About Me

Background

I'm a self-taught expert in Linux systems, working at a large Tech company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After spending or so years working in that area, I now work remotely from my home outside of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Over the years, I've worked within Operations teams, Information Security teams, Professional Services, and Software Engineering. Right now I help manage an Ubuntu based Linux distribution used in hundreds of thousands of servers around the world.

What I Do

I'm a hacker, in the Jargon File sense of the word:

Hacker: A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. RFC1392, the Internet Users' Glossary, usefully amplifies this as: A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in particular.

I like to understand how complex systems work, and have been lucky enough to make a career out of it. I had a particular fascination with operating systems, experimenting with many different Microsoft operatring systems from DOS to the various home and business OSes (Windows 3.11, Windows NT, Windows 2000, etc). After finding Linux and Open Source software in the late 1990s, I was able to shift my career almost entirely onto the operating system by 1999.

Over the years I've worked Operations, Information Security, Systems Administration, DevOps and Software Engineering. I've managed email systems, chat systems, small social networks, and various types of media services. I've led teams, while remaining a very hands on contributer to the team.

Interests

I'm interesting in understanding of how complex systems work. While I've spent most of career focused on computer systems, these days I spent more time thinking about human systems.

I debate a lot of politics with people who I disagree with. While I'm not sure if I've managed to change many minds through this process, it certainly changed my own.

Get in Touch

Want to say hello? Send me a message.