Recent content on jessekv.com
A tribute to Aphyr’s Typing the technical interview and Richard Towers’s Typescripting the technical interview . You should read those first, if you have not already. The implementation was inspired by konstin’s delightful sudoku-in-python-packaging . 
 Criss’s smartwatch buzzed. A technical interview appointment in five minutes. 
 He sighed. Interviews used to excite…
Michigan winters are no joke, but many residents stick around all year. 
 
 
 
 This male cardinal was eating leftover berries. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The downy woodpecker is hard to distiguish from a hairy woodpecker. I think this one is downy? 
 
 
 
 
 
 This wild turky landed breifly on my third-floor balcony. With a max speed around 90…
Taking pictures of birds at Mandai Bird Park is a bit like shooting fish in a
barrel. 
 
 
 African Birds
 
 Link to this section 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Great blue turaco 
 
 
 
 Guinea turaco 
 
 
 
 The iconic Shoebill Stork 
 
 
 
 Hamerkop, a close relative of the Shoebill 
 
 
 
 Western…
Some more of the usual suspects. 
 
 
 Yellow-vented Bulbul 
 
 
 
 Jungle Fowl with her chick 
 
 
 
 Pink-necked Pidgeon 
 
 
 
 Ashy Tailorbird 
 
 
 
 Crested Goshawk 
 
 
 
 Asian Emerald Dove 
 
 
 
 Macaque with a snack 
 
 
 
 Wagler's pit viper (green phase) 
…
I managed to make a trip to Singapore over the holidays, despite the
ever-changing travel restrictions. It’s been a few years since I last visited,
and immediately on arrival the wildlife was overwhelming my senses. The constant
calling of songbirds, the swaying tree branches weighed down by families of
monkeys, the sudden appearance of huge wild boar while jogging in the…

 
 The Park
 
 Link to this section 
 
 
 
 
 Lepelaarsplassen 
is a wetlands park in The Netherlands, ironically situated on reclaimed land
within the Flevoland polder. When I
arrived at the park, the morning mist was still in the air.

 
 Volkswagen Beetle
 
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 The Volkswagen Beetle is
possibly the most iconic vehicle of the 20th century. It is also remarkably
amendable to becoming a dune buggy: the engine is famously located in the rear
of the vehicle, finding parts is trivial, and, due to its age, the electrical
system is extremely simple.
One summer when I was too inexperienced an engineer to find a real internship, I
ended up with a volunteer position working at a non-profit working under a
Nicaraguan engineer. Needless to say, the summer was an eventful one and I have
many good memories and stories from that summer. One of my favorite projects was
the design and construction of the “bicitrilladora”.…
Have you ever found yourself waiting for a microwave, and wished you could walk
away and get a reminder when its done? Or maybe you are vision-impaired and
would like an app to read aloud how much time is left on the machine. That’s
what this app is for. 
 Devices such as microwaves, washing machines, and ovens often have electronic
seven-segment displays to indicate how…
While in my last year of university, I became obsessed with the idea of having
my own micro aquaponics ecosystem. Then, in a moment of weakness, I bought
fifteen tilapia fry on eBay. 
 
 
 The Beginning
 
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 I was introduced to aquaponics by my neighbor, Jed. Aquaponics fascinated me
because it is a miniature…

 
 
 In Central America lives a special bee with no stinger. It's called Melipona panamica and it makes a rare kind of honey with a unique flavour. This is a picture of a Melipona hive. 
 
 
 
 
 
 These Melipona are very small, less than half the size of common honey bees, and the differences don't stop there. If you open up the hive, you will see right away…