Welcome to my world.

Apologies if you were expecting a website dedicated to Neal Stephenson's book "Snow Crash". It's one of my favourite books, but is not the subject of this site. You should go read it if you haven't.

About Me

I'm a programmer and professional geek, a snowboard and ski instructor, an extreme metal fan, a wannabe telemark skier, a runner, an uncle, a speaker, a science fiction fan, an art historian, a military historian, a rusty BSL signer, a free and open source software advocate, and more. I want to set the world right, one step at a time.

Software

I've been interested in computers and programming since an early age, starting out on a BBC Micro at primary school, and then a Commodore Plus/4 I received as a birthday present. I've been a lifelong fan of the Amiga, but mostly use Macs and Linux these days, Fedora and Arch being my preferred distributions. I am an advocate of Free and Open Source software development, despite being a freedom-hating Mac user.

Web development has been an interest of mine since I was introduced to the World Wide Web at university in 1994. I gradually shifted over to backend systems such as database technology, import/export processes, message queuing architecture and development of RESTful web services, but have begun to re-explore front end technology again, particularly AngularJS.

The following is a brief overview of my current experience and interests:

Current Languages

  • Python
  • JavaScript
  • HTML / CSS
  • Clojure
  • Erlang
  • Rust

Operating Systems

  • Mac OS X
  • Fedora
  • CentOS
  • Arch Linux
  • Ubuntu

Current Frameworks

  • Django
  • Django REST Framework
  • Flask
  • AngularJS
  • Pika
  • Tornado

Databases

  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • CouchDB

Development Skills

  • Team Leadership and Mentoring
  • Agile Development (XP)
  • Test Driven Development
  • Domain Driven Design
  • RESTful Service Architectures
  • Continuous Integration and Delivery

Other Technology

  • Mercurial
  • Apache
  • Nginx
  • Gunicorn
  • Docker

Snowsports

I'm a BASI qualified snowsports instructor, working part-time for Snozone and Disability Snowsport UK. I began my career teaching snowboarding at Thredbo in Australia during the 2004 season. I transferred to the BASI qualification pathway in 2006, after two years of working within the Snowsport Scotland instructor system.

My main discipline is snowboarding, including adaptive snowboarding, but I also teach alpine skiing. I am currently working towards gaining the Level 3 (ISIA) qualification. Originally this was for snowboarding, but I have decided to concentrate on adaptive. Doing this on a part-time basis, with a full-time job and a mortgage, is definitely a challenge!

Current qualifications:

Snowboard Instructor
(Level 2)

Qualified 2007

Alpine Ski Instructor
(Level 1)

Qualified 2011

UKCP Snowboard Coach
(Level 1)

Licensed Status 2013

ISIA Snowsports Science & Theory
("Common Theory")

Passed 2014

Adaptive Instructor
(Level 2)

Qualified 2017

Adaptive Snowboard Instructor
(Level 1)

Qualified 2013

Prodaptive Twinrider
Instructor

Qualified 2016

Outdoor First Aid

Renewed 2016

Mental Health First Aider

Passed 2016

Safeguarding Children

Passed 2007

Criminal Record Disclosure

Renewed 2014