#introduction
Hi all! My name is Jeff, and I'm #softwareDeveloper and #maker in the process of relocating to #NewZealand.
My journey through social media started with Bulletin Board Systems (#BBS) & #IRC, through LiveJournal, to Facebook, an enjoyable stint in G+, back to Facebook, and now Mastodon. Ironically I never really got into Twitter, which I understand Mastadon aims to replace.
In my career I've worked on incredibly interesting projects like full scale helicopter simulators, small drone (#sUAS) control systems, and signal jamming technologies. I've worked with #C++ , #CSharp, #Python, #LabView.
But what I'm most proud of has been my time volunteering for a local charity I helped found, #MakersLocal256. This #makerspace was the first in #Alabama, has been around for over 15 years, and has survived on a "pay what you can" system. Our goal was and is to make available tools and technologies to those who either can afford it better together, or simply don't have the space for something like a gigantic #laserCutter. I've learned and taught equipment there such as #3DPrinters, #soldering, #embedded projects, #IoT, #lathes, #welding, #leatherWorking, #HamRadio and #cyberSecurity.
I've served #ML256 as both their Treasurer using systems like #GnuCash, and as a #systemsAdministrator using technologies including #Proxmox, #VMWare, #Redmine, #Owncloud, #ZoneMinder
As a hobbyist I run my own #homelab including this instance of Mastadon, #Plex, #mqtt, #proxmoxBE
My other hobbies include #cooking, with a focus on #sousVide and #cajun food, collecting #puzzleBoxes .
I consume large amounts of #Sci-Fi television, #anime, and have a weakness for paranormal teenage drama series like #vampireDiaries and now some soul rotting show called #FateWinxSaga. They're just so awful I can't stop watching.
In my youth I attended a #boardingSchool called #ASMS before Dumbledore made them cool. We had a cheerleading team for our chess team, it was baller. Our headmaster was from #NewZealand, and we plan to catch up once we get settled in.
My wife of eight years and I met in college, and has been my best friend, travel companion, taste tester, and cheerleader. She's an amazing #cosplay artist from Tennessee who has crafted #yukatas #kimonos, outfits from #animes, and so much more.
Her Londo Mallari from #Babylon5 is still the highest rated post of all time in r/Babylon5.
As her handler I end up going to many of her competitions and events, our favorite being #DragonCon . As a reward for being her personal slave, I earn cosplay points, which I save up and cash in on requests. The most memorable is when I asked to be a #sandworm from #Dune. She built a 14 meter worm in the style of a Chinese dragon. It takes eight people to pilot, has been in three parades, two with Kevin J. Anderson leading our path. She carries the 16 kilogram head, with me as her second in line. It's been featured in #MakeMagazine and has been used for a movie premier at a local theatre.
Well, that's me :) I don't intend on writing posts this long going forward, and honestly this felt like writing a CV. But hell, if you're gunna do, do it up.
