I’m a recent college graduate looking for a place to work where I can learn and dedicate myself to a cause. I have a deep interest in computing and would gladly spend my time building things and understanding how stuff works. I don’t view computer science as a “major” in university or as a set of skills. To me, studying computing has illuminated new ways of thinking and brought me closer to understanding the world around us. The fact that computer science is still a relatively young field where it’s realistic to “do it yourself” or make important contributions has empowered me in all aspects of my life -- I don’t have the learned helplessness of being a consumer, I can make things and learn how stuff works and solve my problems. I’m interested in a lot of computing-related subfields and ideas. I think computing history is really interesting and important; it gives us context, which is imperative in truly understanding the current state of affairs. I don’t subscribe to ‘whig history’ (i.e. viewing history as a journey from a dark and terrible past to a "glorious present"), and I genuinely believe that there are many ideas from the past that have been lost over time and need to be explored further today (see: Xerox Parc, Ted Nelson, etc). Computer philosophy takes this a step further, asking fundamental questions about how we use computers and what they’re good for (see: Jaron Lanier). I want to understand WHY, to unravel all of the things we take for granted, to understand the fundamental constructs that went into creating the first computers. For this reason, I am increasingly interested in electronics and hardware (which in turn will bring me to physics and math). I also really like sound and music and noise, and love the idea of building my own ad-hoc electronic musical instruments. I care about freedom and helping people, so I believe in free software and open source software. As for software, I am really interested in operating systems and programming languages (especially their intersection). Discovering different ways of thinking about operating systems (e.g. Plan 9, Oberon, Smalltalk) and programming languages (e.g. logic and functional paradigms) is fascinating to me, and even more so when it does not confine itself to the boundaries of software (e.g. Lisp Machines). Other things I find cool include document markup languages and typesetting systems, networks, systems in general (how to make them fault tolerant, etc), the idea of formal verification of program correctness, audio programming and digital signal processing, human-computer interaction (à la Ted Nelson and Alan Kay), and so on. Lastly, I’m interested in finding ways to bring ideas from seemingly disparate ‘fields’ together with ideas about computing (I disagree with the idea of compartmentalizing knowledge this way, but I think we do this in our society). When I'm not consuming esoteric media, I'm with my girlfriend who I love very much. I love nature and hope to eventually help protect it and have more time to appreciate it. I have a disdain for the superficiality of capitalism and bureaucracy. Let's all be human and not forsake each other or the world for money or material objects. Above all, I hope to communicate my passion and my willingness to learn and help others.
