About Me

Dr. Jawn Lam

Organizational Effectiveness Consultant | Leadership Development Specialist | "Vibe Coder"

The Foundation: Rigor Meets Curiosity

For over 15 years, I've helped senior executives and organizations solve their hardest problems. My background—a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University, combined with 15+ years as an organizational effectiveness consultant—taught me that the best decisions come from rigorous analysis, critical thinking, and a willingness to question assumptions.

I've diagnosed employee resistance to change, designed assessment tools to measure organizational fit, created training programs for emotional intelligence and professional communication, and coached leaders on the subtle art of influence and organizational politics. At its core, all of this work is about thinking clearly under uncertainty and making better decisions.

The Curiosity: Why Version-Track a Personal Journey?

As a consultant, I've learned that documentation is power. It creates accountability, reveals patterns, and allows you to learn from what you've built. So when I stepped into this new phase of my career—creating experimental tools for thinking, deciding, and creating—I wanted to document the journey rigorously.

This site, JawnLam.cloud, is my "workbench." It's where I prototype ideas, test approaches, and iterate on tools that make me think better. The Version History isn't just about what I've built; it's about why I built it, what I learned, and where the journey is going. That's the consulting mindset applied to personal projects.

The Tools: Three Kinds of Excellence

Critical Thinking & Decision-Making

These are the tools that align most closely with my professional passion. Tools to analyze arguments, identify hidden biases, evaluate sources with rigor, and explore logical fallacies. Because bad thinking leads to bad decisions, and bad decisions compound over time.

Productivity Utilities

These are the practical tools that solve real problems in my life. An encryption utility to secure sensitive messages. A PDF-to-Markdown converter for knowledge management. URL shortening. These aren't flashy, but they work—and they make my life measurably better.

Fun Experiments

And then there's this: ASCII art converters, Matrix-style movie quotes falling from the sky, conversation cards designed to spark genuine connections. Because life isn't all rigor and optimization. Joy matters. Delight matters. These projects remind me that the best tools are ones that make you smile, not just ones that make you productive.

The Philosophy

I believe in "Learning by Doing." Theory is useful only when tested against reality. That's why every tool on this site is live, functional, and built to solve real problems (or spark real joy). I don't just think about better decision-making—I build tools to practice it. I don't just theorize about creative expression—I create.

If you're curious about rigorous thinking, experimental tools, or why a consultant would spend time coding in a retro terminal aesthetic, I invite you to explore the projects. They reflect how I think, what I value, and where I'm curious.

Version History

v25.11.28

Release Date: November 28, 2025

New Feature: Message Encryptor/Decryptor

Added a new cryptographic utility tool to the "Productivity Utilities" category, bringing the total number of live projects to 7.

XOR Message Utility (Enc/Dec)

This is a single-page, offline-capable web application designed to serve as a backup tool to use in the event that something breaks in the PopClip tool. It safely scrambles and restores text messages using a fast XOR symmetric cipher.

The utility is built to perfectly mirror the custom formatting and algorithm used by the associated PopClip extension snippets, ensuring seamless synchronization between the desktop shortcut and this backup tool.

Key Features:

  • Offline Operation: The entire encryption and decryption process runs locally in the web browser. No data, message, or key is ever transmitted over the internet, ensuring maximum privacy.
  • PopClip Compatibility: Enforces a strict message format (e.g., PLEASE ENCRYPT THIS MESSAGE: / ENCRYPTION KEY:) for input and output, guaranteeing compatibility with custom PopClip actions.
  • XOR Cipher: Uses a symmetric stream cipher (XOR) for efficient, reversible data scrambling.
  • Dual Mode: Easily toggle between "Encrypt Mode" (Ï) and "Decrypt Mode" (Ð) using the visual toggle buttons.
  • Data Integrity: Requires the secret key to be provided directly in the input block for every operation, mitigating the risk of incorrect decryption.

