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Hello, world!
Hi, my name is Paul Esch-Laurent. I’m a graduate of Michigan Technological University with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. I’m currently looking for new opportunities in software engineering.
I love playing around in pixelated environments creating digital goodies, developing and designing for the web, and working with modern, bleeding-edge technologies. In my spare time I like to take photographs, create software, and write about things. My non-hyperlinkable hobbies include fueling my love for mechanical keyboards, chasing the perfect cup of coffee, and searching for my N=1 bike. 🤘
Feel free to take a peek at my portfolio or shoot me a message if you'd like to get in touch.
What I’m all about
I enjoy doing full-stack web development. A non-exhaustive list of examples:
- Configuring NGINX to serve static files, reverse-proxy apps, and rate-limit
- Creating RESTful JSON APIs to be consumed by front-end frameworks like Vue.js
- Using the latest ES6+ JavaScript features in Node.js or (transpiled) in a browser
- Use automation tools like Gulp to bundle code & assets in a production-ready pipeline
- Writing SCSS using features like Flexbox & CSS Grid all piped through Autoprefixer
My interests aren’t limited to the aforementioned, though. I’m always interested in how I can automate things—especially boring, repetitive things. Testing the things I architect and write proves a vital yet challenging and sometimes mundane task. Recently, “snapshot testing” has piqued my interest.
I’ve selected a few projects. No guarantees they’re up to date, relevant, or interesting to you. For a more realistic snapshot of what I’m up to, check my blog or GitHub. You can always say hi, too.
cuetip
cuetip is a simple pure CSS stylesheet to create tooltips.
Highlights & Challenges
Using SCSS features such as !default (for extending variables), functions, mixins, and maps. Created with a focus on configuration; there are a plethora of SCSS variables to customize. Leveraged Vue.js & Webtask to create a custom build generator.
rnjeesus
rnjeesus is a random number generator (RNG) service built around a simple API.
Highlights & Challenges
Learn how to parse a URL with regular expressions in PHP to implement the API. Use the PHP random_int function to generate numbers. Work with NGINX location directives to handle API request routing server-side.
templater.js
templater.js is a minimal string-based templating engine written in JavaScript that runs in the browser or in Node.js.
Highlights & Challenges
Experience working with more complex regular expressions and setting up unit testing with Mocha & Chai. Continuous integration was setup with GitHub and Travis CI. First-time publishing packages on npm and Bower.
gulp-update-humanstxt-date
gulp-update-humanstxt-date is a Gulp plugin that updates the "last updated" date in a humans.txt file. Yep, just like the name.
Highlights & Challenges
Learned Gulp plugin best-practices along with Node.js stream basics. Set up continuous integration with Travis CI and unit testing with Mocha & Chai. Published to npm with yarn. Exposure to Git tags for semver releases.
portfolio
The site you are viewing. Initially created for my college web design class.
Highlights & Challenges
Setting up Gulp to handle local development as well as building all the assets for deploying the site. Spun up a VPS through DigitalOcean and installed NGINX and Let’s Encrypt. Uses SVG icons packed into a spritesheet. Flexbox is used for layout for certain components (like this element!).
NicCageIt
NicCageIt is a hackathon-created web app where users upload an image and Nicolas Cage's face is super imposed on it. I think it's pretty cool.
Highlights & Challenges
Hands-on experience working with HTML5 <input> and <canvas> to upload and render. Utilized jQuery plugins for face recognition. Learned the hard way about JavaScript closures and their implications.
Say hi
Go ahead and shoot me a message—I don’t bite. I happily accept emails too—you just need to find my address. 😉
I’ll be in touch shortly. Thanks!