All About You: Barrett Conrad

This week on All About You, meet Barrett Conrad.

Barrett is an independent software engineer living with his wife and two dogs in the Lakeview area of New Orleans. He does most of his software development through his company, CotingasSoft, and he also wrangles other developers at the monthly GNOCODE meetups. If you want to get to know Barrett stop by his desk on the first floor of Launch Pad or follow him on twitter: @BarrettConrad.

Barrett Conrad introducing a speaker at TribeCon, 2011. Picture taken by Taylor Davidson, all rights reserved.

What is the most exciting thing you are working on right now? 

Too many of my projects excite me. If I had to pic one right now, it’s my iPad app, Routine. I put out a very basic version a month or so ago and have received lots of feedback. It gave me enough new ideas and possibilities to invest new energy into it. On to 2.0!

What are you most excited about happening on the Silicon Bayou that you aren’t directly involved in? 

Anything to do with gaming. I’m really excited to see more and more of it in New Orleans. I’m a life long gamer, but I have never pursued the opportunity to work in the field. That may change soon.

Tell us about your biggest failure. 

It was my first startup without question. Around 2005 we built a web application to match college roommates. The product worked really well and showed measurable impact. Unfortunately, we couldn’t seem to grow the business. I learned numerous lessons about managing the buisness side while building the product.

IYO, which institution is most due for disruption?

Telecommunication (we need more bandwidth and not less.)

What is your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?

Cook. I’m an avid cook and Sunday’s give me the chance to try fun, new things or get a head start on meals for the week. Cooking seems to satisfy both my creative and technical personalities.

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Fried Catfish

If you could live in any other time period, which would you choose? 

Whenever they invent intergalactic space travel.

If you could win any award in the world, which would you be most proud to possess?

MacArthur Fellowship

The standard superpower dichotomy: Fly or Be Invisible?

Green Lantern ring

If you were stuck on an elevator for two hours, what one person (dead or alive) would you choose to be stuck with?

The alive one

If you had to pick a drink to describe yourself (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) what would it be? 

Scotch

If you wrote a regular column for Silicon Bayou News what would it be about and what would you name it?

The Engineer Express. It would feature interviews with local software engineers  to discuss the industry and the craft.

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