Digging In with Tom Duffy

Digging In is a regular series of blog posts profiling UDig employees.  We hope this series helps you to get to know our team and understand why we dig what we do!

UDig: Tell us a little bit about your background and your role at UDig.

TD:  I graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Computer Science.  Following college, I went to work for Tridum, an entity of Honeywell.  There, I helped with the development of the building control framework Niagara.  I joined UDig in 2015 as a consultant so that I could work on a broader set of technologies and expand my skillset.

UDig: Why did you choose UDig?

TD: I really love being a consultant, being able to experience a variety of projects, companies and technologies.  I like consulting for UDig because it’s a fun atmosphere, I work on a great team and I feel like I have a voice in the company.

UDig: What is your favorite technology or new technology you want to learn?

TD: Virtual Reality.  We played with the Vive in the studio last year, and it’s surprising how immersive it is.  Developing with VR has been interesting and I’ve done some small side projects with Unity.  It’s really cool to imagine all the possibilities for VR.  It has the potential to change the experience for so many different applications, it feels like Sci-Fi tech come to life!

UDig: What’s the best project you ever worked on?

TD: My current project for a local insurance company has been really fun.  I’ve gotten to build the project from the ground up, recommending and adding functionality along the way.  There’s been some fun challenges, I have made recommendations on how the system should work and now, we are getting to build out a broader team.

UDig: What is your favorite online procrastination tool?

TD:  Without a doubt, Reddit.  There is so much content and discussion available on just about everything.  It’s not all a time suck though, the programming communities are really helpful for finding answers or new information.

UDig: What is the most played song in your library?

TD:  I just returned from a snowboarding vacation in Wyoming so I have to say Anytime by Eve 6.

UDig: You’ve been told you are not allowed to work tomorrow, how do you spend your day?

TD:  I’d love to get back to my snowboard and find some fresh powder!  If it’s not snow season then I’ll probably be on the river kayaking, really anything outdoors.