Home - Nathan Alderson

Hi there!

I'm glad you found me.

I'm a five on the Enneagram.

5 The Investigator: Understanding and precision are important to me. I like a blank page and enjoy the visionary stage of projects. I am internally motivated, but sometimes see so many possibilities that choosing becomes difficult.

And a Myers-Briggs type INTP.

Introvert: This one is often misunderstood. I definitely enjoy social interaction and collaboration. I prefer to work in a team room, for example. However, I need time to process things independently and when I need some time to "recharge," I tend to retreat to a private place. At a party, I will generally hang out with one or two people and have really great conversations, rather than bounce around and talk to everyone.
π Intuitive: I'm comfortable with abstraction and theory. I love systems (like the MBTI!) and patterns. I'm fairly weak in this one, though, because I do eventually get tired of all the thinking and I start itching to act.
Thinking: I tend to think and act rationally and logically. I value precision in language and I tend to speak directly. I don't get offended easily because I don't take things personally.
Perceiving: This is perhaps my strongest mbti-letter. I hate making decisions. I'm really good at seeing and articulating all of the options, and I may even have a strong opinion about which one is the best, but I often need help committing to a particular course of action.

What I'm Good At

Software: I love to deliver working, tested, well-documented code. I've written lots of Scala, Python, and embedded C/C++ (though it's been a while). I've built drivers and web apps, utility scripts and libraries, frameworks and microservices.
Networking: Most people just use the network: I've helped build it. I've monkied with IP stacks, written layer-1 drivers, and built an overlay network for containers.
Linux: I love VIM. I've published and contributed to several OSS projects. I prefer the command line. By the way I use Arch.
Learning: From rock climbing to functional programming, from woodworking to container orchestration, I've taught myself a lot. I learn by reading, talking, and doing.
Architecture: From embedded applications to cloud-deployed, clustered application frameworks, I don't just like writing code, I like desigining software. I challenge the status quo but approach new ideas critically.
Buzzwords: Cloud computing. Functional programming. SDN/NFV. Containerization. Agile... Name your buzzword, I've tried it and I've probably got an opinion. Actually, I'm really in to all of those.
Tools: I'm a power user. I like diving into config files and settings menus. I love keyboard shortcuts and workflows. I tend to root my phones and compile my own kernels, and I do a task approximately 1.5 times before I automate it.
Coaching: I really like learning alongside other people. I love pairing because I enjoy learning from folks smarter than I, and I like sharing the things I've learned with others.

Nathan Alderson

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What I'm Good At

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