Unless you’re a fan of Einsteinian determinism, you probably believe like me that computers unequivocally cannot predict the future. I contend though that computer have always been my future. Dialup and Windows 98 was my first taste of the digital age when I was around four. It always fascinated me that a screen and buttons could provide endless entertainment and content. That fascination has lead me down the path I stand today with my Linux and programming skills.
I’m really strong at the DevOps and system administrator tasks since I have worked in environments that deploy a large number of systems. Integrating different systems and vendors together to deliver a full solution is a personal joy. Open source software allows anyone to resell and support code that may otherwise not be used due to cost and complexity. Clients seems less interested in what or how I deploy and are more focused on a financial result, but most are lost on the fact that software is freely available that will deliver results. I always wanted to be, and still want to be, the person that can take a code base and transform into something that makes life more interesting.
There is always a drive to improve, as computers in general move at light speed. Areas I wish to shore up generally fall under the hard computer sciences, such as algorithms. I have lots of real world experience, but hand me a binary tree problem or ask me how a stack can be used to sort and panic seeps inside before I can collect an answer. Recently, I have started a position at the University of Hawaii as a virtual and mixed reality research assistant. I know close to zero about game engines or VR, but I was given an exciting opportunity to learn. Under the direction of Dr. Darren Carlson, I will be exploring the world of Unity 3D, digital interaction, context-aware devices, and how we make technology ambiently aware of what humans want and react automatically.