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My thoughts on software development, design, and life.

Cover image for The Monday Letter (March 9th, 2026)
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The Monday Letter (March 9th, 2026)

March 10, 2026

Michael reflects on the importance of consistent practice in honing skills while sharing insights from his weekend skiing trip and current reading pursuits.

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ProjectTechnical

ARPro

January 31, 2020

An AR Android application to let you view the latest Best Buy product in your home, from the comfort of your pyjamas. Background This project was developed by Michael DeMarco and Liang Liu, and backed by a business model developed by Benji Li, Daniel Frydman, and Ophir Greif. It was built at BizHacks 2020, a business-oriented hackathon sponsored by Best Buy and hosted at UBC. My team and I developed a business solution for Best Buy, and took home the 2nd place prize out of over 50 teams. Usage T...

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Blog

Michael's Declassified School Survival Guide

August 11, 2019

šŸ“… Despite the edited date, this post was actually written and published on August 10th, 2019. High school is complicated in more ways than one. From Degrassi-esque social drama to life-altering career decisions, it can be seriously difficult to maintain your grades. However, there are some simple tricks to ease the learning process and make your education systematic-that is, without all the overhead of figuring how to do this whole school thing. By following these three tips, you'll surely see ...

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Ikigai

May 7, 2019

šŸ“… Despite the edited date, this post was actually written and published on May 6th, 2019. Some of my readers may know that I recently decided what I'll be doing past high school: studying computer science. This is very exciting as I now feel much more focused and fulfilled. I do find now that it is strange sitting in English classes and the like and trying to stay as motivated as I was. I now know that this subject won't be consequential to my life. However, I still enjoy all of my classes and ...

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10 newsletters to make your inbox more interesting

March 5, 2019

šŸ“… Despite the edited date, this post was actually written and published on March 5th, 2019. I have an addiction to e-mail newsletters. So I thought I'd put it to good use and share some of my favorites. Here are ten newsletters to brighten up your dreary inbox. The Daily Pnut… The best newsletter, hands down The Daily Pnut describes itself as a newsletter about world affairs that will "make you sound marginally more intelligent." It's my all-time favorite newsletter. With gripping and poignant ...

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BlogTechnical

All about hackathons

July 2, 2017

šŸ“… Despite the edited date, this post was actually written and published on July 1st, 2017. Last weekend, I participated in my first ever hackathon. HackED 2019 is put on by the Computer Engineering Club at the University of Alberta, and follows a similar format to most hackathons. First, there was an opening ceremony to introduce various sponsors, prizes, and relevant information to the competition. Then, we were released into the wild for twenty-four straight hours to produce a piece of softwa...

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