When measured by portion of my income over the last 20 years, I’m a professional software engineer. Java and Javascript are two sides of my native tongue, but I’m also conversational in C# and Python, and the usual smattering of supporting characters like HTML, CSS, SQL, etc, etc, so on and so forth (but not actual FORTH). I’ve written major software for companies like Ford, Daimler-Benz, IBM, Subaru, ESPN and more.
Since 2012, I’ve put all that software development experience into a company with my business partner and brother Edward Pultar (PhD, uh huh). You can check it out at Valarm.net if you’re curious. We monitor sensors all over the world, keeping tabs on the status of bridges, water wells, creeks, dams, municipal water supplies, HVAC systems, clean rooms, welding robots, honey bees, crocodile eggs, vineyards, and greenhouses – just to name a few.
These days I’m also doing a lot of custom electronics and mechanical design for fun, artsy, and challenging projects used by the likes of experiential museums and marketing departments alike. For example I’ve recently wired up a brain-wave scanner to hundreds of LEDs to create a brilliantly colorful, deeply interactive “wearable” dress+head dress for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I do this particular line of work in partnership with the amazing team at QuantumXPR. This work has really brought 3D-printing and Arduino and related microcontrollers into my life in a very big way. (Not that you were wondering, but the very best Arduino you can buy is the appropriate Teensy for your project.)
Like any tech industry pro, you can read more about me on my LinkedIn.