About

Yıldırım Yazganarıkan (Leo)

Architect who builds his own tools · San Francisco and Istanbul

Hi, I like to build things. Here are some of my tools.

Apps I made

HyperMONKTell it once. A voice and text assistant that keeps what you said and brings it back when it matters.hypermonk.vercel.app AsvalinSee all your files at once. Every file and folder laid out on one endless canvas, arranged like a desk, with your AI working beside you.asvalin.com BasicTranscriptionSay it instead of typing it. Hold a shortcut, speak, and your words land wherever you type, on Windows, Mac and iPhone.basictranscription.com VoxitectDesign a building the way you play a game. Place walls and glass, walk inside, and get real plans, sections and renders from the same model.voxitect.com MONKA voice journal that remembers your life and talks it through with you.yourmonk.org Portfolio MakerTurn a folder of images into a portfolio that looks designed, for the screen and for print.portfolio-maker-tau-wheat.vercel.app Basic ToolsEight small Windows tools, each one fixing an everyday annoyance.basictools.pro

Background

I trained as an architect and industrial designer in Washington DC, then moved to San Francisco to build startups. FileMap, an infinite canvas for design teams, and BioBulb, a modular smart plant system, were both residents of the Autodesk Technology Center in San Francisco. I have lectured at Stanford, METU and Bilkent on AI, tools and design.

How this page works

Each quote was recorded three times, slow, normal and fast, each read at its own natural pace. Every word was then timed against the voice on my own laptop, so the screen keeps pace with the speech, and each quote is set in a typeface chosen for its mood.

Settings

Moods

Pause between quotes

Voice pace

Three separate recordings, each read at its own natural pace, not one recording sped up.

Fullscreen

Typeface

Order

Theme

Why these typefaces

The research is clearest on three things a typeface can say: pleasant or harsh (round, natural shapes against angular ones), strong or gentle (weight), and calm or lively (plain against irregular forms). Quiet feelings like sadness come through least, so those faces stay plain and let the words do the work. Studies used whole alphabets, mostly with English readers, so a single giant word is an extrapolation.