What do you know about software?

People kept stubbing their toes on hardware, so they started making it softer.

Ok, dad.

Yeah, I get that a lot.

So…?

I’m most experienced with Ruby/Rails (and some Sinatra), but I’ve been fairly immersed in JavaScript (React, TypeScript, NestJS) recently at work. I’ve also done a lot of development on the Salesforce platform, and I know my way around a decent chunk of AWS. I’m comfortable writing SQL queries, bash scripts, or figuring out whatever other tools I might need for the job at hand, and I always enjoy learning new things.

Why did you start a blog?

See here.

Why is your favicon Sherlock Hemlock?

I like solving problems, and I like to think of myself as a detective when I’m debugging code. I’m not arrogant enough to think of myself as Sherlock Holmes, though, and I loved Sesame Street when I was a kid. So Sherlock Hemlock it is.

What’s with the title? Are you a hacker?

I do have an interest in cybersecurity, but no, that’s not really what I mean. I dislike getting in trouble too much to be a good hacker anyway. Wikipedia defines a hacker as “a computer expert who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means.” Who says that has to mean breaking into top-secret systems? Hacking is being unafraid to dive into unfamiliar territory and figure things out on the fly.

There’s also this.

How frequently are these questions actually asked?

At least once (by me, to myself, when I created this page).