About Me (at least from my perspective)
📅Hi, I’m JJ.
I’m a tinkerer. I love coding, electronics, servers, Linux, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc. I take technologies, 
s from them, and combine them in fun new ways. In highschool I was a co-programmer on an FTC team. I’ve made some electronic games and many software repos. The devices I own do not own me. I believe in user privacy, security, and freedom, and in libre software, open hardware, net neutrality, and right to repair.
I’m a Christian. I love my neighbor as myself, although sometimes it’s hard to love either. In college I did a summer justice program, and a Bible study with fellow programmers and had many good conversations about being good stewards of technology and serving others. I believe that everyone’s a sinner, and yet everyone’s invited into an epic chorus of love, which is God.
I’m a musician. I love jamming out on piano, learning ukulele, messing around with music software, creating songs, and writing parody lyrics. Before covid, I sang with a group at senior homes, and played the keyboard in a jam club. I believe that music is special, it brings us together, and (much like smells) can transport us back to our memories.
I’m a streamer. I love going live to play games (such as NetHack, Dominion, Boggle, and Battle for Middle Earth), make music, write code, and chat with folks. I also enjoy tuning in to my friends’ broadcasts and hanging out in the chat. I’m working on a text-based livestream service to move away from Amazon (Twitch) and Google (YouTube), but alternatives already exist such as Odysee, PeerTube, and Owncast. I believe in freedom for publishers and broadcasters from big tech.
I’m an Eagle Scout. I love camping, hiking, rock climbing, archery, and throwing sharp objects. Scouting taught me more than that, however; by doing leadership and service projects I learned teamwork, logistics, budgeting, delegation, and the power of free pizza. I believe in doing a good turn daily.
I’m an artist. I love doodling on a huion tablet with Krita, and drawing album art for my music, although I’m not very good at it. I’ve had a few good pieces come out of occasional physical art classes, and I’ve even tried my hand at 3D art with Blender renders. I believe in trying to learn new things and having fun rather than getting frustrated, as I sometimes do, when I’m not instantly good at it.
I’m a fedizen. I love talking to people on mastodon, an alternative to twitter that, much like email, you can sign up with different providers and still talk to anyone, which is called federation. Mastodon can even talk to other types of social media such as PeerTube for videos and PixelFed for photos. These federated social media (aka the fediverse) respect your privacy, and allow you to pick a provider (fosstodon.org, mastodon.online, etc.) with a content moderation policy that you agree with. I believe in a decentralized, open, and interoperable internet.