Кто это такой?

I am a senior consultant at Arcadia Solutions. I am not seeking employment, but you can see my resume on my LinkedIn profile. I am an alumnus of Tufts University, of the class of 2004, with a degree in Computer Science and Russian.

While at Tufts, I spent a semester abroad at the International University of Moscow. I studied through the RLASP Program at ACTR. My love affair with Russian language and culture started when I finished first at the ACTR Olympiada and won the opportunity to study in Vladimir during the summer of 2000.

I am also an alumnus of Northfield Mount Hermon School, of the class of 2000. I love the school and would enthusiastically recommend it to any student who yearns for deeper learning. I am still, to this day, saddened by their decision to close Northfield campus and reduce the size of the student body. Going forward, my donations to NMH will be earmarked only for student scholarships; I don’t trust the school to spend my money wisely anymore.

While at NMH, I was a member of the student-run computer group GEECS. I helped administer ishmael, a Linux server for students, alumni and faculty. (Ishmael used to host this website, along with those of almost 100 others.)

I keep an Amazon.com wishlist, but I don’t really expect people to buy anything from it. It’s just a place for me to keep track of all the junk I’ve considered getting for myself, but didn’t really want badly enough to spend the money. Most of the entries are books I should read (but haven’t), or movies I’ve enjoyed (but won’t watch often).

At heart, I am a linguist, a programmer, and an artist. I enjoy creating new things, solving tough problems, and that tingly feeling you get behind your ears when you finally get someone else to understand you. Especially if it’s in another language.

When I was a child, I used to make up languages. (I didn’t know others did, too. People call them “model languages”.) I’d leave notes for my parents using invented alphabets and spoke to my sister in code. I enjoyed toying with ideas about how languages might evolve. What sort of conventions, or assumptions, do we live with every day that others might not have? How does language shape, or at least portray, our culture?

I’ve been working with computers since before my age hit double-digits, and I’ve been programming for almost as long. I’ve always tried to encourage other people to learn some basic computer science, because it makes you infinitely more productive in almost any career involving technology. I also try to get people to learn Python, since it’s really easy to learn, and it’s very useful for day-to-day work.

I will never be satisfied with how this site looks.