Implementation Details:

  • Built with vanilla HTML/CSS/JavaScript
  • Fully integrated with the JawnLam.cloud style guide
  • Supports all four aesthetic themes (Green, Amber, Obsidian, Classic)
  • Theme preference persists via localStorage
  • Webdings font integration for authentic retro icons

v25.11.13

Release Date: November 13, 2025

Initial Launch: Jawn Lam's Workbench

The official launch of JawnLam.cloud as a terminal-inspired portfolio showcasing experiments in critical thinking, decision making, and creative tools.

Site Purpose & Philosophy

JawnLam.cloud serves as a digital workbench—a space to prototype, test, and refine tools that enhance thinking, decision-making, and creativity. The site is built on the philosophy of "Learning by Doing," with each project designed to tackle real problems or explore novel approaches to cognitive challenges.

Site Construction

  • Architecture: Single-page application built with vanilla HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript (no frameworks)
  • Data Model: All project information stored in a simple JavaScript object, rendered dynamically
  • Layout: Terminal-inspired sidebar navigation with tabbed content panes
  • Styling: Custom CSS with Grid and Flexbox for responsive design
  • Font Stack: JetBrains Mono for retro terminal aesthetic, VT323 for display headings, Ubuntu Sans Mono for Obsidian theme

Site Features

  • Dynamic Filtering: Sidebar categories are generated from project data and act as live filters to explore projects by interest area.
  • Tabbed Interface: Switch between Projects, About Me, and Version History to explore different aspects of the workbench.
  • Theme Toggle: Cycle through four aesthetic themes (Green, Amber, Obsidian, Classic) with a single click. Preference is saved to localStorage.
  • Pure Vanilla JavaScript: No frameworks, no dependencies—just clean, understandable code.
  • Responsive Design: Optimized for desktop and mobile, with adaptive layouts and touch-friendly controls.

Four Aesthetic Themes

The site features four distinct theme variants, each offering a unique visual experience while maintaining consistent usability:

  • 🟢 Green: Classic phosphor green terminal aesthetic (#00ff41 on black). Inspired by vintage CRT monitors and retro hacker culture.
  • 🟠 Amber: Warm amber/orange phosphor display (#ffb000 on black). Evokes the golden glow of older terminal screens from the 1980s.
  • 🟣 Obsidian: Modern dark theme with purple accents (#8a39e7 on pure black). Combines retro aesthetic with contemporary design sensibilities.
  • 📄 Classic: Light mode with clean, professional styling. High contrast and accessibility-focused for users who prefer traditional interfaces.

Theme selection is persistent—users' preferences are saved to localStorage and applied automatically on return visits.

Interactive CLI Simulation with Movie Quotes

The top of the page features a simulated terminal prompt that displays iconic movie quotes using a typewriter animation effect. Quotes are randomly selected from a curated library and include context from science fiction classics and philosophical films. This creates an engaging, immersive atmosphere as users first interact with the site.

Five Core Categories

The sidebar organizes all projects under five main categories, reflecting the diverse focus areas of the workbench:

  • Critical Thinking: Tools for analyzing arguments, identifying biases, evaluating sources, and exploring logical fallacies.
  • Decision Making: Tools for structured decision-making, risk assessment, probabilistic reasoning, and values clarification.
  • Power Tools: Advanced utilities like the Socratic dialogue bot, scenario planner, and belief audit dashboard.
  • Fun Experiments: Creative projects like ASCII art converters, matrix rain animations, and conversation starters.
  • Productivity Utilities: Practical tools for everyday tasks—encryption, PDF conversion, URL shortening, and more.

Initial Project Roster (6 Live Projects)

  • Quick Comments (Critical Thinking)
  • Conversation Cards (Fun Experiments)
  • PDF to Markdown Converter (Productivity Utilities)
  • URL Shortener (Productivity Utilities)
  • ASCII Art Converter (Fun Experiments)
  • Matrix Rain Movie Quotes (Fun Experiments)

Tech Stack

  • HTML5 + CSS3 (Grid, Flexbox, CSS Variables, Animations)
  • Vanilla JavaScript (ES6+, no dependencies)
  • Google Fonts (JetBrains Mono, VT323, Ubuntu Sans Mono)
  • LocalStorage API for theme persistence
  • Responsive design optimized for desktop and mobile