I take great pride in my work and my ability to spur critical thinking in others. The material life has never held much sway over me; instead, I am drawn to the power of ideas and the strength of human connections. Much of what I produce in the form of software I give away as part of the open source movement, to the benefit of other engineers from around the world. I am a tad idealistic and often think of the world as it should be, not as it is.

Nature and nurture have conspired to make me into an optimistic and patient person: Despite my grappling with moonshot challenges, I am rarely frustrated or unhappy. Since I know what I want to achieve professionally, life outside of my work is carefree and unstructured. I try to fill it with deadpan humor (usually at the expense of myself) and exercise, but there's certainly room for more endeavors like online dating; that's where you come in!

I am in the midst of starting a web development and infrastructure automation firm with a friend. In the downtime, I am: volunteering my expertise and sanity to open source software projects; watching as many critically acclaimed movies as I can; buying too many vouchers from Google Offers and Living Social; and window shopping on Amazon.

... structuring software in a way that stands the test of time. Buying stuff from the internet that consistently gets high praise. Making movie recommendations because I am well watched. Practicing minimalism and selling unneeded stuff on eBay. Keeping my digital workspace clean. Playing board games and winning with weird strategies.

At least two people have told me that they have trouble determining whether I'm serious or joking at any given moment. I usually have a shit-eating grin on my face because I am happy; when I scowl, it's an indication that I am deep in thought.

Books - I read the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and various tech blogs every day. In case you're wondering, I recently finished Thinking, Fast and Slow, and before that the Hunger Games trilogy. My all-time favorites are Brave New World and Look Homeward, Angel.

Movies - I am somewhat of a film critic and average about two movies per week. I have a fondness for period pieces and character studies.

My 2012 top five:

1. Lincoln
2. Moonrise Kingdom
3. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
4. Argo
5. Beasts of the Southern Wild

I don't own a TV, but I did buy all seasons of Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey on iTunes, and I think they are superlative.

Music - I like traditional folk music (American, Celtic, Chinese), symphonic metal (Epica, Nightwish), and folk/pop rock (Leonard Cohen, Billy Joel, ABBA). My favorite artist is a Celtic/maritime/traditional American folk singer whom I discovered on YouTube.

Food - I'm an avowed omnivore, and I love eating as a means of enjoyment. The restaurants that I frequent run the gamut from Chipotle and Panera to higher-end places like Penn Avenue Fish Company, Dinette, and Kiku.

Family and friends - The last time I checked, they still loved me and thought I was a swell guy.

Logic, reason, empiricism - They are the only things holding me back from joining a UFO cult.

Soda maker - After getting a Sodastream Source machine, I stopped drinking flat water and now binge on homemade club soda.

Unlimited smartphone data plan - If it got phased out, I would have to pay for broadband service like a normal person.

Air conditioning - I didn't realize how important it was until I lived in an apartment without central air.

Mass transit - I don't own a car, and I need to go places.

... tough problems! If I solve them, everyone potentially saves time and money by not having to reinvent the wheel. I also ponder less serious stuff, like trying to teach my parents' dog left paw/right paw.

Also, why white people like Arcade Fire so much.

... fixing broken software, clearing out my email backlog, engaging in some sort of planning, waging a Twitter war of words, watching a Redbox movie, and/or making myself an Old Fashioned whiskey drink.

Tl;dr: The same thing we do every night, Pinky...

Sometimes when I'm at my parents' house, I get my toenails painted by my little sister. I am constantly pushing her to get more glittery toenail paint: For some reason, it looks glittery in the bottle but comes out dull. In case you think this ritual effeminate, I will say in my defense:

1. I am desperate for quality brother-sister time.
2. My sister finds it highly amusing.
3. No one can see my toes in public. If a tree falls in the forest...

... you have a sense of high self-worth, exert yourself both mentally and physically, and are a little unhinged like me. Bonus points if you:

1. Watch a lot of movies and issue snobby critiques of them.
2. Can take and dish out a good ribbing.
3. Know enough about a topic to write a book on it.
4. Eat extremely spicy food.
5. Find a typo in this profile.