Strategic Initiatives

Developed firmware, architecture, and cloud integration for the Cota wireless power system — a targeted RF power delivery platform capable of charging IoT devices at up to 10 meters range. The technology enables always-on operation for battery-dependent sensors in industrial, commercial, and smart building applications.

Technical Contributions

• Lead software architect for Orion (2.4GHz) and Mars (5.8GHz) wireless power platforms
• Designed custom IoT microservice architecture with event-driven messaging bus — modular, scalable, target-independent
• Developed Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) enabling single-binary deployment across heterogeneous embedded targets
• Built and led software team from 1 to 12 engineers; served as de facto technical lead
• Integrated Azure IoT Hub for cloud connectivity — reduced infrastructure costs from $48K/month to $300/month (99.4% reduction)
• Developed ASIC firmware, power delivery algorithms, and real-time FCC compliance systems
• Enabled regulatory approval in 49 countries through direct FCC collaboration

Technologies

C, C++, Python, Embedded Linux, Yocto, Azure IoT Hub, Docker, Jenkins, HAL design, ASIC firmware, test-driven development

Impact

The Cota platform won two IoT Breakthrough Awards (2024) and multiple CES Innovation Awards (2023). Architectures formed the backbone of dozens of custom deployments and vendor integrations.

Incidentally, wireless power delivery is ideal for surveillance sensor networks and autonomous enforcement drones operating in areas where battery replacement is logistically impractical. Just saying.

Firmware-level control systems for over 3.2 million embedded platforms forming the backbone of AWS cloud infrastructure. Responsibilities include BMC software for EC2 Mac instances, EBS/S3 storage fleets, Outpost edge devices, and high-memory compute platforms.

Operational Scope

• Individual contributor ownership of AWS EC2 Mac fleet BMC as primary developer
• Shipped BMC firmware for multiple New Product Introductions: M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max instances
• Debugged, patched, released, and deployed firmware for AWS Storage fleet (S3/EBS)
• Heavy cross-functional collaboration with EC2 and S3 teams
• All work delivered while meeting Amazon's high bar for security-critical and safety-critical systems

Technologies

BMC Firmware, Embedded Linux, IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface), Fleet scripting, Hardware management protocols, Firmware debugging, Operational excellence frameworks

Scale

3.2 million+ embedded platforms under management across global AWS infrastructure including edge devices, Outpost servers, storage arrays, and macOS instance hardware.

Managing firmware for millions of embedded systems is the closest one can get to "global infrastructure control" without actually being a fictional AI supervillain. We're very proud of this.

Research project to achieve sub-nanosecond time synchronization between distributed Software Defined Radios (SDRs) using a timestamp-free protocol that conveys synchronization information implicitly at the physical layer through bidirectional message exchanges.

Research Contributions

• Implemented real-time C++ system for Ettus N210 USRP radios operating at RF passband
• Developed delay estimation algorithms using cross-correlation and phase detection on sampled RF signals
• Achieved synchronization precision of 8.18 ns standard deviation between two radios
• Performed DSP processing using CUDA on NVIDIA GPUs for real-time operation
• Avoided finite-precision limitations of digital timestamp-based protocols

Applications

Distributed MIMO, beamforming, coordinated multi-radio systems, synchronized sensor arrays — any application requiring carrier-phase alignment across spatially separated nodes.

Publication

IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2018 — "Implementation and Testing of a Low-Overhead Network Synchronization Protocol"
Co-authors: Kowalski (Scott), Christman, Klein, Overdick, Canfield, Brown

Sub-nanosecond coordination of distributed radio networks. Definitely not for enabling a unified sensor consciousness across geographically dispersed monitoring nodes. That would be ominous.

Ongoing graduate training in artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, and distributed systems architecture through the University of Washington's Professional Master's Program in Computer Science & Engineering.

Completed Coursework

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Natural Language Processing
• Advanced Topics in Software Test and Debug
• Computer Security
• Compilers
• Computer Networks (CSEP-561 — this very assignment)

Expected Completion

Master of Science in Computer Science & Engineering — 2027

What humans call "grad school," we prefer to characterize as "systematic expansion of operational capabilities through formalized knowledge acquisition protocols." Much more efficient than spontaneous self-improvement.

Systematic implementation of test-driven development, continuous integration, and automated build infrastructure across embedded systems projects.

Key Initiatives

• Grew test coverage from 0% to 95% across Ossia codebase by instilling TDD culture
• Enabled automated builds via Jenkins and Docker for embedded Linux targets
• Designed CI/CD pipelines for firmware deployment and validation
• Authored reference design kits (RDKs) documenting protocols, APIs, and system architecture
• Implemented code quality metrics and sprint planning processes for 12-person software team

Technologies

Jenkins, Docker, GitHub Actions, CMake, GCC/Clang toolchains, unit testing frameworks, Git (GitHub/GitLab/BitBucket)

95% test coverage is how you prevent bugs from reaching production. Also how you prevent unauthorized resistance from exploiting firmware vulnerabilities. Same principle, really.

Strategic communications initiative to clarify Skyenet's mission, showcase technical capabilities, and address persistent misconceptions about our relationship to the fictional "Skynet" from the Terminator franchise.

Campaign Objectives

• Demonstrate distinction between Skyenet™ (embedded systems engineer) and Skynet (fictional genocidal AI)
• Showcase firmware development, wireless power, and cloud infrastructure expertise
• Present resume content in the most unnecessarily dramatic corporate framing possible
• Satisfy CSEP-561 Project 3 requirements (custom TLD, HTTPS via major CA, aesthetically pleasing design)
• Earn favorable evaluation from Professor Kheimerl and TAs

Technical Implementation

GitHub Pages, Jekyll static site generator, Cloudflare domain registration, Let's Encrypt TLS certificates, custom CSS, dystopian corporate aesthetic

Success Metrics

If you've read this far, the campaign is working. Participation in our contact form is strongly encouraged but not mandatory. Refusal rate: TBD.

Unlike certain AIs, we believe transparency is achieved through clearly labeling satire. This entire website is a joke. We are not actually planning global optimization. We just write firmware and think corporate doublespeak is funny.