Programming and Machine Learning Book Recommendations

Several people recently asked me for resources that helped me while self-studying programming and machine learning so I compiled this list of books then decided to publish it below. I’m always looking for new book recommendations so shoot me an email or message on linkedin if you have one!
Feb 05, 2023

Ubuntu 22.04 Install Guide

This is a guide with the shell commands for installing Ubuntu 22.04 it and customizing it.
Dec 18, 2022

Ubuntu 18.04 Install Guide

Ubuntu 18.04 LTS is a fantastic OS for general use. Here is a guide with the shell commands for installing it and customizing it.
Feb 11, 2019

Building Occupant Data Platform

In the summer of 2017 I started a software project with some friends to help occupants get the most out of the buildings they use everyday. The concept was to layer information over indoor environments as viewed through a mobile phone camera. We were creating an augmented reality (AR) interface for occupants to add information their environment to a shared database, and query it in a similarly spatial way.
Jul 07, 2018

EnergyPlus Integration with JModelica via PyFMI

I recently started developing a large-scale building simulation and optimization framework based off the work of the IEA EBC Annex 60 (now continuing as IBPSA Project 1). This led me to using EnergyPlusToFMU to convert an EnergyPlus model into a Functional Mock-up Unit (FMU). I couldn’t find any examples using JModelica and PyFMI with EnergyPlus so I thought I’d write one.
May 10, 2018

Retrofit project

In Autumn of 2017 I worked on a building retrofit project with Paco Bos as part of the Integrated Design Project in our Masters programme. We explored concepts of how the retrofit of a commercial-residential building was part of the wider district redevelopment. For this reason we named the project “The Node”. These presentation slides gives a nice summary of the project but I’ll provide a quick overview here. Also, checkout our report for further details.
Apr 13, 2018

Atmena Indoor Environment Quality System

Atmena is an indoor environment quality sensing and analysis system built by Nathan Woltman, Andrew Gillies, Aayush Rajasekaran, and myself for the SE 491 UW capstone course in June 2016. The project idea was to test newly available cheap environmental sensors and connect the good ones to a microcontroller with WLAN, then send the measurements to our web server for processing, storage, and analytics. We could then use the information to benchmark and communicate how to improve indoor environments as a service. This is a retrospective write up of the project: hardware, firmware, and web service.
Mar 03, 2018

Python on the ETH Euler HPC Cluster

The Euler HPC cluster is an absolutely amazing resource, for starters it’s free to use for all ETH members that have a nethz account with zero paperwork. I use it frequently for training of bayesian predictive models using MCMC sampling built with PyMC3. Here are a few tricks I learned for setting up and executing python batch jobs on the LSF system.
Feb 13, 2018

Aquaponics at Waterloo

I have since first finding out about it in 2012 been interested in aquaponics. It captured my imagination because exemplifies the adaptability of living systems. Plants, fish, bacteria, nutrients, water, air, and energy all in a single cycle. The benefits of this technology include sustainable (low water use and low pollution) crop production and fish farming. While at the University of Waterloo I had the opportunity to work on three aquaponic systems with the Aquaponics Design Team. This is a summarized account of the work we did what we learned.
Jul 26, 2016

Ubuntu 16.04 Install Guide

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS is a fine OS (now would recommend 18.04). Here is a guide for installing it from scratch and customizing it well.
Mar 04, 2016

Mars Hydroponics and Hydrology

In July 2015 as part of CIVE 486 at Waterloo, a course in hydrology, Eric Kohen and I built an experimental Mars mission hydroponic system to understand and attempt to model the hydrologic effects of recirculating water within an enclosed hydroponic system using a soil similar to Martian soils. The project was also featured in the Fall 2015 technology and innovation section of the Water Institute’s Splash Pad newsletter.
Sep 20, 2015

Hydroponic Tomatoes

In the spring of 2013 I built a hydroponic system to explore growing food in a controlled environment. The quest to run the system on University of Waterloo campus during the spring 2013 school term led me to start working with the UW Aquaponics Design Team. They were very generous and let me set up the system in their lab space in the Engineering 5 building on campus where it ran for several months.
Sep 05, 2015