A Humble Presentation to the Society of the Technically Eternal

Cort Fritz


## Wat Cort?
I was born in Germany, and was a toddler in Chicago.
![Cort on Swing](/images/cort-youth-swing.jpg) 
<figcaption align = "center"><b>My dad put a swing in our living room on Webster street.</b></figcaption>

My parents became hippies and we fucked off to Mexico.
![Unruly Cort had great pants](/images/cort-youth-chicago-bus.png) 
<figcaption align = "center"><b>This is my mom, her future lover, the unruly kids are me with the great pants, and Mike Brooks, who remains in Chicago and is a Designer, cartoonist, and awesome human</b></figcaption>

![VW Bus with slogans painted on the sides](/images/cort-youth-mexico-bus.jpg) 
<figcaption align = "center"><b>My dad and me, getting ready to inconspiculously smuggle Las Drogas across the border.</b></figcaption>

We ended up in Taos, New Mexico, which I identify as "where i am from".
![VW Bus with slogans painted on the sides](/images/cort-youth-porch.jpg) 
<figcaption align = "center"><b>That's me, and in the background: my dad and a dude named "Guitar Dan".</b></figcaption>

I went to Pitzer college and majored in Science, Technology, and Society, which was basically Social Philosophy.

Linked In has [the overview of my work since then](https://linkedin.com/in/cortfritz)

I make music (ableton workflow), and art pieces that are most often furniture.  
![paper lamp](/images/coral.jpg) 
<figcaption align = "center"><b>hand-made paper from Hiromi, LEDs from amazon</b></figcaption>


I have three insanely amazing daughters.  


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          <Image
            src="/images/daughter-liberty.jpg"
            alt="Liberty"
            width={302} 
            height={403}
          />
          <figcaption align = "center"><b>Liberty</b></figcaption>

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        <div>
          <Image
            src="/images/daughter-reiko.png"
            alt="Reiko"
            width={302} 
            height={403}
          />
          <figcaption align = "center"><b>Reiko</b></figcaption>

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          <Image
            src="/images/daughter-hazel.jpg"
            alt="Hazel"
            width={302} 
            height={403}
          />
          <figcaption align = "center"><b>Hazel</b></figcaption>

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</div>

I help people.  I started the [church of time](https://oftime.church).  

![life fulfillment is finite](/images/church-of-time.png) 
 <figcaption align = "center"><b>You are born, you live, you die.  Right now you have a cascading choice to seek fulfillment.</b></figcaption>


This site is [distributed.bet](https://distributed.bet).  Like the church of time, the concept of the distributed bet is a significant frame for how I think.  I think if you want to see the matrix, see everything in distributions - normal, powerlaw, etc.  Once I'm done with this interview, this site will slowly morph into a site that explains this in detail.

## technology, in general
For software stacks, I'm enamored of elixir.  I'm a part of the [effort at Kry10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG5BaoB24eA) to avoid the security apocalypse.

For data, anything works but when I can I use NoSql.  Yes, i know, "[webscale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2F-DItXtZs)"




If one is an acquired taste, make sure you are giving out lots of free samples.

Welcome


If I let copilot write this, it would be a lot shorter. But I want to write it myself. So I'm going to write it myself.

Ironically, that last sentence was written by copilot.  And if I let copilot write this then you would be getting to know some aggregate of others' personalities. But I want to write it myself. So I'm going to write it myself.

As I understand the assignment, I'm supposed to present a past work project and then answer questions and engage in __general discussion__.
![DALL-E for "General Discussion with the Eternal Software Developers"](/images/general-discussion.png) 
 <figcaption align = "center"><b>DALL-E - General Discussion with the Eternal Software Developers</b></figcaption>

I think that I'd like to offer the team a choice of two projects to discuss.  

## recommended adventures
I'm recommending a couple of more technical projects to discuss, as I understand this is a technical interview.

### [rllr: the interesting architecture](/posts/rllr-01)
rllr (pronounced "roller") this was my own startup, an end to end system for capturing your intentions and ensuring that the right things ensue.  

It consists of a wearable powered by an Espressif ESP32 microcontroller on a custom PCB running FreeRTOS and an app in C++, an API in elixir, a React SPA, a mongo backend. It's a big idea.  During covid I formed a 6 person team to go for it and spent about $250K to get to a prototype state.  If the team so chooses, there is a demo.

This discussion is the most technical one available.

### UTA: adventures in data 
I architected a custom CRM system that had several innovations.  This is about data structures and UX.

This is useful for understanding the technology of servicing artists.

## other adventures

### riot the management challenge
This is about taking on two teams - one a shining perfect team and one a backbroke never ending deathmarch wherein the team had lost much hope.  I effected a reboot and made them successful.

This discussion is mostly non technical and talks about the dynamics of managing teams.

### xbox the giant project
I ran the project that killed xbox points in favor of actual currency, launching 27 currencies in 35 countries.  This was my largest project, involving engineering, design, marketing, PR, legal, finance, fraud, operations, and support.  

This discussion is about managing constraints to hit a date, and building consensus when that's difficult.

Go back [home](/).


In the same way that you can choose your own adventure in a book, you can choose your own adventure in in this interview.

Choose your own adventure!



![make this moment matter](/images/rllr-slide-01.png) 
 <figcaption align = "center"><b>The title slide from the rllr invenstor deck</b></figcaption>

I made a device

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    <div className="flex items-center justify-between h-24 text-white bg-purple-600 rounded-lg shadow-md">
        <div>
          <Image
            src="/images/rllr-device.jpg"
            alt="reliably captures every thought"
            width={302} 
            height={403}
          />
          
          <figcaption align = "center"><b>Here is a prototype,... </b></figcaption>

        </div>
        <div>
          <Image
            src="/images/rllr-lapel.jpg"
            alt="make this moment matter"
            width={302} 
            height={403}
          />
          
          <figcaption align = "center"><b>...eventually I it will be wearable</b></figcaption>

        </div>
    </div>
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tried to think through bootstrapping
![what marketplace?](/images/rllr-stats.png) 
 <figcaption align = "center"><b>everybody needs an assistant</b></figcaption>




I got deep into the philosophy on this one, and the technology is really cool.

rllr


rllr consists of a device, a service, json and file storage, ML for speech to text, and again for text to objects and intent, and client apps.

<Mermaid chart={`graph TD;
    linkStyle default stroke:white;
    human --> device
    device --> service
    service --> cloud_storage
    
    
    
    cloud_storage --> service
    service --> react_spa
    react_spa --> human

    service --> external_gateway
    external_gateway --> google_calendar
    external_gateway --> twilio
    external_gateway --> zapier
    external_gateway --> etc
`} />




rllr overall architecture


rllr exists to remove friction from thought to fulfillment of thought.

I believe in a future where you have tens of computers on your body, and wanted to surf that wave.

Here is the audio path from device through ML to storage.

<Mermaid chart={`graph TD;
    linkStyle default stroke:silver;
    
    human --> microphone
    subgraph device 
      microphone --> record_process
      record_process --> local_storage
      local_storage --> upload_process
      radio_management --> upload_process
    end
  
    upload_process --> elixir_service

    subgraph service
      elixir_service --> buffer
      buffer --> speech_to_text
      
      speech_to_text -- json describing speech --> object_extraction
      object_extraction -- text and objects --> intent_determination
      intent_determination -- rich description --> action
      action -- imperative --> gateway
    end
    
    buffer -- audio --> cloud_storage
    action -- imperative --> cloud_storage
    
`} />




A Humble Presentation to the Society of the Technically Eternal

Welcome

Choose your own adventure!

rllr

rllr overall architecture

rllr audio path