Making hard ideas easy to understand

Technical education and GTM enablement, explored through apps, simulations, and writing.

About

Hands-on Learning

I help technical teams, partners, and customers understand and use complex software. My career has taken me from particle physics and performance engineering to technical education and enablement at Riverbed, WalkMe, and Eightfold.

During a planned break from work, I've been tutoring physics, tending my garden, tinkering with cars, and exploring AI-assisted development. These projects grow out of things I want to teach, investigate, or use myself, from making momentum visible to experimenting with an evolutionary selection model I've been thinking about for twenty years. I define what I want to build, direct the implementation with AI, and review and test the results.

Projects

Selected Projects

A mix of apps, simulations, dashboards, and writing projects built to make technical ideas easy to understand.

content/*.md
slug: time-dilation
topic: physics
quiz: question_id
cattagrel
Read
Entry view
Quiz
Reveal / typed
Review
Supabase
Miscellany
MemoryEngine
Public sourceKnowledge and learning app

Gavin's Miscellany

A Markdown-first personal encyclopedia and spaced-learning system combining structured knowledge, quizzes, editorial review, AI-assisted grading, and learning-science-based scheduling.

Tech used:

TypeScriptReactNext.js / VinextTailwindSupabaseOpenAI APISpaced-repetition learningCustom API service
Live appView source on GitHubMore details
Fitness curves
Gen 184
C++ core01
WASM02
Browser03
Live demoEvolution simulator

FamilyFitness

A genetic algorithm experiment framework comparing classic selection methods with my custom-designed lifecycle-based model, now with a browser demo running real C++ through WebAssembly.

Tech used:

C++WebAssemblyJavaScriptEvolutionary algorithmsVercel
Live appView source on GitHubMore details
momentum model
1
2
3
4
Live demoPhysics simulation

Crash Carts

A physics simulation demonstrating conservation of momentum with colliding carts.

Tech used:

Next.jsReactJavaScriptCanvas animationPhysics modeling
Live appMore details
AI identification01
Care card02
Printable PDF03
Live appPlant care app

Plant ID App

An AI-assisted plant identification and care app I built for my garden, turning plant photos into practical care guidance.

Tech used:

ViteReactJavaScriptTailwindVercelUpstash RedisOpenAI vision API
Live appMore details
blank folder
package.json
src/app
deploy
In progressTech writing

From Zero to Live

A book in progress about going from a blank folder to a deployed web app using AI-assisted development, with practical explanations of the tools, decisions, and responsibilities along the way.

Tech used:

MarkdownTechnical writingGitHubVercelAI-assisted workflow
In progressMore details
Project cards
Detail pages
Vercel preview
Live portfolioPortfolio site

Portfolio Website

A public project showcase for my AI-assisted coding work, teaching tools, simulations, dashboards, and technical writing.

Tech used:

Next.jsReactTypeScriptVercel
More details

Private local tools

Private / localFinancial modeling

Options Trading Dashboard

Local dashboard for tracking options activity, model assumptions, notes, and risk.

Tech used:

PythonStreamlitLocal CSV files
Private / localHousehold planning

Home Planner Dashboard

Local dashboard for chores, projects, goals, and household routines.

Tech used:

ViteReactBrowser localStorageForm-driven UIResponsive dashboard