About
the slightly longer version
I fix things because I have always fixed things. Since I was a kid I’ve had this need to understand how every system works. It started with taking apart home appliances that probably didn’t need to be taken apart. It ended up as an apprenticeship in instrumentation and control, then years of repair work, then that wasn’t enough so I started pulling apart software and firmware too. Every job I’ve ever had has been driven by the same question: how does that work and can we make it better.
I ended up working across CSIRO robotics, Rheinmetall defence systems, Hitachi mining hardware and biomedical research instrumentation at UQ. Not because I planned a career path but because interesting problems kept showing up and I kept saying yes to them.
I genuinely enjoy learning. That’s it. That’s the whole thing. I haven’t stopped and I don’t intend to. In my own time I’m figuring out how to make bread, how to make wine, fixing things around the house. The subject doesn’t matter much. If it’s a system I want to understand it.
The thing I want people to know is that despite decades of technical work, I will treat you like a human. Like the kid I was when I didn’t understand things yet. Because the world works better when people actually explain what’s going on rather than making you feel stupid for asking. That’s what I try to do.
credentials
Instrumentation and Control Trade Certificate, Townsville TAFE. Restricted Electrical License. Australian Government Baseline Security Clearance. 15 years of paid work across mining, defence, robotics and biomedical research. PCB design in Altium and KiCAD. Advanced soldering including 0201 SMD rework. Linux, Python, Docker, Ansible, ROS – used in production, not just listed on a CV.
Past work documented at hotross.github.io – PCB builds, robotics deployments, home automation, server infrastructure and more.
why “Dash Labs”
Named after the cat. He’s grey and white, deeply unimpressed by most things, and spends a lot of time sleeping on networking equipment. Not technically involved in the business but he does supervise.
Chief of Operations. Currently unavailable.