What we've made
Sites for other people
Butterfly Haptics, LLC – 2008
Butterfly Haptics, LLC is a new Pittsburgh-based company that is developing a line of advanced magnetic levitation haptic interfaces for use in research applications. Ben developed a website for the new company in 2008. The website's clean look and soft edges puts a high-tech focus on Butterfly Haptics' technically impressive product.
The Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute – 2005
The Field Robotics Center commissioned Ben to redesign their web site in 2005. Working closely with the researchers at the Robotics Institute, their site was transformed into an appealing, easy to navigate, and easy to maintain site. The new site emphasizes the FRC's long contribution to robotics as well as the exiting new projects that are in development. Besides the new look and organization, Ben worked with RI researchers to rewrite much of the new content of the site, molding a loose collection of contributions from individual projects into a consistent style. The FRC site is now being maintained by Carnegie Mellon students.
Eva Funderburgh's Portfolio – 2005
This site was quickly put together by Ben to showcase Seattle area artist Eva Funderburgh's sculpture from her undergraduate work at Carnegie Mellon University. It features a clean, minimal design and structure, putting the artwork front and center. The site has since been redesigned by the artist with Ben's help.
The Microdynamic Systems Laboratory – 1999 & 2005
The design for the Microdynamic Systems Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute was first created by Ben in 1999. In 2005, he worked with the MSL's director to modernize the site, retaining key elements from the old design but updating the look & feel as well as the underlying HTML and CSS structure. The content of the site and its continuing maintenence is now being handled by the MSL's director.
Vale And Year – 2004 - Present
Greg and Ben worked together to create the first iteration of this site, which provides information about the talented Pittsburgh indie-rock duo "Vale And Year". The site is characterized by wild found-image backgrounds that give browsing the site the feeling of poking through the intimate corners of a dusty old thrift store. Greg has taken over maintenance of the Vale and Year site, making sure that the look of the site is never constant.
Carl V. Hartman & The Costa Rica Collections – 2004
Ben worked with the Carnegie Natural History Museum in Pittsburgh to create this site chronicling the journey of Swedish antrhopologist Carl V. Hartman to Costa Rica in 1903. The site features digital imagery taken from Hartman's original photographs, and explains Hartman's work as well as his contributions to the Museum. The site has been translated into Spanish for the benefit of its South American visitors.
Robotic Antarctic Meteorite Search 2000 – 2000
This site was created by both Ben and Greg for Carnegie Mellon University's Field Robotics Center. It was meant to inform visitors about the progress of the Nomad robot, which was then in Antarctica autonomously searching for meteorites. Ben and Greg updated the site daily with reports from the team in Antarctica, as well as pictures and a calendar of meteorite finds. After the expedition was finished, Ben and Greg began working on a redesign of the site that was never completed.
Sites for ourselves
BRH.numbera.com – 2005 - Present
After over eight years of designing web pages both for clients and for fun, Ben still had not created a site for and about himself. This changed in 2005 when BRH.numbera.com was launched. It houses the output of Ben's various unrelated projects, including free software, web design resources, games, articles, and web links. It is in constant development, and hosts a blog where Ben writes about topics such as the future of the web and software development.
The Girls – 2001 & 2003
Ben and Greg were both members of a band called The Girls while they were attending Carnegie Mellon University. The first iteration of the site featured pink hearts and cookies, but the site was rebuilt in 2003 for the release of the Girls' first album. Ben and Greg worked together to develop the site's design.
The Method Behind The Music – 1999 & 2004
This site was developed for the 1999 ThinkQuest competition by Ben, Greg, and Kate Bankson. It provides a wide coverage of music theory and general music education, with animated examples and video tutorials. It is currently stuck in the middle of a redesign that was started but shelved in 2004, so it has its clothes off at the moment.
Victori - The Roman Military – 1998
This web site about the history, tactics, and weaponry of the ancient Roman military was created for the 1998 ThinkQuest competition by Ben, Greg, and Kenneth Patterson. It has remained largely unchanged since it was written, except to be recast into an XHTML/CSS template sometime in 2004.
10/5 Mapmakers – 1997 - 2001
10/5 Mapmakers was a moniker used for Ben and Greg's Marathon 2 mapmaking efforts in the late 1990s. The site has had many designs, but the final design was done by Ben in 2001.