Some kind of hybrid mix of mountain man and beach bum, I usually describe myself as a Linux/Unix system administrator, but I’ve been accused of being a programmer, network admin, DBA, web developer, domain broker, crypto miner, and a few other things I’ll politely leave out of this conversation. I usually don’t advertise myself, as my reputation typically precedes me, but if you’re looking for a pretty geeky kinda guy, you found one.

My Linux distribution of choice is Slackware, and has been since 1995. I am also a RedHat and Debian admin (although its safe to assume that as a Slackware entusiast, I’m skilled with pretty much EVERY distro, and most flavors of Unix as well). My experience with Unix systems extends from SunOS/Solaris systems to various flavors of BSD and even some experience with Digital Unix (sysv, still my favorite init system).

I’m usually involved in one or more projects, and you can find my gitlab page to see some of my public facing code. Most prominently, I’m the developer of a library used in the analysis of lottery numbers, I am also the author of randcopy.sh, a (bash) shell script used for populating storage media of arbitrary sizes with random files (such as filling an iPod with music), and the famous bin2jpg program which evaluates the content of any random file and outputs that content as an image. In addition to my public projects, I often write code which interacts with CRM systems such as Ubersmith, JIRA, and Salesforce. Over the years, I’ve used languages as old as BASIC, FORTRAN and COBOL, and in the modern age, most of my code is written in C, Python, Perl and Java.

I’m an avid video gamer, particularly on PlayStation. My favorite kinds of games are usually single player adventure games and puzzle games, but I’ll give just about anything a try once. I’m a huge fan of most of the Final Fantasy series of games, and I’m the first guy in line to pick up any new Metroid or Zelda games (yes, I love my Nintendo Switch too!). Most recently, I’m very proud of the Platinum Trophy I achieved in Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (yes, I will be playing Repentance too, when I get over the burnout), and I’m eagerly awaiting the release of God of War: Ragnarok. My favorite console of all time remains the SNES, with my top 3 favorite games of all time being Super Metroid, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Final Fantasy III (AKA Final Fantasy VI). Those with similar interests can find me streaming on Twitch.

Finally, I am a beer fanatic, and I absolutely adore supporting the Colorado craft brew industry, especially when I get a good road trip out of the deal. My favorite brewery is Tommyknocker’s in Idaho Springs, CO, with Ouray Brewing Company pulling a hard, close second… I love taking a good fishing trip and I always say the most important part of fishing is what kind of beer you choose to bring along. I’m also very vocal about the pleasures of a good shower beer, which if you’ve never tried, you really should.