Technologist

Entrepreneur

Hacker

Hello.

I spend my life traveling the world, sharing my experiences and showing people the possibilities of tech. I believe a few things:

  • There’s a beautiful and organized system hidden underneath what seems messy.
  • The talent of a great bunch of humans can transform an organization like nothing else.
  • Hope takes work. It’s not a feeling, but a behavior that you need to repeat in order to achieve what you want. I practice hope daily in myself and with others.
  • The world is magical. The future is exciting!

I am available to speak at your conference and would love to participate. Feel free to book me or reach out for more information.

I am incredibly easy to contact. Just reach out. My email is harper@modest.com. I would love to get to know you and help with anything I can.

Otherwise, follow me on twitter (@harper), read my writing or contact me.

Book Harper

My life

I have always thought the best way to visualize someone's life is through a timeline. Here is my timeline:
  • 🚀

    Today!

  • Kickstarted my blog again. This time with notes, links, and long form

  • 🏃

    Started running for cardio health

  • 🤖

    Became an AI agent

  • 💾

    Built some very bespoke models for 2389

  • 📸

    Started carrying a tiny point and shoot digital camera to capture more moments

  • 🪩

    "Started" 2389, Research Inc

  • 💸

    Invested in some local GPUs

  • 🦾

    Started using AI to aid my coding

  • 🏋️‍♂️

    Started working with a personal trainer, again: Krys

  • 🧑‍💻

    Started hacking on some AI stuff

  • Received my uncle’s 70s macintosh stack. Vintage HIFI rules.

  • Started fourth vision quest / walkabout

  • 😥

    Galactic officially shuts down 😥

  • 😔

    Made the hard decision to shut Galactic down

  • Galactic launched the beta of skyteller.xyz

  • Stopped going to Chicago Bulls games regularly

  • Got really into HYPERPOP

  • Galactic started focusing on crypto off-ramps

  • Accidentally launched Floppydisk.xyz

  • Started going to Chicago Bulls games regularly

  • Launched Galactic Camera

  • 🧑‍🎤

    AMAZING THING HAPPENED

  • 🍎

    Started using OSX full time cuz Apple Silicon is fast af

  • Published my “decentralized” website: https://harper.eth.link

  • Joined my first DAO

  • Got a pair of Klipsch La Scala speakers on a whim

  • Convinced my brother, Dylan, he should start his own crypto company and follow his dreams!

  • Fake.sale got banned from opensea

  • 🍕

    Hacked together art.pizza

  • DDove deep into web3.

  • Launched fake.sale, my first NFT project

  • Bought my first NFT

  • Joined the RAND Pardee School Board of governors

  • 🚴

    My brother convinced me to get a peloton and start riding. Fun!

  • Wrote up all my time doing covid work over the first 3/4 of 2020

  • 🚀

    "Started" General Galactic Corporation

  • Found out I was a Jamstack Pioneer based on our work at Obama for America

  • Launched zooooom.us - a screensaver for our anxious times

  • Started doing COVID-19 work full-time

  • Started watching covid

  • Reclaimed modest.com and started using harper@modest.com for my email again

  • Joined the RAND Pardee School’s Tech & Narrative Lab advisory group

  • Opened the company.lol office to figure out what the next thing will be

  • Became a Senior Fellow at the Annenberg Innovation Lab at USC

  • Named as a 2019 delegate for the US-Japan Leadership Program

  • 🐧

    Started using Linux full time again

  • Became a MIT Medialab Director’s fellow

  • Started third vision quest / walkabout

  • Left PayPal to pursue my dreams

  • 🎂

    Turned 40

  • 🧘‍♂️

    Started doing yoga

  • Slightly regretted spending all my bitcoin on things

  • Used up all my bitcoin buying Leica cameras on overstock

  • Joined IllinoisTech Computer Science advisory board

  • 🏴󠁡󠁦󠁷󠁡󠁲󠁿

    Joined Royal United Service Institute advisory board

  • Installed a permanent rock monument in my parents front yard that is inscribed, “Boyhood home of Harper & Dylan Reed. The first astronauts to explore Uranus”

