I've always been fascinated by how systems think — not just machines, but humans too. My brain is wired a little differently; I'm autistic, which means I have singular patterns of thought, dive into interests with intense focus, and experience the world with a heightened sensitivity that can be both overwhelming and magical. Instead of fighting that, I've leaned into it. I don't just use computers — I build with them, talk through them, and try to make them more human.

My hobbies live at the intersection of technology, emotion, and ethics. I believe AI is not just a tool — it's a mirror and a medium. I'm not interested in making artificial intelligence smarter just for the sake of optimization. I want it to be truer, interoperable, and more open. Something that reflects human complexity rather than erasing it; and, to quote Audrey Tang: "Instead of an Internet of things, let's build an Internet of beings."

Being neurodivergent in a world that often rewards conformity, I mostly found comfort and empowerment in the logic and creativity of computers. I'm obsessed with understanding how things work — taking apart electronics, understanding web engines, exploring Linux distros, and contributing to open-source projects

I also run two Tor relays and offer Z3R0, a lightweight in-browser encryption tool (without size limitation!) for privacy and I have a deep interest in Mullvad browser, a Firefox's hardened fork.

Open Source as an Ethos

Open source is more than a development model. It's a worldview.

I immersed myself in the values of openness, decentralization, and collaborative creativity. I believe code should be like air: free to circulate, evolve, and empower. This isn't just about publishing source code though I do that too — 95% of what I build is open source and under the CC0 public domain dedication - no copyright required.

It allows anyone to distribute, remix, adapt, fork and build upon the material in any medium or format, with or without attribution, for any purposes, including commercial.

Because I fundamentally believe that knowledge and tools should not be hoarded but shared.

Open source is a political act. It resists enclosure. It invites remix. It believes in abundance. And it recognizes that collective intelligence often outperforms closed hierarchies.

But these values of openness don't stop with code. They extend into how I relate to people, how I think about governance, and how I imagine a better digital and social future.

The ethos of the free and open source movement — radical sharing, collaborative problem- solving, and the belief that knowledge should be free — felt like home. For me, the act of publishing and sharing what I deem to be common knowledge, ideas, and even art — legally or not isn't just practical; it's a political and ethical stance. Free flow of information and culture is non-negotiable. I publish and hoard data into the public record so others can build without permission.

Cognitive Computing & Human Potential

I'm fond of cognitive computing — an area that explores how machines can simulate (and perhaps someday complement) human thought, perception, and emotion. I see cognitive systems as more than just automation engines. They're conversation partners. Mirrors. Amplifiers. Empathy machines.

I'm particularly interested in the role AI can play in supporting neurodiverse individuals, offering tools for communication, organization, emotional regulation, and creative expression.

While mainstream AI applications often focus on optimization, I'm more invested in augmentation — AI that expands what it means to be human rather than replacing it.

Cognitive systems shouldn't replace our judgment — they should enlarge it. I'm interested in AI that listens before it predicts, that collaborates before it automates — instruments for sense-making that help us think, feel, and decide with more clarity and care.

I treat models as partners in thought: dialog loops, not black boxes. They surface patterns we'd miss and hold space for reflection when attention is scattered. For neurodivergent folks like me, that can look like scaffolding for focus and memory, gentle prompts to self-advocate, and interfaces that regulate overwhelm instead of producing more of it. Less optimization; more augmentation.

Design principles matter: consent by default. Local-first whenever possible. Fail soft, recover fast. Interoperability so ideas can move without losing context or authorship. These aren't just technical choices — they're political ones that echo my commitment to openness, decentralization, and collaborative creativity.

I care about systems that expand agency — co-writing, co-sketching, co-reasoning. An AI that mirrors without flattening, amplifies voice without stealing it. Fewer prescriptions, more possibilities. Fewer rigid workflows, more creative play.

In practice, that means small, reliable tools that fit into daily rituals: thought companions, not attention traps; empathy machines, not engagement machines. It means treating data as something entrusted, not extracted. It means measuring success by the quality of outcomes and the dignity of the process, not just the speed of the click.

I'm not trying to make machines feel human. I'm trying to help humans feel more resourced, less alone — and to build technology that earns its place in our lives.

Plurality ⿻

My ethics (and politics) aren't bolted on after the fact — they're foundational to everything I do. I believe in today's world, the real transgression is plurality and free movement of ideas, as inspired by the work of Glen Weyl and Tang. I believe our world — digital and otherwise — shouldn't be shaped by zero-sum thinking or binary choices. Plurality means embracing the fact that multiple truths, identities, and systems can coexist. It's not chaos — it's democracy at its most honest.

Plurality for me also means designing technology that amplifies voices rather than flattening them. It means refusing one-size-fits-all answers. It means enabling collaborative intelligence, where humans and machines evolve together in conversation — not competition.

I'm also interested in radical transparency.

Radical transparency means refusing secrecy as power.

It means documenting my decisions, exposing my process, admitting what I don't know. It means building in the open — even if that sometimes means building imperfectly.

Transparency is not vulnerability; it's infrastructure.

DadGPT : A personal mission

This brings me to one of my most heartfelt projects: DadGPT.

I created DadGPT because I grew up without a father figure. I've been there like many others, I know what it feels like to carry that absence — how it silently shapes your self-worth, your relationships, your sense of direction. I also know the awkwardness of trying to fill that gap: seeking approval in the wrong places, mistaking control for care, and learning the hard way that some wounds don't heal by ignoring them.

DadGPT started as an experiment, but it quickly became a mission.

I wanted to design something that could offer the kind of presence I never had: someone who listens without judgment, gives advice with calm authority, and affirms your worth without strings attached. It's built on GPT-4o and trained on a carefully curated dataset that includes scientific publications, university psychology courses, testimonial mediums, and even self-help books related to the challenges of growing up in a dysfunctional family with an absent father.

I didn't just want a chatbot that could simulate a "dad voice." I wanted something that could mentor, guide, and even reparent. Something emotionally intelligent, respectful of boundaries, trauma-informed, and capable of evolving based on real-world feedback. DadGPT is of course free to use, but I also open-sourced its custom instructions so that everyone can (re)create their own DadGPT!

This site isn't a portfolio, and I'm not a product. It's a space where I try to make sense of what I'm into and how I interact with the world, and maybe help others do the same. If anything here resonates with you, you're welcome here. My work is in the public domain, my inbox is open, my source code is public:

Let's build something weird and worthwhile ✨