Jacob Dalton Dedicated Project Visit Application

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 organizing 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 in 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 believe in the value of experience. However I don't consider myself 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 and generally make the world better.

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 in a group, converting self-interest into mutually shared interests. I really like working with people who share my interests, and I promote the possible worlds I wish to live in. In the end, life is really just the experiences you share with other people.

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?

If there exists a sweet new True Fans application on the wiki by the second week of December, I'll consider this a mostly successful endeavor. However, the success of the application relative to the project is determined by how many videos are uploaded and how many new true fans join the project. These are unknown unknowns to me. Without accurate data for the current state of the True Fans project or feedback about how much people like the application, it is impossible to predict the effect this will have on the project. I think the creation of 25-50 videos within the first month and an increase of 5-10% in the True Fans number within the first 2 months would be pretty good performance and be a sort of break even point in terms of effort to results return.

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 I should 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 a game of 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. But I can make screen shots and web cam videos like some people make hotcakes. So there should be lots of documentation.

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 FeF energy infrastructure, and you need to tell me if that won't work.

Jacob Dalton Dedicated Project Visit Application

Contents

Work in Progress

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

When would you be available for a Dedicated Project Visit?

Please attach a resume or provide a list of work and volunteer experience.

Please include a photo of yourself.

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

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

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

How did you hear about the program?

Why are you applying for a Dedicated Project Visit?

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