Jacob Dalton Dedicated Project Visit Application

Work in Progress

Name, age, location, contact info (phone, email, Skype).

Jacob Dalton

27

New Richmond, WI

715-220-3615

jacobrdalton AT gmail DOT com

jacob.dalton

When would you be available for a Dedicated Project Visit?

November - December 21st

Please submit a 1-2 minute video introduction regarding your interest in applying.

See recruiting page.

Are you willing to publish all the results of your work openly according to the OSE Open IP Guidelines? Yes.

Please provide 3 References with email and phone number - 2 work references, 1 personal reference

Brad Lewis, Aaron Makaruk, Jess McCormick

How did you hear about the program?

Whilst browsing Ted Talks January 2011.

Why are you applying for a Dedicated Project Visit?

I want to finish the True Fans Application and get to know the project better.

Describe your practical skills - from agriculture, workshop, industry, organizing, hands-on, CAD, manufacturing, computer skills, etc.

Heavy equipment operation, basic fab skills (welding, cutting, and common sense), landscaping, sticky note ninja master, familiarity with CAD, experience with organic 3d modeling and animation, programming (C++, php, javascript, bits of python, perl, scheme, java, and prolog), basic linux systems administration, web development (html, css, javascript), good knowledge with gimp and inkscape, some experience with game programming (DirectX and OpenGL). But there's really only one important skill: problem solving.

Have you designed and built or produced anything for your own use?

I built my self a bedroom in my parent's barn. I built a foldable bookshelf. I've built many bits of code and scripts.

Do you have any organizational skills and experience?

My programming skills are pretty amenable to organization. I'm the primary organization force behind my family's landscaping business (from financial records to tools).

Can you cook?

Yes. I'm a bit rusty, but I really enjoy cooking.

Do you have resources to support yourself while volunteering with us? Can you cover your food expenses?

Yes.

Do you have any medical, physical, or psychological conditions or disabilities which may affect your ability to do physical work?

No.

Do you have any emotional, psychological, or mental conditions which may affect your ability to act with composure and good judgment?

Nope.

Are you easy to get along with and can you get along with other people?

I've lived multiple countries and cities over the past 5 years. I'm accustomed to rebuilding my social existence.

Do you have strong ideological views (political, religious, elitist, feminist, etc.)?

I believe strongly in making. I believe strongly in empiricism. I also believe in the utility of phenomenological thinking. However I don't consider these ideological--I look at my beliefs as tools to understanding reality. I consider Richard Feynman to be a great inspiration, and I'm amenable to Bruce Lee's world view. If I had to pick a name for my ideology it would be a complete mess. Something like: pragmatic liberaltarian innovation seeker who believes you should be nice to people.

Are you a team player - or someone who understands that the work we do at Factor e Farm is for a greater purpose than for our own self-gratification, indulgence, or agenda? This implies a level of maturity in the participant which allows one to remain not only aligned with the vision, but also to remain motivated in this work.

I believe in teams, and I believe in transparency. I'm somewhat suspicious of conceptions of pure altruism that get tossed around in discussions of higher purpose. I believe nearly all behavior is motivated by some type of self-interest but that self-interest is mitigated by shared values with other people. I think the greatest challenge of team work is building trust among all the members. I like working with people who share my interests, and I promote the possible worlds I wish to live in. When I make a promise to do something, I consider that a binding agreement.

Do you smoke?

No.

Do you have any dietary restrictions? Will you eat meat raised at our farm?

No restrictions. Meat is delicious.

Do you have transportation? Will you be arriving by car and leaving the car on-site?

Arriving in a teal Chrysler Lebarron.

Documentation is key to moving our work forward. Are you familiar with using a Wiki?

Yeps.

====List your goals and deliverables for your Dedicated Project Visit, breaking it up by each of the four weeks. Please write a one-page proposal brief summarizing what you would like to do, how you would accomplish it, and what resources you would need to do so. Include a budget as necessary.====

Pre-Arrival: Polished prototype (November 16th)

Week 1: test the prototype with the team at FeF, bug-fixes, collect feedback (same as your schedule)

Week 2: blog post, solicit feedback from stakeholders, feature freeze, adjust and iterate

Week 3: beta release to a subset of True Fans, adjust and iterate

Week 4: full release via blog post and email, adjust and analyze

Deliverable: True Fan Application

What are the metrics by which you could assess the success of your work?

There's a sweet new True Fan application on the wiki by the second week of December. The success of the application is related to how many videos are uploaded and how many new true fans join the project.

What do you expect personally to get out of your Dedicated Project Visit?

I want to know the conditions on the ground, the quality of the team, and the prospects for success. I want to know how much of my future effort to invest in this project.

Can you visit us prior to your Dedicated Project Visit?

There's not really time for that.

Please share three interesting things about yourself.

Have lived in Denmark and Korea. Studied math and creative writing. Grew up on a farm.

Please share three things you think people should know about living with you.

I'm very curious, and I enjoy getting to know the details of what people are working on and what they want the world to be like. If I don't get any exercise my sleep schedule tends to drift back an hour or two a day until day is night and night is day. I need to do stuff outside to stay balanced. I like to play board games. Maybe we could do some Settlers of Catan?

Can you bring a digital camera or smart phone for documenting your work?

No. I don't think that will be necessary for the work I'm doing.

Any other concerns or considerations?

I'm bringing a laptop and a monitor. The monitor should draw an extra 20-25W over the power consumption of the laptop. I believe that should work within the constraints of the energy infrastructure, and you need to tell me if it won't.