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What Comic-Con Teaches Us about Design and Branding

July 26, 2019  •  8 min readPhoto of the Hall H stage at Comic-Con
As a designer, I've always been fascinated by how Comic-Con creates such passionate brand loyalty. By examining the core elements of storytelling - from worldbuilding to character development - we can apply these same principles to create more compelling brands and products. Here's what I learned from studying one of pop culture's biggest phenomena.
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Mainstream Media Just Don’t Understand

May 5, 2019  •  11 min readNew York Times vs Apple
As a tech industry observer, I've long been frustrated by mainstream media's misrepresentation of technology issues. The New York Times' recent coverage of Apple's App Store policies demonstrates this problem perfectly - from misunderstanding MDM technology to making flawed monopoly arguments, their reporting shows a fundamental lack of technical understanding while sending mixed messages about platform responsibility.
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Why Bulletproof Backpacks Are a Good Idea

November 9, 2017  •  5 min readA powerful black-and-white image depicts a young boy looking upwards with a solemn, contemplative expression. On the left, the barrel of an assault rifle held by a gloved hand is pointed, symbolizing the grim reality of gun violence and its impact on children. The dark background heightens the emotional tension, underscoring the unsettling juxtaposition of innocence and the threat of violence in modern society.
We’ve reached the point where schools are selling bulletproof backpack panels to protect kids from mass shootings. This is the NRA’s endgame: guns everywhere, from classrooms to churches to bars, with no meaningful gun control. Meanwhile, gun ownership is declining, but 69% of us live in fear of gun violence, thanks to a vocal minority holding our politics hostage. Bulletproof gear shouldn’t be a back-to-school essential, yet here we are.
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We’re Not There Yet

October 17, 2017  •  8 min readSilhouette of human evolution stages over a background of red blood splatters, symbolizing violence and primal instincts.
Yesterday, my Facebook filled with "Me too" posts—stark reminders of pervasive harassment. Later, I heard the harrowing story of a Rohingya survivor, exposing humanity’s capacity for cruelty. Despite millennia of evolution, our primal instincts—aggression, territorialism, tribalism—still pull us back. But progress depends on resisting them and building a future of empathy and cooperation. We must do better. Together.
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Losing Our Democracy

September 27, 2017  •  2 min readSenator John McCain standing in the center of the U.S. Senate floor, surrounded by colleagues, casting his decisive vote against the Obamacare repeal, while others observe and react.
We are losing something precious: the ability to compromise. With every election of an ideologue and every retirement of a statesman like John McCain, we edge closer to the collapse of a democratic system that depends on listening and collaboration. Democracy isn’t about winning every fight; it’s about finding common ground. When we lose sight of that, we lose ourselves.
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My Backup Plan

April 3, 2017  •  11 min read
After losing years of work to a catastrophic hard drive failure, I developed a comprehensive backup strategy using both local and cloud solutions. Here's my battle-tested approach to keeping data safe using RAID, NAS, Dropbox, and automated cloud backups.
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The Mainstream Fox News

March 27, 2017  •  5 min readGlitched image of a Fox News broadcast featuring Bill O’Reilly with bold text overlays, including phrases like ‘Insanity Over Illegal Immigration’ and commentary on media coverage.
While Fox News criticizes “mainstream media,” it’s the most-watched news network in America, shaping narratives as much as it claims others do. Its focus on a Maryland rape case over the AHCA’s defeat highlights how editorial choices reflect and reinforce worldviews, underscoring the power and bias of media today.
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Bully

August 19, 2016  •  1 min read
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Smart Data Needs Smart Design

December 11, 2015  •  3 min readSmartest Time to Buy Infographic
How I transformed raw data about car-buying patterns into an elegant, circular infographic that tells a compelling story. Starting with a simple Excel chart, I created a sophisticated visualization that reveals the best times to buy a car—by day, month, and vehicle type.
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Designing a Data-First Infographic

January 30, 2015  •  6 min readExotic car marques timeline
When tasked with creating an infographic about exotic car company ownership, what started as a simple timeline evolved into something much more ambitious. Through deep research into automotive history and exploration of various visualization techniques, I developed a detailed 24" x 36" radial timeline poster that tells the complex story of luxury automotive brands and their changing corporate parents over the past century.