The coding bootcamp I attended (Actualize) taught full stack web development, focusing on Ruby on Rails for backend and Vue.js for frontend. Most of my hobby projects are written using this stack. Ruby and its support system is very friendly with Mac architecture, but not so friendly with Windows. I learned how to use a Macbook during my time at Actualize, since I had only known Windows machines since I was a kid. After graduation, I had to deal with some technical difficulties getting set up on my own laptop, so I wrote this guide for myself and shared it with other Actualize grads.

Installing Rails on Windows

This is the "Secret Santa" website I built for my extended family. Each year we had an issue where people had bought the same gift for the same person, and there would be returns. We also had to send our Christmas list to everyone in the family individually. With these problems in mind, I made a website to solve them. Everyone's list is up on the site for everyone to view, so there's no miscommunication. Then when you decide to make a purchase, everyone (but the person you're buying for) will see that someone bought that gift.

Let me know if you'd like a demo.

I have a very large digital collection of music, it's another hobby of mine to listen to as much new music as I can. I still have my favorites, but with all the albums releasing (and life in general), it's hard to know what's new. This lets you search for individual artists to find all their major LP releases, and filter for a certain year. You can also upload a .csv file of your collection and it will show which albums you're missing.

Find New Releases

This was my capstone project for my coding bootcamp. One of my hobbies is playing the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. Within "Magic", there are a large number of ways to play. Depending on which way you play, you might not be equipped to play against someone else who also plays Magic but in a different "format". I built this site as a demonstration of a social Facebook-style site for users to display which formats they play, and find like-minded players in their area. You can search by zip code distance, add friends, send each other messages, and customize your profile with your favorite card.

Let me know if you'd like a demo.

My Dad is a retired painter, and this is the site I built for him. It's got some samples of his work and a way to contact him. His magnum opus is the "Hometown Veterans" collection. Local veterans of all ages and backgrounds volunteered to sit down and have their portraits taken. In a variety of mediums, his work was displayed at the Palette and Chisel in Chicago, IL on Veteran's Day 2023.

Don Ryan's Fine Art