About
Intro
I’m Jacob (Jake) Weidokal and this is my blog. This place is a constant work-in-progress, like me! So far I’m writing mostly about what I’m learning, tips that have worked for me, and my hobbies. Read on to learn more about me.
If you want to know more about the blog itself, you can see how it was made and what’s been changing around here lately.
To see what I’ve been focused on recently, check out my /now page. It’s addressed to a hypothetical friend I haven’t seen in over 6 months.
What I Do
NASA
I’m an IT Specialist at the NASA Safety Center. I am responsible for product management of the NASA Mishap Information System (NMIS) and the NASA Cause Analysis Tool (NCAT).
The NASA Mishap Information System is NASA’s source of truth for all mishaps. We use it to document everything from a person tripping to space hardware getting destroyed. We document what happened, the investigation, and the resolution. NMIS data gets pulled into Power BI to provide agency- and center-level mishap trend dashboards to inform leadership decisions.
The NASA Cause Analysis Tool is used to perform root cause analysis. Users can brainstorm what happened, capture evidence, document and organize findings into a logical sequence, and provide recommendations. It is mostly used by mishap investigators during an investigation to get to the “root” of why an undesired outcome occurred.
In addition to these applications, I have various other responsibilities like developing low/no-code solutions in Power Platform and maintaining our organization’s technical infrastructure.
For more detail, check out my post A Day In My Life At NASA.
Previous
In the past I’ve been a web developer at Progressive Insurance, a web dev intern at Taazaa, the undergraduate lab manager for a lab researching romantic relationships, and a Take Out Specialist at Chipotle 🌯
You can see my full professional history on my LinkedIn profle.
Projects
In addition to my W-2 job, I have side projects I like working on.
- Fed Meetup - a web app I built for federal organizations to reduce their travel costs
- My Digital Garden - my working notes shared publicly. At least, that’s the idea. I mostly use it to publish my sermon notes for my Bible study group.
- Cordova for Judge - my mother-in-law ran for judge (and won!) and I built her campaign website. The site is no longer active, but I have it laying around here somewhere…
I have many other /ideas (TODO: make an ideas page and link it here!) for projects that I hope to one day build! Or you can build them! Or you can build them with me!
What I Value
My greatest values are faith, family, love, curiosity, and honesty.
Faith
I was raised in a Christian home, but came to my own relationship with Jesus around high school. I believe my life is a beautiful gift and that it’s my privilege to use it to honor the one who gave it to me.
Family
My family is my heart. I am always growing deeper in friendship and love with my wife. And we are both in awe of our daughter as we watch her learn how to navigate the world.
Love
Cheesy? Yeah… But I really value this. And I don’t mean “love” in the Hallmark kind of way. I mean empathy, desiring the best for others, and a sacrificial deference to the needs of others. I am shocked by the lack of love that many people have experienced, and I have found that giving it freely is one of the most rewarding things I can do.
Curiosity
There’s a lot out there, and I’ve been exposed to little. I like broadening my knowledge little by little. Talking to people and showing interest in what gets them excited is one of my favorite ways to do this.
Honesty
I place a lot of value on truth. I’m enjoy this blog as my space to honestly share myself.
What I’m Into
☕ coffee 💻 websites 🥏 disc golf 🍖 smoking meats 🥃 bourbon 📚 reading 🖋 journaling 🕺 dancing 🏓 table tennis ⛳ golf ♨ buffalo chicken dip 🕯 candles
And of course, all the stuff I use regularly
What I Look Like
For those who can’t see the pictures, imagine Tom Cruise, and then completely throw that image out of your mind. I’m 5'10"ish, 185lbs (but getting leaner 💪), with short brown hair and blue eyes. Thick eyebrows and a scraggly short beard (well… it’s kind of a beard… it’s my excuse for not shaving). Usually wearing an athletic polo or a t-shirt in warm weather, usually wearing a quarter-zip or a hoodie in cold weather.
Were you wanting to know something that you couldn’t find here? Send me an email.