Mathematics

My research interests fall somewhere around the intersection of probability and mathematical physics. I like math that is visual and surprising. I like questions that lead rapidly from basic intuition to dizzying abstraction and back again. I don't like the words "pure" and "applied."

Lately I'm thinking a lot about random matrix theory, enumerative geometry, integrable systems, and computational complexity of spin models. My advisor is Govind Menon, and I also collaborate with Sorin Istrail.

Film

Together with producer Susanne Marian, I curate CPH:LAB, the incubator for emerging talent at CPH:DOX, the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival. For the past nine years, CPH:LAB has focused on bringing together emerging filmmakers and connecting them with resources to produce new films. In 2017, we are re-designing CPH:LAB to support projects that transcend the limits of traditional film and documentary practices through new media, technologies, and distribution methods.

Housing

Alongside Larry Cohen and Ronald Johnson, I am a co-founder of Point Source Youth, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent and end homelessness for youth in the US, particularly LGBTQ youth and youth of color. Our work centers on three interventions: family reconnection, short-term host homes and rapid rehousing. We coordinate service programs, produce peer-reviewed research, and engage in policy advocacy. In collaboration with several partner organizations, we've launched a successful pilot program in Minneapolis and are planning new programs in Baltimore and New York City beginning in 2017.

Writing

I've contributed writing on design, music and politics to publications that include n+1, Jacobin, The Boston Globe, The Huffington Post, The FADER, Print, and Literary Review. A few clips:

Against Chairs, Jacobin Magazine (adapted for the Boston Globe)
Red Noise, n+1
Interview: DJ Ripley, The FADER

Occasionally I also speak about these topics in front of people. For example, you can watch my talk from the inaugural Core77 Design Conference in NYC.

Music

I dabble in electronic composition and production, as well as sound design for music and installation. You can listen to some of my pieces online.

I was/am a member of Truro.

Bookings and other inquiries: contact@cosmc.net

Art, design, code, old projects

Jellyfish Turing Test installation for Changes exhibition, Industry Lab Headshot, a robotic nerf gun turret/thrill ride
Modern Shinmungo installation at the Seoul Design Foundation
Barkdar installation, Sattya Media Center, Kathmandu

Counterweight rocking chair in steel
Assistive devices for anxiety management
Pedal-powered abrasive grain mill for use in rural Tanzania
Three-axis drawing machine from recycled printer parts
Tactile interface for live sound design

Convolooper, a convolution-based sound design tool
Eigenphoto extractor: visual dimensionality reduction
Which world leader has your face?
Predicting mood and sleep quality from other life data
Sobel Scramble, a visual centrifuge

The website of the Monsoon Collective, documenting the work from our July 2012 residency at the Sattya Media Center in Kathmandu.

A collection of work from the June 2011 Beyond Digital residency in Casablanca, Morocco, with DJ /rupture, Maga Bo, John Francis Peters, and a whole crew of other really talented folks.