Mason Dill

$ cat about.txt

I decided early on that the computer was the most interesting thing in the house. The ‘boring’ beige box. I had no idea how it worked, which was most of the appeal. It did exactly what you asked, as long as you asked in exactly the right way. That seemed like a puzzle worth a childhood.

$ cat work.txt

Hi, I'm Mason, a test automation engineer at Anduril, building and running the systems that verify drone hardware works before it ships. The same rigs usually start much earlier than the line does, on a bench somewhere, bringing up the first prototype of a board nobody has powered on yet. I am passionate about what I build, which prompted me to move across the country to work alongside likeminded people.

$ cat design.txt

Most of what I know, I learned by designing things. Before test engineering, I spent several years laying out circuit boards and writing firmware for industrial radio control systems. That history shapes how I approach test now. If you know how a board came together, you know where it is likely to come apart. It also makes me eager to find problems while they are still cheap, on the schematic rather than on the bench, where a mistake costs a mouse click instead of a respin.

$ cat interests.txt

Whether at work or on my own time, I find myself always coming back to RF, firmware, and electronics. However, my interests also encompass embedded systems, computer architecture, telecommunications, signal processing, and unconventional computing. I also spend some time practicing full stack development to stay on top of my skills, this site included.

$ cat offline.txt

Away from a bench I'm usually outside. I grew up in the Scouts and never quite lost the habit. I play guitar, not especially well, but often enough that it's going somewhere. Taking something apart is still how I learn it, electronic or not.

$ cat readme.txt

I believe that creating things and mastering skills are the most fulfilling pursuits in life. Learning is a lifelong journey, and knowledge should be accessible to everyone. In all domains, passion surpasses talent.