  • 🏠

    Started living at the house in Ukrainian Village

  • 🏫

    Joined Cornell College Board of Trustees

  • 📸

    Bought a Leica Monochrom from a good friend. A perfect camera

  • 📸

    Started carrying a camera everyday

  • 📸

    Purchased a Leica Q. Started carrying a camera everyday

  • 📸

    Decided to make photography a real hobby

  • 👨‍💻

    Started as Senior Director @ PayPal, inc

  • Sold Modest, Inc to PayPal

  • Was awarded 4 patents for work done on Modest, Inc

  • First time visiting South America (Santiago, Chile). Fifth continent outside of U.S. I visited.

  • 🏆

    Cornell College Young Alumni Achievement Award

  • 🏋️‍

    Started working out

  • 🏋️‍♂️

    Started working with a personal trainer: Dan

  • 🐩

    Adopted our wonderful puppy, Lulu

  • 🏠

    Started living at the condo in West Town

  • Became an honorary patron of the University Philosophical Society at Trinity College

  • First time visiting Africa (Johannesburg, South Africa). Fourth continent outside of U.S. I visited.

  • Wrapped my parents car in zebra stripes while they were on vacation

  • First time visiting Australia (Sydney, Australia). Third continent outside of U.S. I visited.

  • 🏆

    CTO of the Year @ Moxie Award

  • Installed ant miners in the Modest office

  • Launched FriendFracker with Rafeal Lozano-Hemmer at Seven on Seven.

  • 🏆

    Breakout of the Year @ Webby’s

  • Did a TED University talk at TED which predicted that the 2016 election would be hacked and manipulated

  • Started doing a lot of speaking internationally

  • 👨‍💼

    Started a company called Modest, Inc with @dylanr

  • Started second vision quest / walkabout

  • Helped Barack Obama win his reelection campaign

  • 🏆

    40 under 40 @ Crains

  • Stopped going out as much

  • 👨‍💻

    Started as the Chief Technology Officer at Obama for America

  • Bought a kindle for 45 bitcoin

  • 🍎

    Started using OSX for work

  • Discovered Minecraft

  • 🏆

    Data Innovation Award @ MCIC

  • 🏠

    Started living at the apartment in Wicker Park

  • 👨‍💻

    Became the Customer in Residence for Rackspace Hosting

  • Started first vision quest / walkabout

  • Left Threadless to pursue my dreams

  • Built CityPayments.org with Daniel X Oneil

  • Built Unofficial Transit API for Chicago Transit Authority

  • Received a photo credit in Metallica’s Death Magnetic album. It should have gone to Derek Brooks.

  • 🏠

    Started living at the apartment in North Center

  • App Engine launched - learned python and launched Excla.im, Awesome Updater, and Chicago Alerts

  • 🎂

    Turned 30

  • 💍

    Got married to Hiromi

  • 👨‍💻

    Became CTO of Threadless

  • 🪟

    Stopped using Windows for work, or personal OS

  • 🐧

    Started using Linux full time

  • 👨‍💻

    Started at Threadless as an engineer

  • 🍸

    Vox Paid for radio ads with my name in them: Step behind the velvet rope with Harper Reed.

  • 👨‍💻

    Started Working as a Summer Intern with Seth Godin @ Squidoo

  • Started a podcast about the club scene in chicago with my Vox Vodka sponsorship

  • 🍸

    Became a professional vodka drinker - Got a sponsorship by Vox Vodka

  • Got laid off. It was awesome!

  • 👨‍💻

    Started Working as a web programmer @ Cramer-Krasselt

  • First time visiting Asia (Delhi, India). Second continent outside of U.S. I visited.

  • 🎪

    Juggled on stage at the Metro for Chris HolmesElectroclash night

  • 🎪

    Did a juggling show for Billy Corgan’s showcase at the Hideout

  • Stopped promoting parties in Chicago. I was terrible at it

  • Started promoting parties in Chicago.

  • Started my first “startup” - 3g Screensaver. Selling ringtones and wallpapers for phones

  • 🎪

    Regularly street performed with Matiss Duhon in downtown Chicago

  • 🍸

    Started going out clubbing every night. Well M,T,W,F,S lol.

