Origin
Dan Brown
Learning how
things work.
Life included.
I build stuff, learn constantly,
and overengineer the remaining aspects of life.
About me
A builder, learner,
and generalist.
I enjoy going from curiosity to execution, whether it’s shipping a product, diving into a research topic, or experimenting with a new routine or a new hobby. I’m broadly interested in tech, productivity, health, investing, travelling and what makes a good life.
My journey
- 2025–present · Cresta
Applied AI engineer building conversation insights.
- 2023–2025 · Business master’s
Studied business administration at Babeș-Bolyai University.
- 2023–2024 · Google Developer Student Club
Co-Led the student developer community at Babeș-Bolyai University.
- 2022–2025 · Arnia Software
Built and optimized a graph database engine.
- 2021–2022 · Fortech
Full-stack development for e-bike apps and web services.
- 2020–2023 · Computer science
Earned my bachelor’s at Babeș-Bolyai University.
- 2020–2022 · Hai la Olimpiada
Taught algorithms and mentored high-school students for the CS Olympiad.
- 2016–2020 · High school
Discovered algorithms; two national CS Olympiads, with two medals.
Engineering notes
Building,
explained.
Notes on systems, tools, and the decisions behind them. Things I build and learn, at work and on my own.
Personal project / AI agents
My AI agent lives on a mini PC at home
My always-on Hermes setup: Discord, persistent memory, recurring tasks, and the tools I use every day.
By Victor · 5 min read
Personal project / AI & health data
Building my AI health coaches, starting with Garmin
I want my agents to understand my sleep, activity, and progress. First, they need access to my Garmin data.
By Victor · 5 min read
Engineering / Product
Before the Dashboard Knows: Detecting Real-Time Trends in CX Conversations
Finding emerging signals in customer conversations: the pipeline, detection tradeoffs, and product thinking behind a live view of what’s changing.
Co-authored at Cresta
Engineering / Product
Automation Discovery: Designing Systems to Extract Blueprints from Conversation Data
Turning messy conversations into inspectable workflows, surfacing exceptions, and helping teams understand what’s ready to automate.
Co-authored at Cresta
Inspiration
Worth thinking
about.
Papers, essays, posts, and collections I keep coming back to.
Selected reads
Ongoing collections
Collection · Notion
Daily lessons from the Stoics
A growing collection of Stoic ideas for everyday life.
Generated with Hermes Collection · NotionDaily read: Lessons from books
A 3–5-minute lesson from fiction or nonfiction, added to Notion every day at 08:00 Romania time, with a link shared on Discord.
Generated with HermesBooks
On my bookshelf.
Books I’ve read, from fiction and philosophy to technology and investing.
40 books
As a Man Thinketh
James Allen
A Man for All Markets
Edward O. Thorp
The Life of an Entrepreneur in 90 Pages
Patrick Bet-David
The Miracle Morning
Hal Elrod
The Secret
Rhonda Byrne
How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics
Michael Pollan
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
John Perkins
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness
Eric Jorgenson
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Ashlee Vance
Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
David Goggins
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
Michael A. Singer
Man’s Search for Meaning
Viktor E. Frankl
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
Miguel Ruiz
The 48 Laws of Power
Robert Greene
Who Moved My Cheese?
Spencer Johnson
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Robert A. Glover
This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See
Seth Godin
Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography
Richard Branson
Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Max Tegmark
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
Permanent Record
Edward Snowden
Lying
Sam Harris
A Brief History of Time
Stephen W. Hawking
Lucifer’s Banker: The Untold Story of How I Destroyed Swiss Banking Secrecy
Bradley C. Birkenfeld
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
Robin Sharma
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Phil Knight
Principles: Life and Work
Ray Dalio
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Eckhart Tolle
The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google
Scott Galloway
The Richest Man in Babylon
George S. Clason
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
Chris Voss
Digital Fortress
Dan Brown
The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Mark Manson
How to Win Friends & Influence People
Dale Carnegie
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Robert T. Kiyosaki
1984
George Orwell
No books found. Try another title or author.
Life
Beyond the screen.
The remaining aspects of life.
Can be called lifemaxxing.
Gym
Yes, those are hyperdunks 2013. Mythical pull.
Bicycling
Owning just 1 hardtail mtb for now.
Hiking
Romania has nice mountains!
Artistic side
A different kind of practice.