---
layout: base
title: Home
---

<table>
    <tr>
        <td>
            <p>I'm a software developer and <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/">Wikipedian</a> currently studying computer science at the <a href="//illinois.edu/">University of Illinois at Urbana&ndash;Champaign</a>. My work mostly focuses on text parsing and analysis; I'm also interested in programming language theory and algorithm design.</p>
        </td>
        <td>
            <table>
                <tr>
                    <td>Email</td>
                    <td><a href="mailto:ben.kurtovic@gmail.com">ben.kurtovic@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="mailto:kurtovc2@illinois.edu">kurtovc2@illinois.edu</a></td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <td>GitHub</td>
                    <td><a href="//github.com/earwig">earwig</a></td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <td>IRC</td>
                    <td><a href="http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=%23%23earwig">Earwig</a> on <a href="//freenode.net">irc.freenode.net</a></td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <td>Wikipedia</td>
                    <td><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:The_Earwig">[[User:The Earwig]]</a></td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <td>Twitter</td>
                    <td><a href="//twitter.com/the_earwig">@the_earwig</a></td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <td>LinkedIn</td>
                    <td><a href="//linkedin.com/in/benkurtovic">benkurtovic</a></td>
                </tr>
                <tr>
                    <td>PGP Key</td>
                    <td><a href="http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?search=0x8A19649AE8DBB515&amp;fingerprint=on&amp;op=index">E8DBB515</a></td>
                </tr>
            </table>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table>
<table>
    <tr>
        <td>
            <h2>Projects</h2>
            <div class="project">
                <div>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/mwparserfromhell">mwparserfromhell</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python + C // started May 2012)</i></span>
                </div>
                <div>
                    An easy-to-use and outrageously powerful Python parser for <a href="//mediawiki.org/">MediaWiki</a> wikicode
                </div>
            </div>
            <div class="project">
                <div>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/earwigbot">earwigbot</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python // started April 2009)</i></span>
                </div>
                <div>
                    A modular Python robot that edits <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/">Wikipedia</a> and interacts with people over <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat">IRC</a>, with <a href="//github.com/earwig/earwigbot-plugins">a separate repository for plugins</a>
                </div>
            </div>
            <div class="project">
                <div>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/bitshift">bitshift</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python + SQL + Web // started March 2014)</i></span>
                </div>
                <div>
                    <a href="http://bitshift.it/">A semantic search engine</a> for source code
                </div>
            </div>
            <div class="project">
                <div>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/copyvios">copyvios</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python + Web // started July 2009)</i></span>
                </div>
                <div>
                    <a href="//tools.wmflabs.org/copyvios">A copyright violation detector</a> for Wikipedia articles running on <a href="//tools.wmflabs.org/">Wikimedia Labs</a>
                </div>
            </div>
            <h3>Other projects</h2>
            <ul id="project-list">
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/VjiaoBlack/Oriadnos">oriadnos</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(C // started May 2014)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">A 3D maze exploration game written from scratch using matrix manipulation code, <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_mapping">UV texture mapping</a>, <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z-buffering">z-buffering</a>, and simple lighting</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/stuycs-softdev-fall-2013/proj3-6-BAJA">BAJA</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python + Web // started Jan 2014)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle"><a href="http://softdev-server.stuycs.org:6680/">A hacking game</a> featuring multiple simulated websites, tied together by messages sent to the player from a mysterious individual using a fake email client</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/stuycs-softdev-fall-2013/proj2-pd6-04-omnithinker">omnithinker</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python + Web // started Nov 2013)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle"><a href="http://softdev-server.stuycs.org:6004/">An online brainstorming tool</a> that displays relevant information from the web in a sidebar</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/VjiaoBlack/databanks">databanks</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(C // started Nov 2013)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">A simple database with a terminal-based interface for notekeeping</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/VjiaoBlack/terminvaders">terminvaders</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(C // started Oct 2013)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">A terminal-based multiplayer arcade game with a client&ndash;server model inspired by <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Invaders">Space Invaders</a></span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/Hypersonic/Starlorn">starlorn</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Java // started May 2013)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">A <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoot_'em_up">shoot 'em up</a> game with a sweet upgrade system and randomized levels</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/goldfish">goldfish</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Java // started Jan 2013)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">A simple <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway's_Game_of_Life">Game of Life</a> implementation in Java</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/Hypersonic/Cellar-Strider">cellar-strider</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python // started June 2012)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">A pseudo-<a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roguelike">roguelike</a> game with a YAML-based level system</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/func-smash">func-smash</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python // started April 2012)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">A library that tries to generate random Python functions using Markov chains</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/lobo">lobo</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(NetLogo // started Dec 2011)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">Logo Bolo: a re-envisioning of <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_(video_game)">the classic tank game</a> by Stuart Cheshire in NetLogo</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/git-repo-updater">git-repo-updater</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python // started June 2011)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">A console script that allows you to easily pull to multiple git repositories at once</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/earwig.github.io">earwig.github.io</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Web // started June 2011)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">The site you're viewing right now in source code form</span>
                </li>
                <li>
                    <a class="underlined" href="//github.com/earwig/music-quizzer">music-quizzer</a> <span class="subtitle"><i>(Python // started May 2011)</i></span><br />
                    <span class="subtitle">A <a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tk_(framework)">Tk</a>-based program that can help you prepare for your music final with randomly-generated listening quizzes</span>
                </li>
            </ul>
        </td>
        <td style="width: 50%; vertical-align: top;">
            <h2>Posts</h2>
            <div>
                Tags:
                {% for tag in site.tags %}
                    {{tag[0]}}
                {% endfor %}
            </div>
            <ul id="post-list">
                {% for post in site.posts %}
                    <li>{{ post.date | date: "%b %-d, %Y" }}: <a class="underlined" href="{{ post.url }}">{{ post.title }}</a><br /><span class="subtitle">{{ post.description }}<br />{{ post.tags | join: ", " }} &middot; <a href="{{ post.url }}#disqus_thread" data-disqus-identifier="{{ post.id }}"></a></span></li>
                {% endfor %}
            </ul>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table>
<script>
    var disqus_shortname = 'earwig';
    var disqus_title = '{{ page.title }}';
    var disqus_url = 'http://earwig.github.com{{ page.url }}';
    var disqus_developer = 1;
    (function () {
        var s = document.createElement('script'); s.async = true;
        s.type = 'text/javascript';
        s.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/count.js';
        (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(s);
    }());
</script>