  • Sprint launches Samsung A500 and I launch a500hacking.com

  • 🏆

    Net Vision Honorary Mention @ PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA

  • Launched Audreyhacking.com to help hack the 3COM Audrey.

  • Hosted my first colocated server in a data center at OAR.net

  • Purchased my first server (A firesale VALinux 2U server)

  • 🏠

    Started living at the apartment in Logan Square

  • Moved to Chicago, IL

  • 🎓

    Graduated from Cornell College with a degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

  • 👨‍💻

    Started first job as a Security and Software Engineer @ World Book Publishing

  • 👨‍💻

    Started an internship @ MSI in Cedar Rapids, IA

  • 🎪

    Opened for Sir Mix-A-Lot as a juggler

  • 🎪

    Opened for Incubus as a juggler

  • 🎂

    Turned 20

  • 🎪

    Juggled for the first time with @dylanreed

  • 🎪

    Learned to Juggle

  • 🏫

    Started going to Cornell College in Mt, Vernon, IA

  • Moved to Mt. Vernon, IA for college

  • 💻

    Purchased my first laptop

  • Purchased my first domain name: nata2.org. Still used as my email address.

  • First time visiting Europe (Dublin, Ireland). First continent outside of U.S. I visited.

  • 👮

    The ATF visited and suggested I stop using BBSs, and stop blowing things up. I did the latter.

  • Ran my first Apache server

  • 🪟

    Waited in line for Windows 95

  • 🏫

    Started going to Greeley Central High School

  • 🏠

    Started living at the house on 43rd ave in Greeley, CO

  • 🎸

    Started a terrible punk band called Faucet with Atkins Meyer, Karl Mahlburg, and some friends.

  • 🏂️

    Started snowboarding

  • Started subscribing to MONDO 2000

  • 🏫

    Started going to Heath Junior High

  • Bought a Boing Boing and MONDO 2000 magazine at Powell’s in Portland. Changed everything.

  • 🐧

    Installed Linux for the first time: Yggdrasil. Linux changed everything.

  • Saw Public Enemy open for U2.

  • Ran up my first huge phone bill dialing into BBSes around the country. &TOTSE forever

  • Saw Metallica for the first time.

  • 🏫

    Started going to Maplewood Middle School

  • 🖥️

    Built a computer for the first time. Ram was so expensive so I could only afford 1mb.

  • Went to first concert, David Bowie.

  • 🖥️

    Got really into OS/2

  • 🎂

    Turned 13

  • Was enamored by Roxanne Shante.

  • Bought Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A.

  • Stopped taking myself seriously

  • 🖥️

    Received an older IBM PS/2 model 25 for my birthday. My brother and I played a lot of kings quest.

  • Got Love and Rockets’ Earth, Sun, Moon for my birthday.

  • Programmed BASIC based on code from the 321 Contact magazine

  • 🎒

    Started going to Cameron Elementary School

  • Accidently got Killers by Iron Maiden. Changed everything.

  • 🎒

    Started going to Shawsheen Elementary School

  • 🖥️

    Family got a Apple IIc. My brother and I set it up.

  • Learned to code LOGO on an Apple II

  • 🏠

    Started living at the house on 11th st in Greeley, CO

  • 🔥

    House caught on fire and burnt a bunch. LEGOs survived

  • 🏠

    Started living at the house on 27th ave in Greeley, CO

  • Television broke. Never got fixed

  • 🏠

    Started living at the house near the hospital in Greeley, CO

  • 👶

    Brother @dylanreed was born. The Reed Brothers are finally united.

  • 🏠

    Started living at the farm house on rd 15 in Greeley, CO

  • 👶

    Secret Brother Jon was born. The Reed Brothers are almost united.

  • Moved to Greeley, CO

  • 🏠

    Started living at the house on 11th st in Greeley, CO

  • 🏠

    Started living at the house in Windsor, CO

  • Moved to Windsor, CO

  • 👶

    Harper was born in Greeley, CO

  • 🌌

    Beginning of the Universe!