Software · Instruments · Writing
Darin R. Molnar, PhD
杜怀安
I build decision systems and harpsichords. The tools differ more than the work does — both are about getting a complicated thing to behave predictably under someone else’s hands.
Companies & ventures
Efforts in various stages of finished.
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shorelineconsultingco.com
Shoreline Consulting
Code, websites, and maker projects that pop. The consultancy — and the publishing imprint the books come out under.
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athenadecisionsystems.com
Athena Decision Systems
Software that makes regulated work easy to defend. North Star, the first product, checks an appraisal against the rules you choose before you send it.
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middlewaymanagement.com
Middle Way Management
Decency at work, and what it costs. A working resource for anyone who holds authority over another person and does not intend to do harm with it — the framework, the MWM-AI study, and 41 essays.
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novagenetica.net
NovaGenetica
A living field guide to genetic algorithms and genetic programming: plain-language primers, the foundational books and papers, and software you can actually run.
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tortugaearlyinstruments.com
Tortuga Early Instruments
Contemporary harpsichord making — the history of the craft, a directory of today’s makers and suppliers, a quarterly maker spotlight, and one builder’s bench notes. The MIDI keyboard building and sales live here too.
Other things I’ve built
Smaller, shipped, still standing.
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Language Island
Build prepared speech blocks, then deploy them under pressure. Mandarin, German, French, Spanish, and Italian so far, with many more to come.
language-island.com
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Dharma Crow Music
Songs written and recorded under the name Dharma Crow, with the full lyrics of every one that has them, set out to be read.
dharmacrowmusic.com
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Emblazo
One API call turns JSON into a finished PDF or image at the edge.
emblazo.com
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FormattingNerd
A free format checker for APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, and Harvard. Paste the paper, find out what’s wrong before your reviewer does.
formattingnerd.com
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Slappy Nerds
A one-tap arcade game. Flap through pencils, slap rival nerds, chase the score. Coming to Google Play.
slappynerds.com
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JR Lawn Care
Lawn care and landscaping across Southwest Washington — plus the software that runs it.
jrlawncarenw.com
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Elect Moriarty
Campaign site for Justin Moriarty, running for Wahkiakum County Assessor.
electmoriarty.com
Writing
Books and the scholarship behind them.
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Demanding Strongmen
Values, Insecurity, and the Global Dynamics of Authoritarianism
Shoreline Publishing Group · Comparative Politics Series, Book 1
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Reporting to Incompetence
How to navigate your workday when the inmates are running the asylum
reportingtoincompetence.com · sample chapter and a free diagnostic
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Cut Loose the Noose
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Essential Mandarin Chinese Characters for Beginners
Mastering the top 100 characters
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Essential Mandarin Chinese Phrases for Beginners
Mastering the top 100 phrases
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Essential Mandarin Chinese Vocabulary for Beginners
Mastering the top 100 words
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It has been brought to my attention…
A short story, told in memo form
2013
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Serving the World
A cross-cultural study of national culture dimensions and servant leadership
Doctoral dissertation · Capella University · 2007
At the bench
What happens when the screen is off.
- Harpsichord making
- Building instruments from the ground up — cases, soundboards, jacks, and the long tedious business of voicing quill.
- MIDI keyboards
- Designing and building keyboard actions with modern guts, and selling them through Tortuga Early Instruments.
- CNC & woodworking
- Designing, modeling, and cutting parts with Vectric VCarve and FreeCAD, on Carbide 3D’s Shapeoko machines.
- 3D design and printing
- Modeling parts and printing them on a Voron 2.4 CoreXY machine, built entirely from scratch rather than from a kit.
- Early music
- The repertoire the instruments were built for, which is the only real reason to build them.
- Mandarin Chinese (Simplified)
- An ongoing study that turned into three books somewhere along the way.