Hacker█

I am a hacker (by the true definition of the term) with a passion for open source software.

Expert in Python and C++, proficient in Bash, C, Ruby, C#, Typescript, CSS, HTML, and PostgreSQL (plus a little Assembly on the side). I know just enough of a bunch of other languages to get into trouble. I love reading and improving legacy code!

I'm an accidental expert in memory management, debugging undefined behavior, and advanced object-oriented and functional programming. I deeply enjoy working with algorithmic efficiency, data structures, design patterns, and algorithms. I'm a Linux power user, reluctant IT, computer repair technician, and open source advocate.

Additionally, I have expertise in Agile project management, coding style, documentation, testing, and DevOps/CI/CD/build systems.

I'm a Principal Consultant at Rural Sourcing, and the Lead Developer at MousePaw Media. I'm a member of the Ubuntu community, the Open Source Initiative, and the Python Software Foundation. I serve as one of the community moderators on DEV.

Download my CV

Current Projects█

Dead Simple Python

The most pedantically Python primer printed! Based on my popular DEV article series, Dead Simple Python is written for existing developers who want to learn and master idiomatic Python without wasting time rehashing the basics of computer programming. Edited by Python experts, and packed with vibrant, realistic examples, you won't just learn how to write Python code; you'll learn to think like a native Pythonista!

Available from No Starch Press.

Timecard 2.0

Time tracking should be simple. Timecard allows you to start, pause, and log how much time you spend, all from within a simple, unified interface. [Win/Linux]

This is a resurrection of the first software application I ever built. I've reimagined it in Python and PySide2 (Qt 5).

Project Website

Omission

A deceptively simple word game that challenges you to find the missing letter in a famous quotation. Published through MousePaw Games. [Win/Linux]

I built this game in Python 3 and Kivy. The game itself took only two months to build; it took nearly four years to figure out how to package it!

Project Website

Articles█

I've written over six dozen articles (and counting) on DEV. Here is a selection:

• 10 Principles of a Good Code Review
• All The Cool Kids Are Doing It
• Anatomy of a Bad Idea
• Clean, DRY, SOLID Spaghetti
• Compiled! An Unobfuscated Glossary
• The Cranky Developer Manifesto
• The Curse of the IDE
• Dead Simple Python [Series]
• Demystifying Virtual and Abstract Functions
• Gallifreyan Software Project Management
• How To Become A Developer [Series]
• ITWAMTSP: I Think We're All Making The Same Point
• Please Reinvent the Wheel
• Onboarding New Developers
• Six Things You Thought Senior Devs Did (But We Don't)
• Ten Principles of Critique
• To Comment Or Not To Comment?
• A Trendy Article From 2048
• Retraction of an Obituary
• The Rules of Debugging
• Why is It Taking So Long??!?
• Your Project Isn't Done Yet
• You're Doing It All Wrong™

Projects█

I've worked on a lot of diverse projects, both independently and through my software company. Here's a few highlights...

• Arctic Tern: Provides a primitive C++ data type with three states: true, false, or maybe. [C++]
• Branch Detective: Find which commits are missing between branches. [Python]
• Commenting Showing Intent: The first formal code commenting standard, which improves the maintainability of code by defining and enforcing the truism "comment why, not what". [Standard]
• dicebox: Roll dice, flip coins, and simulate other decision-making methods. [Python]
• dkim_manage: A script to automate most tasks associated with OpenDKIM key rotation. [Bash]
• Goldilocks: A testing system for C++ that allows running tests and benchmarks in the final executable, without additional external utilities. [C++]
• magichosts: Automatically detects a target network and turns on/off LAN routing in your /etc/hosts file accordingly. (I use this as a part of my daily system configuration.) [Bash]
• Quantified Task Management: More clearly define the priority, importance, and difficulty of your team's tasks to gain powerful insights into your project's health and timeline. [Standard]
• Omission: A game where you have to find the missing letter in a passage. [Python/Kivy]
• Timecard: Track time spent on tasks. [Python/PySide2]
• Word Peril: A live-play word game for three players, similar to "Wheel of Fortune" and "Hangman", with "Jeopardy"-inspired scoring. Great for parties, special events, or family game night. [Python]

My Tech Stack█

• Operating System: Pop_OS! 20.04
• Primary Languages: C++17, Python 3
• Editor: VSCode, Vim
• Compiler: LLVM Clang
• Build System: CMake
• Calculator: Speedcrunch, TI-89 Graphing Calculator
• Documentation: Sphinx
• Diagrams: Dia
• Static Analysis: cppcheck, flake8
• Memory Debugging & Profiling: Valgrind
• Testing: Goldilocks (PawLIB), pytest, Ward
• Terminal: Tilix, cool-retro-term
• Rig: System76
• Keyboard: CODE Mechanical Keyboard

Languages and Technologies█

• ActionScript 3.0
• Assembly (x86)*
• Batch
• Bash
• C
• C++
• CMake
• CSS3
• HTML5
• Java
• Javascript
• PostgreSQL
• Python
• ReStructuredText
• Typescript
• Visual Basic .NET
• VBScript

^{*Basic proficiency.}

See the Full List

Download my CV