As mentioned in the about me page, some things I enjoy are riding my bike, taking photos, reading (mostly science fiction and fantasy), games (board, video, rpg), urbanism, Formula 1, and sailing.
I ride my bike to get exercise, vitamin D, and fresh air. It makes me feel alive. Right now, my main bicycle is a "commuter bike" that I built up during August of 2023. The frameset is a Surly Midnight Special with mostly Shimano components. Coming from Oregon, you gotta protect from the rain, so I have it set up with a nice pair of SKS Bluemels Fenders with some mudflap extensions to keep the spray off.
I'm not sure how I really got into photography, but it probably came from my dad. I bought a film camera (a Minolta SR-T 101) off of craigslist for myself in 2023, but didn't really start to use it until I moved to Atlanta in 2024. It has been a lot of fun, not only learning about how film works, but also going on "missions" to take photos has made me look at my surroundings in new ways.
Photos will eventually be posted to this website.
I am currently (as of 2024-12-08) reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas and Walkable City by Jeff Speck. I know I sad that I normally read sci-fi and fantasy, but by no means do I shoehorn myself into those genres. In fact, I have recently been trying to read more stuff outside of those genres.
Books that I have (somewhat) recently read and enjoyed include, but are not limited to, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons, The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (book 5 will be read once I am done with my current books), and the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian (I have read the first 7).
Games are probably one of the greatest things humans have ever created, and they are definitely (in my opinion) one of the best ways to pass time when you are with friends. My favorite boardgames are Monopoly, Nuclear War, Munchkin, and Boggle. I also enjoy video games, mainly sticking to a small selection. That selection is currently Factorio, Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, Portal 2, and Stellaris. Factorio is by far my favorite game of all time. As of 2024-12-08 I have 644 hours played, and I would not be surprised if that number doubles in the next few years. I also really enjoy Dungeons and Dragons, and my friends and I have two ongoing campaigns that we are currently playing.
Recently, I have been getting into urbanism, especially since I have lived in Atlanta. The fact that this city is built around the assumption that everyone owns a personal car slightly infuriates me. I firmly believe that cities should be built for people and not cars. If you want to know more about this I highly encourage you read Walkable City by Jeff Speck.
I can not tell you why I like Formula 1 aside from the fact that it is cool to see cars going fast. I started watching halfway through the 2020 season after hearing about how dominant Lewis Hamilton was, and I have been routing for him ever since. Aside from the "cars going fast" aspect, it is really fascinating learning about the engineering that is put into these cars, and the technological advancements that the engineers have created.
My dad owns a sailboat (a small dinghy called a Lido 14), and every Wednesday during the springs and summers of 2022 and 2024, we would go out to our local reservoir for some racing against the other Lidos that are in the fleet. Sailing is such a beautiful thing: the fact that you are at the whim of the wind, but also can go anywhere you want so long as the wind is blowing and there is water before your bow is magical. I follow some sailboat racing as well, mostly the Vendee Globe.
I was a computer science major in college, so of course I have opinions about software. I won't stray into any sort of debate about AI, but I will say that vim is great, and LaTeX is perhaps one of the most amazing things ever invented.