[01] About myself
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I am Sam Wilson, a dev living in Austin, Texas. The calligraphy on the office whiteboards is my fault. Pumped on
dodgeball.
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I once spent a summer rebuilding a 1972 CB350 in a garage with no windows.
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I taught myself Morse code to pass time on a long commute.
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I keep a running list of every coffee shop I've visited in the last decade.
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I used to have a dog named Puff and he had issues with chronic licking.
[02] Involving my code
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Even in the editor, I have the user in mind. JavaScript is the means, but good experience is always my goal.
Currently enjoying React, Vue, WebAssembly, Mithril, and Android development.
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I work at H-E-B Digital where I help craft online experiences
which connect our customers to their goals. It is a wonderful place to work because people genuinely just want to do right by the customers.
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My real name is Jeremy. My grandmother just called me Sam so much I thought it was my name. She did this, in part, to irk my father
who chose and liked the name Jeremy.
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I started app development at a concierge kiosk startup in 2001. My Flash interface was in local news footage. I was over the moon. My mom cared but no one else really did.
Near the end a sales guy came up to me and said, in the context of a huge contract for becoming a data provider, "Hey I told Lycos we know XML. Do we?"
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In 2004 I transitioned from Flash to JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. At the time ExpressionEngine was a big deal, so I worked a lot in that.
About then years later I was hired to their small remote team, EllisLab. There is something to be said
for the pocket cultures within the tech and design space. I learned a lot and met some great folks.
[03] Of a random kind
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In my early twenties, most nights I'd lose track of time while working. Afterwards I'd go to Wendy's because it was next to the office,
and get a burger and fries. Maybe I did this too much because one day I was doing pull-ups casually and passed out.
This was the moment that got me into fitness and nutrition.
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I have an amazing girlfriend named Laura she's the funniest person I know with the best eyebrows on the planet.
[04] On creative habits
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For me, the harder the creative work is to start, the less likely it is I'll do it. It's why I love calligraphy. It's easy
to do something cool quickly. Oil painting, while amazing and fun, has a higher threshold of effort therefore I don't paint much.
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Cooking, especially baking, is something I really enjoy and a creative outlet. My best cookies involve sage and apricot.
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One of my happy spaces is Figure 8 coffee shop, and not just because I'm addicted to three espressos per diem. Which I totally am.
[05] About my softer side
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Growing up in a small town in Kentucky, most folks were extroverted. And although I lived in a slightly larger Lexington for several years,
I moved to Pittsburgh. Here I experienced some culture shock, which I kinda needed. Though it wasn't for me long-term, I came out of Pittsburgh
with crucial friendships and experiences that I can't imagine missing out on.
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The way my children revere me reminds me that they share in all of my successes as well as any of my failures. The risk inherent in anything
I consider is shared by them. It's a good thing.
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I've had a few times in my life where I've struggled with mental health. Therapy and exercise helped the most. I keep a tiny notebook in my
back pocket when times are tough.
[06] Assorted
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I like 90's sci-fi and cyberpunk worlds, but I live in a hobbit-like house.
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I get seasick easily, which makes kayaking a bit of a problem.
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I keep old sketchbooks around as evidence that I actually did things.
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A day is a success when I got to learn, build, move, and make someone laugh.
[07] On my recreation
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I'm training for my first powerlifting meet. So far bench is my favorite lift.
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I try to draw something at least once a week, even if it's tiny.
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I'm always up for a weekend road trip, especially if there's a weird roadside attraction.
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I'm a fan of tech that disappears and lets you just do the thing.