I am a 30 something computer programmer living in London working for an awesome company called Thoughtworks. What makes it awesome? Simple… the people! Every day I have the privilege of working with truly outstanding individuals in an team environment which fosters communication and collaboration.
A bit about my distant past
I started hacking away at computers when I was really young… my first computer being the venerable Commodore 64. My first computer program was… a complete disaster! I think it was a listing from a magazine called Zzap64. I still have the mental scars from spending 3 days typing out thousands of lines of Commodore Basic code, typing RUN and then watching the screen go black with only a couple of pixels flickering on the corner of the TV and then after 10 minutes of waiting and praying… nothing! Absolutely friggin nothing!
Then came the amazing Commodore Amiga computer, the first time I saw what the Amiga 1000 was capable of I was almost in tears! Some years later I finally managed to scrape enough cash to buy an Amiga 500 and was back to coding with AMOS. At this point I got seriously hooked on games and 3D graphics. Some of the demos and intros being developed blew my mind and I too wanted to create such awesome art work. I remember when I sent of my beloved Amiga computer to have a 40 megabyte hard disk installed and it returned after 1 week, the disk was so large it didn’t fit correctly inside the computer.
Around 1995 I had to pack away my beloved Amiga and dive into the murky world of PC compatibles and Windows 3.1, again I was almost in tears but for different reasons. I had left an advanced 32-bit multi tasking operating system with graphics and maths co-processors for DOS and Windows 3.1, sadly this was done out of necessity since at that stage the Amiga range of computers were being left behind technically thanks to the lack of vision of Commodore management. However I still have my Amiga in its box for when I am an old man and want to remember the good old days.
A bit about my recent past
I will write this up at some stage in the near future 
Things I have learnt along the way
- Life is too important to take seriously
- Sunlight is good for the skin
- Dogs are truly man’s best friend
- Don’t meddle in the affair of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup
Jean d’Arc