Who am I?

I’m a graduate computer science student at the Rochester Institute of Technology. I have worked for Apple, Microsoft, and the government. My passion is creating interactive applications that use graphics and input to provide unique experiences. My current and past projects can be found on my projects page. My resume is available.

When I’m not in front of a computer I run, play frisbee, and cook gourmet food. I was born in South America and have a craving for spicy food. Once or twice a year, I make my own habanero hot sauce, called Slauce, using a special blend of peppers from the farmers market.

Contact

Email:  PaulSolt on gmail.com

Twitter: @PaulSolt

Featured Projects

Artwork Evolution

Artwork Evolution was featured at SIGGRAPH 2010 in Los Angeles, California. It’s an artwork experiment that puts genetic art into consumers hands on mobile devices. I’m building a iPhone/iPad application that can create artwork without any artistic or technical skill. Users will be able to share and breed artwork across devices. Details, screenshots, and videos can be found at ArtworkEvolution.com

Impulse

Impulse was featured in the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX 10) independent game contest top 10 in Seattle, Washington. Impulse is a physics based game that uses magnetism and impulse forces as vehicles of movement. A playable demo, screenshots, and gameplay videos can be found on my Impulse page. My brother Ben Solt created some of the artwork for Impulse, check out his artwork here: http://www.bensolt.com/

Apple vs. Microsoft

A lot of people associate Apple and Microsoft as polar opposites. When they find out I worked at both companies they always ask me questions about how they compare.  As a developer I didn’t really notice too much of a difference between the people.  Both companies attract equally smart and passionate people, so they’re good environments to be in.

A company is defined by its products, and in that light Apple and Microsoft are different. They each have separate goals as companies. The primary differences I see are focus and detail. Apple focuses on a few things and does them very well. The designs are simple, yet practical. Each product component fits together to provide a unique user experience. Take for example the ambient light sensors on a Macbook Pro. The sensors automatically adjust the screen brightness to match the lighting environment around the computer. On the other hand, Microsoft lacks focus and touches everything it can.  The amount of  products (300+) is why Microsoft can’t focus, and it results in less refined products. In certain area’s (Zune/Xbox) Microsoft shines, but it’s still not on the same level of Apple’s polish.

Apple

At Apple I worked on the OpenGL Desktop Software team, working on an automated test system for OpenGL. My focus was on encouraging developers to write tests and run pre-check-in or acceptance tests before checking code into the central repository. The idea is to catch bugs as soon as possible, before they have a chance to grow. The experience taught me a lot about code testing and automating the process to deliver solid code.

Microsoft

At Microsoft I worked on the Windows Mobile MyPhone team. I worked as a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) and was responsible for testing the location services in MyPhone. I created test applications that were used to collect accuracy data around the world. The concept of MyPhone was good, but it ran on Windows Mobile 6.X. Windows Mobile 6.X was not built with the consumer in mind, it was targeted at businesses and products. As a result, the interface was not streamlined and the devices were not standardized. I’m happy that Windows Phone 7 is being released, because it is consumer focused and fixes most of the gripes I had with Windows Mobile 6.X.