I help computers keep information neat so they can do smart things that don't break.
Pine Marten is John Houghton's own company. John has helped big companies like Meta, Apple, Kaiser Permanente and Intuit with their information for ten years. He builds helpers that sort information, count it, and think with it — and some smart helpers that stay inside your building so your secrets stay safe.
How I can help
Meta quantum cryptography systems
Secret codes keep information safe. Someday very powerful computers may crack today's codes, so I help you find your codes and switch to stronger new ones.
ML-KEM / ML-DSAcrypto-agilityHNDL riskkey inventoryData engineering
I build pipes that carry information to one big tidy box, check that it's right, and show your team how to take care of it.
dbtDagsterDuckDBSQLAI engineering
I build chatty computer helpers that do real jobs, test them to make sure they're good, and give them safety rules from the start.
LLMsagentsevalsLocal & private AI
Smart computer helpers that can listen, see and talk, living on your own computer so your information never goes outside.
on-premSTT/TTSvisionAnalytics & decision support
I count things, try tests, and make easy charts so the bosses get answers to their real questions.
metricsexperimentationSmall team, lots of practice, I do the work
Assess
First I look at your information and what you want, then I write down a plan of what to do first.
Build
I build with your tools, a little bit at a time, and check and explain each piece.
Hand off
I leave instructions and teach your team, so they can keep building without me.
TODO
Hi, I'm John.
My job is taking messy information and making it neat and trustworthy. Most recently I helped teams at Meta called FAIR and Reality Labs, and before that Apple Maps, Kaiser Permanente and Intuit. I studied economics, so I care about the choices people make with the information.
Do you have an information puzzle?
Write me a little note about what you're doing. I'll write back by the next work day.