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It began with BASIC in a corner of a room on the most classic keyboard ever designed...
tl;dr
- BASIC on the Commodore 64 was just a gateway
- Building a video game solidified the love of art and code
- Commodore's Amiga forced me to make the switch to PC Development
- I landed in Client-Server fun in Cybersecurity
- Pure anger lead to a M.Sc. in Distributed Systems
- And Mom said I'll never get a good job being on the computer all the time
Return Without Gosub
If any error message could beat up a BASIC programmer, it was that one. After experiencing an elementary School introduction to programming on a Texas Instruments TI-80, it was time to graduate to learning how to build out video games on my new companion, the Commodore 64. After going through many manuals and magazine articles I completed my first game, a 16 level space-themed shooter. The next game was to be an adventure game. Drawing art based on space was exhilarating but the time had come to try that with mountains and roads. It also needed personified Wolf creatures to roam those lands. Questionable logic, yes. But the sketches matured to the point that classmates dubbed the artist Wolffy. That concept was cut short. Thanks to Commodore’s questionable decision to creating disappointment with the Amiga it was time to graduate to the PC and from that platform there would be no return.
On the quest to be the next kid to make a hit game I’ve become a fan of combining interests in art, style and logic. The switch to C++ exposed the new interest to unlock, mainly the back-end. Everything art and visual to place in front of the user was put on the back burner as strengths in logic where the forte. Wondering if there would be regret for leaving the artistic part in the past to focus on this new interest, Dr. Harr proclaimed “You are my star student because you listen”. It was with a DePaul University Bachelor’s Degree, ironically with a focus on User Experience on top of Computer Science, that I came across the most basic ad in the classifieds. To quote "C++ Programmer? Call Lori". Those four words lead to a start up doing the encryption component of Cybersecurity.
Encryption though was only the tip of the iceberg. Being here at that point in time allowed for the witnessing of the birth of Public Key Infrastructure. This technology was the future, literally as it is what works hard behind the scenes keeping our vast infrastructure of digital data exchange safe. It was cool, but it needed improvement and automation.
Concepts were built but each time the Math PhD’s declared that Computer Science people don’t deserve being involved in a technology based on Math. It was out of pure anger that there was a return to DePaul University. The admission’s counselor was the professor for the Project Management class in which I was assigned the role of Project Manager. "I remember you, you were good." Leaving DePaul part two bore a Master’s Degree in Distributed Systems (aka the Cloud) with a hard earned 4.0 GPA. This was the worst enemy to those with Math Degrees, they are bound to accept numbers backed by evidence. They can also choose to ignore it. Armed with a new confidence it was time to start building out the PKI concepts needed for adoption under the name of Wolffysoft. The plan for success looked so far ahead the victory party included t-shirts with the codename "Wear Wolffy" as a fun play on werewolves.
Entering the arena of mobile device development introduced a new tool based on Visual Studio. This is concept, combining the power of logic with the art of icon resources to create one complete package. As the world evolved so did this concept of combination. Services are thrown in the back where logic can reign supreme but applications and web pages became more sophisticated and more intertwined. To anyone armed with a Masters in Distributed Systems this bluring of the line not only was practical but an exhiting opportunity to bring multiple devices into harmony. This orchestra not only needed the optimal blend of digital content but more than ever the security of PKI. The problem is PKI is an ugly, complicated mess. When configured properly the security is fantastic. So the question to answer is what would happen if PKI benefited from incubated in a Studio instead of just a math paper? Seasoned professionals with high ranking titles encouraged the answer to that question. The third tech-nerd mentee stepped in to give back and help build out the needed systems. It became real when a former youth bowler came forward with a statement without option: "I see what you are trying to do, I'm your editor now."
It was a reunion with the first tech-nerd mentee I worked with when the question was posed "You know you identify as a wolf, right?" Uhm... no. What Rabbit hole of a conversation is about to embark? "You go by Wolffy, you have that in print in the magazine articles you write, it is on your website, your YouTube channel, every forum about your hobbies..." But this conversation, as it replayed later because it felt that odd, caused the realization that of all the names I've come up with for software prototypes, art projects and branding ideas, Wolffy was one that never received the same amount of attention. Wollfysoft was tried, but the domain always just sat dark. It was a split second later that the light bulb illuminated. Not "wear", "WARE"! That’s a concept one can which one can run.
Never Forget Where You Came From
Those days of Sprites and ASCII art backgrounds are all in the rear view mirror. Today the back end and inter-device communications are complimented by what can be created with a 4K Mirrorless Camera, JDI microphones, Affinity image generation and manipulation software and DaVinci Resolve. Despite many GOTO commands being issued on this crazy trip, that old companion Commodore 64 that started this journey still sits in the office today. It is a reminder. For the first time with anxiety stripped away the COMMIT was made to stay true to this new road. The destination is still a variable but the journey is a blast. There are times where the question "what am I doing" comes to mind. But there is that Commodore 64 with the much needed reminder. At this point, there is no going back. That would be a Return Without Gosub.
I am Wolffy! Ahoo to you!
Warewolffy Studios - Go to the all new Warewolffy Studios site