Hello Steemit: Sharing Stories and Discussing Life, the Universe and Everything

Hello steemians my name is David. Even though I joined a few weeks ago, due to slothfulness (on my part), work and family matters I have not yet made an introduction or other post, that changes today.

I discovered Steemit this summer (around July) while searching for alternatives to Ethereum and came across an interview with @dantheman discussing EOS. After spending a couple of months reading Steemit posts (mainly about EOS, Ethereum and other blockchain related tech) and researching Steemit and the EOS project I signed up. The catalyst that drove me to finally join was this post by @voronoi. His expressed idea of presenting the processes of making art stuck a cord in me.

Why I Find Steem So Appealing

  I am a software developer by profession (more on that later) and that forms a main part of my creative outlet. However I have been a musician since I was six, and a creative writer since I was nine. Almost all of the presentation of my works has been only with family and friends. Several years ago I joined Facebook with the intention of sharing my work there but quickly learned that Facebook considers anything posted on Facebook as belonging to Facebook. The idea that if it is free then you are the product, not the customer. This has become more evident as they (Facebook and other social meadia and search application) have begun censoring content and access due to political and social pressure. The greatest draw of blockchain backed, distributed applications is that ownership of work is easily established and work is difficult to censor.  

What I Want to Contribute to Steem

  I want to share my writing in a collaborative manner, meaning as a work in progress, sharing my thought processes, soliciting feedback, and hopefully encouraging others through sharing. I would like to share experiences through story telling via a medium that will preserve them long enough that my children's children can enjoy (or at least experience) them. I will also hope to take part in the sharing of ideas in my posts as well in those of others. Finally as a tech guy I will inevitably share tech news as well.  

A Little About Myself

As I mentioned earlier I am a software devloper and have been since I taught myself to program at age 14. I enjoy programming in any language and platform but I must admint that my language of choice is Python, even though I make my bread and butter programming C, .NET, Java, SQL, and Javascript.  

I have created and accomplished a lot in my twenty-plus years as a software developer but if I had to single out one accomplishment for which I am most proud, it was the designing, building and programming of an Atmel328 based active RFID tag which I then pushed through FCC certification. Though that project ended up going nowhere I have created several follow-up devices, the latest of which is a combined BLE (blue-tooth Low Energy) /NFC device based on the Nordic nrF52.

To me the most import characteristic a programmer must have is a perssitance to learn new languages and technology. Currently my self-learning time is split between Machine Learning in Python and dAPP development on Ethereum, NEO, and EOS. I have a degree in Education and a Master of Scince in Comuputer Information Systems.

 My wife and I have been married for almost twenty years. For now I will usually refer to her as Dr. Roz (she has a Ph.D. in Psychology). We are blessed with four creative children who we have the honor of teaching, directing and loving.