About

Last Updated 2022-09-13

The Chinese proverb says “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” which means that one cannot end their journey or meet their goal with taking that first step. Technically, this post does not mark the beginning of my journey, but it does mark the beginning of a new phase of my journey. First, just a little about me.

Technology Background

I have worked with technology since my first job at 16 years old. As of 2022, that’s over 30 years ago. I have worked in the trucking industry, education, software distribution, the medical field, telecommunications, online yellow pages, a PC manufacturer, financial services, and the automotive industry. All in positions where I was supporting the technology that ran my employer’s business.

I have worked in desktop support, server administration, capacity management, disaster recovery, and various aspects of IT Service Management. I have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Master of Science in Information Technology. Now I’ve launched my own IT Services business.

I saw the rise and fall of modem-based Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and dial-up Internet with it’s pre-World Wide Web protocols such as Gopher, IRC, and FTP. I saw Y2K come and go. I saw the introduction of broadband, podcasts (including my own), smartphones, social media, Web 2.0, and now devops and the cloud.

Political Ideology

Politically, I’m a libertarian (little el). On the left-right spectrum I consider myself to be fairly in the middle as more conservative on fiscal issues and more liberal on social issues. I always knew on some level I didn’t agree wholly with either side of the political spectrum, but I was able to put a label to my beliefs after reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I discovered there is also an up-down axis between libertarian and authoritarian.

I mostly want my government to be as small as possible and only serve to provide a common defense, keep anyone from hurting others, and to serve as an arbiter to resolve contract disputes. Nearly everything else, such as marriage, should be left up to individuals who are consenting adults to decide what is best for themselves. That includes the right to do stupid things and hurt yourself. If you aren’t hurting others, go for it.

My political philosophy was both affirmed and challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic with governments clearly overstepping boundaries using the pandemic as an excuse expand their control over everyone’s lives while the “ruling class” were mostly exempt. Small businesses were shutdown while large corporations stayed open. People on both sides of every measure convinced they knew what was best for everyone else.

No, individuals should have the power to choose what’s best for themselves. No one else. Period.

Free and Open Source

Given my background, it might not be a shock to hear that I support the free and open source movement. I first discovered UNIX at my first job where I worked with AT&T System V and SCO Unix/Xenix. The average person couldn’t afford to use UNIX back then, but that changed in college when I discovered open-source UNIX-like operating systems such as Linux and FreeBSD.

Maker at Heart

I have earned my Extra class amateur radio license from the FCC and made a variety of electronics projects to include building radios and various antennas. I have taught licensing classes.

I helped form a group that was trying to create a new Makerspace and led a local amateur radio club. I have enjoyed giving my time and money to these types of pursuits for the benefit of bringing technology and communications capabilities to those who are interested. I have a particular interest in emergency communications, Skywarn storm spotting with the National Weather Service, and the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) programs. Prepping for the worst goes hand-in-hand with making things.

Genesis of Life of Lachan

I started this site to document my journey to liberate my data, own my privacy, refresh my skills which have atrophied since moving up to middle management, and learning skills and technology that will be useful for the next 20 years of my career.

Like many people, I’ve been seduced by the cool free (and not) products offered by technology companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook. Of course, I know they use my data. Yes, I know I’m the product, but they are just so convenient. They will probably still get my data even if I stop using their products, they are now firmly embedded in all aspects of our lives. However, I’m not going down without a fight.

Start the Conversation

Despite my best intentions, I don’t always post regularly, but I’m trying to change that. If you wish to keep in touch between posts, I invite you to join me on these platforms (in this order):

Lachlan Life Matrix Room - Matrix is an open network for secure, decentralized communication
Nostr - lightweight, extensible open protocol for building decentralized social media platforms.
- public key npub1fsq4ggp8mvz8fxz08p6d6fpal223pnw3qpy2f5489lha48hsrsnqsy7rev
Mastadon (Primary and Admin) - The Fediverse is a decentralized social media platform. I help admin this instance.
Mastadon (Backup) - Tech related Mastadon instance.
No Agenda Social - the Fediverse, but where I get political
Reddit - I rarely post anything, but there’s so many good resources
Twitter - It’s garbage, but I can’t completely quit it
Discord - I wish my friends would all move to Matrix
Steam - Want to play a game?
Twitch - Somtimes I stream
YouTube - Where the streams go

E-mail

I don’t want spam so I won’t post my e-mail directly, but I’m Lachlan and I’m at this site.

About

Technology Background #

Political Ideology #

Free and Open Source #

Maker at Heart #

Genesis of Life of Lachan #

Start the Conversation #

E-mail #