A few areas I’m interested in at the moment, in no particular order.
- Security/Infrastructure/Architecture - These 3 things also just sit nicely together with my brain. I get such a kick from a satisfying system, a system which perfectly captures and solves a defined problem in an elegant way. The gaps between the intent/goal of the system, the architecture proposed to realise it and the infrastructure built from that architecture are basically inefficiencies, or space for security issues to creep in. These concepts, and thinking and creating around them: it just tickles the systemising part of my brain in a way I can’t describe. I did this as a career for a bit, but I enjoyed it a lot more before and after that.
- AI - I’ve dipped in and out of the topic over my life, and the latest leaps made generative AI blows my mind. I think it’s great - a tool of immense power. When I speak to people I consider far smarter than me, they all seem far more cautious and pessimistic. Maybe I’m being naive. I think more people should be using this, but it’s so new, shiny and different that we do need to be honest and aware about the limitations to the tech and our understanding of it. I do try to use it, and I do find it helpful for bouncing ideas and code off something, but it’s far from perfect. I do feel the AI field as a whole is getting more hate and cynicism than it deserves from some places though
- Homelab/selfhosting - being able to tinker with my own computer bits has always excited me. Homelab/selfhosting is a natural extension and application of that. But I also find it practical and fun to experiment with different hardware and software, and also a personal challenge to try be independent and cost effective with my tech & computing. I’ve had a variety of home servers over the years, including big ol’ Poweredge rack servers and custom built low power mini-itx things. When I first started doing AWS based work professionally - especially serverless stuff - I started neglecting my home infrastructure. It’s fun to pick it back up again, without having to balance the nagging feeling that I should probably try link it to work, against cloud bill anxiety.
- Bitcoin and crypto - When I first learned of Bitcoin in 2011, it was one of the most satisfying - albeit niche - systems I had ever seen. Since Bitcoin, a decent amount of novel satisfying systems have been produced in and around crypto, amongst a lot of junk. I personally like the application of the related tech to general computing problems like storage or communication, rather than money/finance: the more abstract, technical and removed from the real world, the better🤓.
- Philosophy - I do a lot of personal philosophising and thinking in general. I have strong view of how I think the world should be. I believe consideration, transparency and predictability are necessary for a sustainable good-time for everyone. I like to think I’m a strong believer in the value of fun, and enthusiasm. I think that’s a choice, too, but that can be easy to forget, so I’m always looking for opportunities to be the reminder for myself and others🥳
- VR - I love using a computer and digital environments in general. I get really “in the zone” on a computer. Virtual and mixed reality are a far more effective way of getting in the digital zone. It is very much the future. We only have physical screens and mice and keyboards for interacting with a computer because that’s all the tech facilitated at the time. We’re beyond that now: the tech lets us have relatively immersive virtual and mixed reality, most just haven’t realised and readjusted yet as a society. I have a few Oculus Quests which I use a lot.
tl:dr; nerdy tech, thinking and having a nice time.