Creative technologist · New Jersey

Hey, I’m
John Daly.

I build things, help people make sense of technology, and usually have another idea on the go.

At work, that means strategic intelligence and AI education. Elsewhere, it might mean a tool for comic writers, an easier way to plan an event, or a project that brings my town together.

A few different sides of me

John Daly smiling outdoors in a colorful floral shirt and giving a shaka gesture

01 / Day Job John

Making complex
things more accessible.

I work in strategic market intelligence and AI enablement at Parsons Corporation, where I’m also a Parsons Fellow and get to work on really fun projects related to environmental remediation and critical infrastructure. I’m also one of the lead trainers for our firm’s AI Literacy efforts.

I help teams connect research to decisions, build tools around real problems, and develop the confidence to work thoughtfully with emerging technology. And the coolest part of it all is these projects are usually “make the world a better place” type projects, like helping on drinking water contamination cleanup or bridge and tunnel projects I’ll drive through someday myself. Epic fun all the time.

The very confusing route I took to get here

My career has been SUPER CONFUSING to get to this point. I’ve worked in the video games industry as an animator, managed the construction of landing equipment for U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, worked in cyber security for remote power utilities, worked in augmented and virtual reality education and UX studies, and now work in environmental remediation. Whatever is next, I enjoy the point where a complicated idea becomes something someone can actually use.

For more about my wild work history, you can check out my LinkedIn here ↗

The work shared here represents my personal perspective. Independent projects are separate from my role at Parsons.

02 / Off-the-Clock John

“Could we
make that?”

That's the question I love hearing the most. And my answer is normally 'Let's try!' which has led me to some really fun projects over the years. Like that time I built my daughter's Doc Ock costume that made it into an actual Spider-Man comic. Here's some of that dumb fun that I love creating.

John Daly smiling beside an outdoor display of his movie-inspired artwork — John at the NJ Art and Artist Festival with some of his work

Digital Paintings and More

Amity Island Gift Shop

My favorite stress relief is my digital painting project, Amity Island Gift Shop. Since 2020, I’ve been selling my pop-culture inspired artwork online as well as working with various businesses from the hospitality world making all sorts of dumb fun. Not just artwork, I make pint glasses, bookmarks, clothing that was featured in Vanity Fair, and more! And yes, it’s a Jaws reference. Far and away my favorite film.

I’ve been fortunate to have customers in over 17 countries and I know artwork I made while having a laugh is hanging in places like movie theaters in Minnesota, pubs in England, homes in New Zealand, and even a hotel in Martinique!

Visit Amity Island Gift Shop ↗

Comic Blocker showing a visual comic page beside its structured script — Comic Blocker is a free tool in the Indie Comics world that lets creators write panel beats, add dialogue and SFX, and plan the visual rhythm for sequential storytelling

Sequential Storytelling Tool

Comic Blocker

Comic Blocker started as a tool I needed for myself. I write comics for fun and wanted a simple way to visually block pages, work through pacing, and connect each panel to the script before moving into illustration, lettering, and print. Then I put it online for anyone else who might find it useful.

When I shared it with the indie comics community, the response blew me away!

Today, hundreds of people use Comic Blocker each day. My favorite part is hearing from creators who used it to get an idea out of their head and launched a Kickstarter. It’s entirely free. Projects remain entirely local, with no account or cloud storage required. And was truly built for the love of the game.

Visit Comic Blocker ↗

Where Do They Sit seating planner showing a wedding guest list and draggable round tables on a room layout — Easily figure out ideal seating and layouts for events from big weddings to dinner parties and everything in between.

Where Do They Sit showing multiple event tables and guest seating layouts on a room plan — Easily figure out ideal seating and layouts for events from big weddings to dinner parties and everything in between.

Event Planning Tools

Where Do They Sit? The Seating Chart!

‘Where Do They Sit’ started with a simple idea: event seating charts shouldn’t require a spreadsheet, a pile of sticky notes, and stress eating a whole container of Trader Joe’s chocolate chip cookies. I built it to give party planners an easy, visual way to arrange their guests, experiment with different table combinations, and make changes as plans evolve.

It turns one of the most notoriously stressful parts of wedding and event planning into something that feels manageable (and maybe even a little fun?) so people can spend less time wrestling with logistics and more time imagining everyone they love together in one room. And yes, those are X-Men character names as the demo guest list.

Explore the seating planner ↗

Also on the workbench

Bellot Strait Simulator

An exploratory project investigating how to make tide and environmental information easier to understand.

In development · Not a navigation or safety tool

A crowd fills the road during Shrewsbury’s centennial parade, with a red vintage car and American flags leading the procession. — The big parade at Shrewsbury’s 100th birthday celebration.

03 / Community John

Good things.
Close to home.

Friends of Shrewsbury is a volunteer-led nonprofit investing in my town’s future, and I am proud to serve on the board as Vice President and one of the founders.

That means helping with communications, fundraising, and the collaborative work that turns community ideas into something neighbors can see and share. Big projects like the town’s centennial celebration and annual Shrewsbury Day to projects supporting parks, historic places, and civic life.

Visit Friends of Shrewsbury ↗

04 / AI & Teaching John

New tools.
Human judgment.

I teach people how to work with AI—and how to question it.

Experience

Learn by doing.

I believe the best way to learn AI tools is by doing something dumb with it first. My literacy classes start with things like 'How do we move King Kong from Tonga to Broadway?' or 'We're going to build a tunnel for the Batmobile.' People become more engaged with stress-free nonsense scenarios and the relationship of how to use emerging tech in their own lives clicks soon after.

Approach

Stay in the loop.

Getting comfortable with AI also means getting comfortable questioning it. Ask where an answer came from, check whether it makes sense, and bring your own experience to the conversation. The tool can help you explore an idea, but you’re still responsible for what you do with it.

Creative boundaries

Be deliberate.

I use AI for analytical and practical work. I don’t use AI-generated imagery in my creative projects. Human creativity matters to me, and those boundaries shape how I work.

05 / Say "Hey"

Got an interesting
thing on your mind?

Let’s hang out! I’m always interested in a good conversation about technology, storytelling, teaching, or rambling about things that probably should exist already.

So...What are you thinking about?

Send John E-Mail