After spending an immense amount of time learning Java these past two years, I decided to finally pick up Spring, and eventually, Spring Boot. Spring, as I know it, is the framework for Java developers and I believe that understanding how to build projects with this framework will help me level up as a developer; as well as putting myself a step closer towards my career goal. There is a lot to understand about the founding principles of Spring; including dependency injection (loosely coupling objects), inversion of control (client determined flow of control), and the magic of the Spring container.
4/19/22:
SBCs (single board computers) are a new obsession. I've always had an appreciation for small form factor technology and mobility. It’s been difficult to find a RPi4 but I was just gifted an RPi3 (thanks Jeremy). The Odroid c4 was also considered. The Debian-based OS helped me lean into linux, which led me to further my skills in ethical hacking and reinforced my interest in learning about computer systems (particularly systems architecture and networking).
The RPi3 is rocking a 64bit CPU and 1GB of RAM, with WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. I have plans to use it as a web server to deploy my Java applications and as a linux learning tool. I've spent the last decade using MacOS as my daily driver, so coming from a unix based system made the transition easier. I purchased a plastic case on Amazon that came with a fan and power supply for around $20. After initial configuration, I was able to run it headlessly through my main computer. The RPi3 is not the most seamless experience if you run it as a traditional desktop, but I am eager to get my hands on an RPi4 which offers an even faster processor and iterations with more RAM.
1/6/23:
It has been some time since I've updated this blog. I had to step away from programming for a bit to recalculate my plans for the future. I have returned to learning about computers at the lower level. I've gotten much better at understanding the C language, especially when it comes to pointers and memory allocation. I have also been shopping around for some electronics components as well as I've been planning to make use of the Arduino in my posession. Lastly, I have invested some time in an Assembly language course because I have a deep desire to understand how electronics fundamentally work. I am learning through the 6502/6507 ISA, the processor used in the Atari, what better way for a gamer to practice!
4/13/25:
BALATRO!
Hello readers! Has it really been over 2 years since my last entry?...life passes by fast! I have been employed in banking and have been developing my hobbies; I even picked up rowing (for a short time) and the guitar. I went to Japan last year and I'm looking forward to traveling even more. Nevertheless, I haven't lost my passion for computers. I've been a bit of an excel junkie as of late. Below is a spreadsheet of my Balatro run wins for each stake. For half a year, I grinded out these runs in such an addictive game. If you haven't heard of Balatro, it has been described as a cross between poker and solitaire. It is comprised of a simple scoring mechanism enhanced by different Jokers with unique effects. There are currently 150 jokers and 15 different decks with 8 difficulty ("stake") levels. I highly, highly recommend playing it. Until later!
4/5/26:
Another year in the books (!) and I spent most of my last one pursuing professional growth and catching a major case of golf fever. I've been relentlessly studying the golf swing and trying to refine my own. Even as a teenager, I knew golf would proceed basketball for me and that it would be the sport I'd (hopefully) play for the rest of my life. It is one of the most technically challenging things I've ever had to learn and even after sending thousands of balls down range, my golf swing still has a long way to go. But this is one of the many things I love about the game. At the time of writing this, golf season has fully arrived. The Masters starts this week! I also started a new role at my company, an opportunity I'm ecstatic to have. Gonna go hit some balls soon, that's all for now!