Interests
You and I probably have at least one thing in common.
- Hiking: I like getting lost outside when I can. Some recent roamins: Phoenix Lake.
- Climbing: Once upon a time I was a climbing instructor and ran a small gym in the Bay Area. It hasn’t been a part of my life for a few years now and I miss it.
- Backpacking: I’ve had a few really fun backpacking trips here and there.
- Programming: I started programming sometime around 1986, when I was 7 or 8 years old. I’ve worked with a lot of different programming languages, systems, and environments since then, and I’ve been paid off-and-on for it since 1996.
- You can use switch statements to improve error handling and code readability.
- I finally broke down and got a github account.
- Being a software developer while running a small computer shop means I’ve had to learn how to code 30 minutes at a time.
- Games: Games have been a part of my life since I was little.
- I played chess when I was young and did reasonably well at the local level. I lost interest in it once I started working at a game store while in high school; everything else was too interesting.
- I’ve been playing Go for several years now. I play pretty religiously with a local club, as well as a bit online. I’m still terrible at it but I don’t know how to quit.
- Cars: I’ve wrenched on a number of cars, rebuilt an engine and a handful of heads and once rebuilt the digital EGR valve for a 1990 Firebird on the side of road when it stranded me. I appreciate all kinds of cars, but I’m not really rabidly enthusiastic about them.
- Gardening: Gardening has been a peaceful way to pass some time now and then and I like helping things grow.
- Juggling: I learned how to juggle while working at a game store. I still keep a few juggling balls on a bookshelf nearby and throw them around when I have to think really hard about something. I can do 3-ball and 3-ball passing and some interesting patterns, but I’ve never gotten the hang of 4-ball or clubs.
- Photography: Everyone’s a photographer these days. I’m not especially good at it, but I like the way it changes how you see things and takes you to neat places.
- Books & Literature: I’ve read a lot, although I’ve been binging really bad on the junk food of blogs and online articles the last couple years. Gotta fix that.
- Trivia: I like memorizing things and I practice it all the time and I’m interested a little bit in almost everything. This has made me pretty good at trivia.
- Writing: I’m okay at it, working on improving.
- Travel: I hope some day to be able to spend most of my time traveling. I’ve roamed around the west coast a lot, driven across the country, and I have a weird affinity for small towns. If humans attempt to colonize Mars in my lifetime I will try very hard to go.
People
I’m only mostly anti-social.
Words I've written
I'm still struggling to become a decent writer, to find my authentic voice. These are my practice sessions.
- I’m not fond of the newer format for online forums. I think it encourages arguments and zero-effort comments instead of helpful discussion. (2011)
- My solution to yucky things happening is to make something. (2016)
Business
I’ve been self-employed since 2008 and somehow the rent has been paid every month, which amazes me more than anyone.
- I don’t recommend trying to start your own business. Instead, try finding a job and company that you enjoy. But, if you insist on starting your own business, there are some traits I’ve noticed that seem to be common among successful business owners.
Other stuff I've done
There are lots of different personality types behind most successful projects. I’m mostly an instigator; I often lack the focus and dedication necessary to carry a long-term ambition by myself, but I like connecting people and starting or supporting their work.
- I fixed Y2K bugs in COBOL for a school district early in my career.
- I dropped out of the tech industry for a while to nurture the part of me that craves outdoor adventure, and I ended up becoming a climbing instructor and gym manager. For a short time, the gym was actually profitable and members were happy and some of my students went on to have long-term relationships and friendships.
- I was a founding board member of Nevada County Rotaract.
- I started a "Solopreneurs" group in Nevada County which collected freelancers and other solo-flying professionals. The group met regularly to socialize and share tips and work and it lasted long enough to be the genesis for a co-working facility in the area, for which I was member #1.
- I founded Nevada County Hackers, which collected area software developers and other tech people, and is still semi-active.
- I worked for a short time with a group to open up an indoor climbing facility in Grass Valley. I donated garage space for them to build a test wall in and to aid in fundraising, built a website for them and hosted a community mailing list for discussion and announcements. (They did all the hard work though.)
Half-bakery
Way down here at the bottom are the occasional bits of drivel that trickle out of my brain. It does this all on its own, and my brain and I often disagree on the value of these things.
- “Depth” magazine: a magazine that people claim to want.
- A statusboard for the country. Crawl information from a variety of sources and display an at-a-glance dashboard with weather alerts, droughts, civil unrest, fires, disasters, etc.
Recent Stuff
Shh. Just make something.edited January 08, 2017
October 9, 2016 In which we need to save the internet from ourselves
edited January 05, 2017
March 25, 2015 A glimpse of starting over
edited October 23, 2016
August 11, 2016 How to understand Trump's supporters
edited August 11, 2016