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Over a year ago I switched roles in the software engineering field. I started working as an iOS developer for a company called Flywheel. We are a start up in the transportation industry. Our goal is to provide safe, reasonably priced rides from professional drivers with the entire hailing and paying process handled from your personal mobile device. The goal is to make the experience as seamless as possible for the end user. You take out your phone, find a pickup location, the app hails available cabs, and you are notified when a car is on it’s way. When you get to your destination you can adjust the tip or just leave your default. Your credit card is automatically billed so you can worry about what you need to do next. ...

It’s been over a year since I left my roll at Motorola working with a team of very talented web developers on Montage. During my time with that group I worked on a side project for automated testing called “Screening”. I wrote a couple of posts (or at least one post) about chromedriver which we used to power screening. Still, one of the big personal accomplishments for me during that time was being published at Ars Technica. I was one of three authors on a post about the tools we were working on. The project has since been abandoned, but you can read about it here. ...

This charity is a bit more specialized in the past. I tend to rally around Education, and this is tied to that, but is more directly associated with Dispath, the band. They make great music and I’ve been a huge fan for about 2 or 3 years and seen them in concert several times. Along with their performances, they believe in community service. The current charity is called Amplifying Education, and they volunteer while they are on tour. The money raised is distributed to several worthwhile educational funds. So, here is Amplifying Education, pass it on. ...

I saw a link on Daring Fireball the other day about the EFF going after a case involving royalties on Podcasting. This whole patent troll thing has gotten out of control and to think that all podcasts might be subject to a fee just for existing is beginning to scare me. There was also an interesting show from This American Life about it. Bottom line, this month, after taking a little brake, I’m back with donating $5 on the fifth. You can join me at the EFF Help Save Podcasting page. ...

I’ve been commuting a lot more. Every Monday morning I hop in the car and start with my favorite podcast, This American Life. (Short aside, I got into this show because of piece I posted about here). Three weeks ago I heard the first of a two part series on Harper High School. To say I was moved is a catastrophic understatement. This American Life chose Harper because they were in their home city of Chicago and last year there 28 shooting incidents with current and former students. The stories of the lives of the students is a strong juxtaposition with my own childhood. They are forced into gangs that are about protection, not crime. The school is the place they feel most safe. And it has been under a special grant to provide great services for these kids. The grant is ending next year, and many of the support positions will be losing funding. They are collecting donations to support these kids. ...