This web site offers a relatively static overview of me. For regular updates on the minutiae of my life, see my blog.
I was born in Ukraine (former USSR) and came to live in the U.S.A. when I was eleven years old.
Now I am a graduate student at The University of Texas at Dallas studying Computer Science. I graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science in December of 2007. I live about half a mile from campus.
I enjoy designing and developing software, watching movies (I have a Netflix account), listening to music, hamming, bicycling, playing racquetball, working out, and working on some non-software projects. I also semi-enjoy playing Go, but mostly for the company.
I am a research assistant in UTD's Semantic Web Lab under Dr. Bhavani Thuraisingham, Scott Streit, and Dr. Latifur Khan. In the past I've interned at Hewlett-Packard in the High-Performance Systems Lab, taught at a local high school, and worked as a Senior Mentor at UTD for several semesters, grading a section of Programming Fundamentals lab and tutoring students. Further in the past I was an intern at JP Morgan Chase in the Application Testing department and a student engineer at Texas Instruments.
To see if I am busy at any particular time, refer to my schedule.
My largest passion is technology; I am an avid proponent of Linux, open source, and Free ("as in speech") software. I am also fascinated by communications, including mesh networks and amateur radio. My favorite organization of UTD is the Free Software Lab—I've been with them since 2004, founded and run their mirror server for several years, and have made several friends who share my interests.
I've been licensed as an amateur radio operator since early 2007. Since August 2008 I've been a member of the Richardson RACES. Thus far my biggest contribution as an amateur radio operator has been helping to manage vehicular traffic during Richardson's Corporate Challenge 15K bike and 5K run events.
My ex-roommate, Sebastian Quick, has contributed a lot toward my interest of economics. Topics including fiscal policies, the gold standard, and the time-value of money fascinate me.
I also have an interest in politics. In 2008 I was endorsed by the Libertarian Party as a State Representative candidate in district 112, and I was on the general election ballot in Texas. I have a page outlining my views.
I am a fan of cryptography and decentralized trust. I digitally sign my outgoing emails to ensure that they cannot be spoofed or surreptitiously modified. To verify my emails or to start digitally signing your own emails, read how. Get my keys:
Additionally, I am a Thawte Notary. Contact me if you need trust/assurance points.
P.O. Box 830421 Richardson, TX 75083-0421
If you owe me money, or think that I deserve your money for some other reason, send it via PayPal to pmw@qnan.org or via e-gold to account 1377341.
Last update: February 16, 2009. This server is powered by Linode.