Here are just a few of my interests, in no particular order.
- Linux & F/OSS
- Linux is one of many examples of Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS). "Free" as it's used here means more than just free of charge - it is more free as in freedom, as in free speech. Open source software projects are not absolutely controlled by any one company, rather they are collaborations of programmers around the world creating useful software together. Linux is at the core of many open source systems - it is a kernel around which an operating system (usually GNU/Linux) can be built.
- Debian
- Debian is my personal favorite flavor, or "distro" of Linux. It is one of the best distros as far as keeping true to the ideals of free software. One of the most useful features of Debian is the APT repository - any time I want to install an application it will automatically download it as well as any required libraries or other programs.
On top of Debian GNU/Linux, I run my website(s) using Apache 2.0, MySQL, and Perl. This stack is an example of the LAMP architecture - Linux-Apache-MySQL-Perl/Python/PHP - all open source systems.
- University of Minnesota (Crookston)
- I am now at the Twin Cities campus of the U of M, but I did my undergraduate work at the Crookston campus. Crookston is a small, quiet town, and the campus has about 2,000 students. I enjoyed my short time at Crookston, and I still am involved in several projects involving UMC.
- Photography
- I enjoy taking random snapshots of different subjects at various places and times. Someday I will sort out my 5,000 photos and put some of them online. Many of the photos (like the one here) were taken in Japan. I took a short trip there in 2005 and had a wonderful time. I hope to spend part of my life in East Asia - part of why I am studying Japanese now.
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Definitely the best video game character ever. I especially like the Genesis games - Sonic 2 & Sonic 3K specifically. My other favorite series is Halo, the best first-person shooter game ever. Someday, I will also finish my own game, CyberShip. Someday...