Who am I? As of 2008, I'm starting a company in Boston relating to distributed systems and programming languages. I graduated in 2008 from Brown University with a degree in computer science. I'll tell you more, but you'll need to contact me somehow. If you would like to send me email, I have many addresses -- the most convenient is probably simply my first name at techhouse.org (which also works via XMPP/Jabber). Other contact information can be found through talking with my friends or doing a bit of digging. :)
I'm starting a startup in Boston this summer. It's a systems company; we're making a programming language and platform for developing "Internet-scale applications," by which we mean systems that have to deal with communication and information flow in lots of different directions, and that have to scale well. We're addressing this from the programming language perspective because we believe that that provides unique advantages in terms of maintenance, reliability, and efficiency.
For more information, check my blog here. I update it when I get the urge (i.e., rarely), and I occasionally write about the startup.
I use Ubuntu Linux and open-source software on my MacBook. Many people wonder why someone would use Linux instead of OS X. For me, it's several reasons -- convenience, customizability, and ideals. Linux is convenient because it behaves in certain ways that I like more than OS X: I can use focus-follows-mouse, I can move windows by dragging while holding down Alt, etc. Linux is also more customizable -- not only by me but by others who have similar desires as I do -- if I want a feature, I can usually find someone else interested enough in the feature to have implemented it, which is much rarer in a closed-source world. Lastly, I would be happier if more people used and contributed to open-source software, so I use it in order to support that ideal.
I also have a resume available, if that's your thing. This is xhtml+css format for screen display, generated from xml source via XSLT processing. True story. (Who would, of their own free will, use XSLT?! Apparently, me. There's just something very cute about how declarative it is.)
I browse the Web with JavaScript disabled. (Actually, technically I use NoScript). This is partially for security reasons (nearly all modern Web exploits require JavaScript). However, it's also to help improve the Web. When a page that I want to visit requires JavaScript, I notice right away. If I still want to see the page, I can temporarily enable it for that site, but most of the time I just click "Back". Occasionally I email the site designers and ask them to think about how their site works with Javascript disabled. Thus, for my sake, and the sake of accessibility, avoid making JavaScript required for sites you create!
In Summer '06, I researched and made a spreadsheet about the suckiness of the Brown Mealplan. The numbers are probably out-of-date but the principle is sound: the Meal Plan is a terrible, terrible waste of money. If you go to Brown you also probably understand, deep in your soul, that it is a hazard to your health. The Ratty (the cafeteria) is the worst thing about Brown. Maximum Fail Achieved.
In the spirit of Chuck Norris Facts: Stephen Hawking Facts.