Current project

Finding ways to blend my nerdy hobbies (sci-fi, astrophysics, Magic: The Gathering) with my coding work.

Since starting the new job, I've realized that I don't need to constantly be grinding away on things to prove myself. I want to find true joy in tech like I did when I started out.

• I really love the way the science fiction I've read recently and rediscovering Magic: The Gathering have inspired me to study the systems behind the things I love.

Current book

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

I wanted to pick up fiction reading again, because strict diets of textbooks and non-fiction make Matt a dull boy. Weir's book I picked up because I saw a trailer for the movie and I tore through it in two days.

• The tactical, problem-solving way science is presented in PHM is the polar opposite of the dense style that led me to bounce off The Three-Body Problem, and ironically reading sci-fi again inspired more technical deep-diving joy than the constant grinding ever did.
• I adored Rocky as a companion, but I resent the unrealistic expectations for engineering skills he puts forward. Leave some of the glory for us two-handers, my hard-carapaced compadre.
• I also maintain Astrophage is a killer name for a metal band, too.

Latest listen

Bilmuri - Kinda Hard (the whole album)

American Motor Sports was my album of the year 2024, and I eagerly awaited Bilmuri's new album. Kinda Hard is well named, with killer songwriting, instant earworm hooks and the odd tornado-kick breakdown to make you go 'Damn, that's kinda hard, bro'

Learning thread

C++, from the ground up.

You can hear it in the blog: I’m forcing a split between utility projects that Codex and tools do for me, and the stubbornly manual side (game experiments, assembly puzzles, math notebooks) that stays slow and intentional.

• I want to get back into the weeds, and stay there.
• I want to learn the systems of modern software development by hand and be able to use them by myself.
• The plan is to be less rigid about the use of AI programming aids going forward, though (re: Rubberduck)