People In My Life

If you're interested in game engine tech, my younger brother is working on a game engine and graphics engine of his own. You can read about it on his website. I like to think of him as my protégé, but he's mostly self-taught.

My fiancée, Oli, also has a website built with Haunt.

Curriculum Vitae

I currently hold a Master of Science from Brown University in Computer Science (awarded February 11th, 2024) and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts in Computer Science and Mathematics (awarded Summa Cum Laude on May 14th, 2021).

My Interests

Free Software

I like programming and I've found using free software to be a good way to scratch that itch. Bugs invite investigation and hacking on the code. If I want to do something that a piece of software doesn't currently support, I can grab the source code and bend it to my will. And I feel better about releasing my side projects out to the world for anyone to use and benefit from for free, because techbro entrepreneurs who productize everything are annoying, and I make enough money that I don't need to be one.

This is the software I use:

• Gentoo GNU/Linux
  • OpenRC
  • NetworkManager on laptop, netifrc everywhere else
  • Bash
  • MATE
  • xremap
• Mozilla Firefox
• GNU Emacs
• Claws Mail
• Transmission
• Ghidra
• Radare2

I used to be a tiling window manager (Awesome) user but installed MATE after a re-read of Xah Lee's article "Why Tiling Window Manager Sucks" and frankly haven't looked back. I'm usually just using a maximized Emacs window.

I used to be a "Emacs for everything" type, but sometimes specialized tools are better for the job. For example, if I really did believe in using Emacs for everything I would probably be using org-page. I've come to accept that Emacs inter-operating with other applications is probably a bit better than shoehorning every possible use-case into it.

My Emacs configuration can be found here.

Computer Security

People I work with are sometimes surprised by my aptitude here. Truth is, I have literally been into this stuff since I was eleven years old. Amid my early years with computer programming, I was briefly introduced to web development and, in particular, PHP, which has a reputation for the ease with which one can introduce security vulnerabilities. There was a section in the book I was going through full of examples about SQL injection. That was enough for me to get hooked. I found HackThisSite shortly afterward and got into CTF. I was an early follower of LiveOverflow and played with 0xBU on the weekends while I was in high school.

When I was at UMass, I was an e-board member of the UMass Cybersecurity Club and made a dozen or so challenges for their CTFs.

Radio Spectrum

I am a licensed (general class) ham, but I am rarely active. My callsign is KR3UZE.

Food and Cooking

Fitness and diet go hand-in-hand for a lot of people, and that was certainly the case with me. I had always been interested in cooking, having grown up around two decent home cooks who watched Alton Brown et al. (I've seen him live!), but I got really into it when I started my extensive fitness regimen. I was making supper for my family most nights starting when I was fifteen.

When I started, I didn't really consider it an interest, because I saw it as just another thing that everyone has to do (like doing laundry or cleaning the house - two similar tasks that no one considers a hobby or interest), but I get a great deal of enjoyment out of exploring different flavors and textures. I love learning about new techniques and new cuisines. There's a cultural piece to cooking and eating food that simply isn't present with other household chores, and so I put a lot of importance on the task of feeding myself.

My favorite things are soups and stews, spicy curries, and American barbecue.

Electric Vehicles

Most of my adult life was spent uninterested in cars. I was fortunate to have one, but I rarely worked on it myself because I didn't care to learn how and I had a mechanic I trusted. It lasted me a pretty long time, but failed inspection when I moved down to Virginia because the frame was rusted to hell. That's when I got a Ford Mustang Mach-E (RWD Select), which was probably one of the better purchases I've made in my life. I love it. Maybe because it's more of a computer on wheels than a car.

It's reliable, doesn't demand much in the way of maintenance, and I can charge it for virtually no cost at work. I'm firmly sold on electric cars.

I had originally wanted to hold out until solid-state battery tech made its way into EVs to get one, but it will probably be some time before the cost is reasonable and the kinks are worked out. I think my pony will at least last until then.

Video Games

Like many, my interest in computer programming started with video games. The wedding gift my uncle gave my parents was a Nintendo 64. That's what I grew up with. Some of my earliest memories were of playing video games – I was definitely playing them at the age of 3 if not earlier. I have a soft spot for Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Super Mario 64.

I did a lot of PC gaming throughout elementary school and middle school. Most of that time being spent on Source Engine games like Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike, and other old first-person shooters like Doom and Quake. I played Counter-Strike: Global Offensive quite a bit at the beginning of high school, and then my interest in games started to drop off.

Now that my life involves a lot of "hurry up and wait," I've been getting back into them somewhat. I mostly play on, in order of portability, an Anbernic RG35XXSP running MuOS (Tael), a Retroid Pocket 4 Pro (Navi), and a Steam Deck (Saria). When I have an aching to play some shooter games or something with very complicated controls (like Cataclysm or X-COM), I do it on my old tower.

My Fundamentals

Fitness

I've been working out almost daily since I was fourteen. Sports don't interest me much. I just like looking fit and trim, so exercise is either long-distance cardio (most often running) or hypertrophy-focused weightlifting.