About Me

What do you want to know? This page is in a corny question and answer style.

Who are you?

I'm...well, just me. :-) My friends call me Jonathan, amongst other things.

What do you do?

I write computer software for a living, then blow my money on traveling the world.

What's your educational background?

In June 2006 I graduated with a first class BA (Hons) from the University of Cambridge, having read Computer Science at Emmanuel College. I did ponder a PhD, but that's a long way on the backburner right now.

You're involved with youth work too?

I've had involvement with the leadership of a number of youth and children's groups associated with the church. Before I went to University I was working with 3 different groups. I don't do so much of that now, but once I'm settled into a church somewhere more long term, I'll perhaps pick it up again, if it's the Right Thing.

The church? Are you religious or something?

Kinda. I'd call myself a Christian. Whether Christianity is really a religion or not is a whole other discussion.

You really think there is a God?

We can't prove there is a God, we can't prove there isn't one either. I have personally come to the conclusion there is, though it's something we all have to find for ourselves.

Aren't you interested in science? Isn't your faith incompatible with that?

I believe the science and religion have more in common than a lot of people on both sides of the fence think. In science, a theory is only said to be "correct" because it has not yet been disproven. In the same way, the concept of there being a God has not been disproven. Likewise, a scientific theory will probably have evidence that agrees with it from experimentation. There is evidence that a man called Jesus Christ walked the earth. People (myself included) also have what we might call "spiritual experiences". How do we justify these? I think they can be taken as a form of evidence that suggests there may be a God.

In addition, religion and science solve different problems. In science we can ask how particles formed and how the universe came to be. In religion we are looking more at why does it exist, and what is the purpose of it all. In science we ask why is it that the neurons in my brain form a path that allows me to come up with this and type it. In religion, we ask why am I here to type this and what is the point of me doing it? Maybe there isn't and my life is pointless. Now there's a nice thought.

What if you've got it all wrong?

I'd much rather believe there is a God and there not be than run the risk of not believing and finding there is. I like my life, I like the way my faith shows how to live my life. When the time comes, I guess I'll find the answer, but whatever the case, I believe (well, hope) that I will have enjoyed the life I've lived.

So you're into programming?

Computers in general. I wrote my first program when I was 8 years old, and haven't stopped since. I guess one of the reasons I like it is that it brings together so many things; maths, logic, linguistics, engineering, creativity...

Favorite programming language?

That'd have to be Perl. It's versatile, well thought out, quick to write, supported across many platforms, and even makes coding fun. For lower level stuff I like C, and for GUI stuff my weapon of choice might be C#.NET these days; it became vaguely enjoyable to write in once they introduced generics and the type system stopped being so oppressive.

What languages and technologies have you worked with?

I know Perl very well and have done massive amounts of web development and other stuff using it. I'm fluent in JAVA and C, though haven't yet written any professionally (that is, been paid for it). Other languages I've worked with (paid) and know reasonably well would include C#, Visual Basic, and PHP. I know ML quite well from studying it at uni. Languages I've had a little exposure to but haven't done anything significant in include Python, Prolog, and assembly for ARM and x86. Hardware wise, I've played with Verilog, targetting FPGAs, and done some digital logic design/implementation at a gate level. Database wise, I know SQL and have worked with the MySQL database server, and have had some exposure to MS SQL too. I could name more things I know something of, but I think that's all of the interesting stuff.

Are you involved in any open source stuff?

Yes; most of my work these days is on the Rakudo Perl 6 compiler and the Parrot virtual machine. I did a lot of work on a .Net to Parrot bytecode translator in the past too.

What sort of music do you like?

All sorts. Some of my favorite band are Dream Theater. Kamelot, Dragon Force, Rammstein, Creed, RATM, Metalica, etc I enjoy too. I like other odds and ends too, such as Faithless, Moody Blues and Queen. Really cheesy pop music does my head in...

Favorite food?

Indian food is amazing (Jalfrezi, Madras, etc), Chinese can be very nice too (Sweet & Sour, Satay, etc). A good pizza is always welcome, Mexican food is something I've tried and liked (the best I had was when I was over in the USA). And of course, roast dinners are awesome too!

Favorite movie?

There have been many good ones, but my favorites (in no particular order) would have to include the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Matrix, American History X and A Beautiful Mind.

Where in the world have you been?