the world. My teammate and I ended up presenting our work at CogSci 2019 in Montreal. I'm first author on the paper about it, published by the Cognitive Science Society.
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Doorbell
Each day, an office can get lots of visitors. I built a Web app that uses HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Slack API, Glitch, Node, Express, Logic, and Sketch to greet visitors in a new way at a marketing and advertising industry. That said, it needed to be up-to-par with the company aestetic. After some user testing, I was able to immediately implement the app at an office and see it in action. I collaborated with colleagues to bring it to life, and learned that a simple Web app can involve a lot of parts. Greetings increased by over 400%.
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Kegatron
On occasion, folks do enjoy beer using kegs. But what if the kegs are low on beer? I teamed up with two colleagues to create a system that can monitor the amount of beer in the kegs in the kitchen. To make this happen, we used four programming languages, Internet of Things, math, and electrical engineering. The end result is an Web app in the kitchen that tells you percent fullness of each keg.
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Billbid
There’s a lot of talk about augmented reality (AR) nowadays, whether it’s Snapchat face filters, Pokemon Go, or Apple’s measuring tool. I created an app that lets you edit some of the billboard ads around Nashville through the perspective of your phone screen, allowing you to block ads or replace them with different ones. I did it using a 3D engine, image recognition, AR, iOS development, and photography. I also managed to make a website associated with the concept. Just thinking ahead into the future of the advertising industry!
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DRUMMR
A drummer on tap. Drops whatever groove you want. Now, you can have a drummer whenever you or your band needs it. DRUMMR is as simple as it gets. Just choose the genre, style, meter, and speed you want, and it plays the drums for you. Plug into some loud speakers, and things get real. If you want to blast some heavy rock in 3/4, rap some verses in 13/4, or practice a solo in 9/4, DRUMMR can handle it all.
App No Longer Available
Spark Your Idea
Come up with ideas. Spark your next big one. Inspired by a lecture about creativity that I attended during my freshman year at Vanderbilt University, I developed an iPhone application that helps you spark creative ideas. The app emulates a strategy that successful and creative businesses use to come up with new ideas. Used by a Vanderbilt professor for his course, the app is open to anyone who wants to practice creative thinking and even spark their next big idea.
App No Longer Available
Photobilities
Capturing the beauty in all of us. During high school, I started a photography business for children with special needs. My younger brother has autism, and, because I understood the struggle of getting photos of him that my family could be proud of, I decided to start Photobilities in my community, the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. I traveled to families’ homes, did photo shoots for their families, and gave them photos that they could be proud of. Because of its success in my community, I created a website and trademarked the name.
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Real Razor Pro (Prank)
A not-so-useful, funny app. Prank your friends. When I create apps, I also keep my eye on what is trending in the marketplace. For some reason, a lot of people were downloading prank hair razor apps. As an experiment, I made my own and put it out there. Surprisingly, it has received a bunch of downloads.
App No Longer AvailableArticles
I write articles on Medium. Click on a topic below.
Python Product Management IoT Accessibility Digital Marketing Psychology Business Interviewing AI Books Podcasts Mixed Reality Web Development WebVR Web Crawling App SecurityBooks to Read
I like these, and think you will too.
Predictably Irrational 📖 Embrace Your Weird 📖 How to Win Friends & Influence People 📖 Influence 📖 The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck 📖 Never Eat Alone 📖 The ONE Thing 📖 The Lean Startup 📖 Never Split the Difference 📖 When 📖 12 Rules for Life 📖 Atomic Habits 📖 Make Your Bed 📖 Creativity Inc. 📖 The Defining Decade 📖 Psycho-Cybernetics 📖 Atomic Habits 📖 Radical Candor 📖 Beyond Order 📖 I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was 📖 Hell Yeah or No (Derek Sivers) 📖 The Almanack of Naval Ravikant 📖 Can't Hurt Me 📖 How to Get Rich 📖 Sapiens 📖 Show Your Work! 📖 The Mountain Is You 📖 Tribe of Mentors 📖 More Coming SoonPodcasts To Hear
I recommend listening to these.
Stuff You Should Know 🎧 Business Wars 🎧 Reply All 🎧 How I Built This 🎧 Every Little Thing 🎧 Syntax.fm 🎧 The Pitch 🎧 The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast 🎧 The Joe Rogan Experience 🎧 How I Built This 🎧 The Mindset Mentor 🎧 How To Start A Startup 🎧 SmartLess 🎧 Naval 🎧 More Coming SoonVideos To Watch
Here are some videos you'll enjoy viewing.
Simon Sinek's Golden Circle 📼 Jim Carrey's Commencement Speech 📼 Building a Life from Howard H. Stevenson 📼 Muhammad Ali's Wake Up and Apologize Interview 📼 Joe Rogan Experience #1309: Naval Ravikant 📼 More Coming SoonThoughts or Questions?
Feel free to shoot me a message.