loftwah / alexa-wolfram-alpha

Use your Amazon Echo (Alexa) to query Wolfram Alpha.

Dean Lofts

Hello! I'm Dean, often known in the digital world as Loftwah. I bring to the table my experience as a DevOps Engineer, System Administrator, and Network Infrastructure Professional, with a repertoire that includes REST, Docker, Linux, Infrastructure, Troubleshooting, Network Security, DNS, and Cloud Computing. I'm also certified as an AWS Solutions Architect Professional.

While I might not have embarked on formal coding education, my fervor for technology kindled a self-learning journey, making me adept in areas such as AI, AWS, DevOps, DevRel, Ruby, CrabLang, and Terraform. I've been an active hand in open-source projects, notably contributing to Appwrite, EddieHub, LinkFree, NASA, Nocodb, Streamlabs, and WordPress. When it comes to programming, Ruby and Bash are my trusted allies.

In the open-source sphere, I've had the honor of being an ambassador for EddieHub and its project, LinkFree. For those interested in Linux, my book "Linux for Pirates!" seeks to guide newcomers in the tech sphere.

Beyond technology, I express myself as a hip-hop and music producer under the alias, Loftwah The Beatsmiff. I've blessed the music scene with several albums and have had the privilege to collaborate with names like Grind Mode Cypher and OptiMystic MC.

My career canvas isn't limited to the aforementioned. I've served with pride in the Royal Australian Navy and engaged in large-scale projects across sectors including defence, mining, oil and gas, ISPs, and SaaS. This myriad of experiences positions me uniquely, and I'm keen on channeling this knowledge to uplift the education sector.

When I'm not neck-deep in tech or beats, I run a tech-focused YouTube channel, pen down tech articles, and share snippets from my life – be it the hurdles of mental health or joyous road trips with my daughter.

Personality-wise, expect to encounter someone confident, friendly, informal, and brimming with optimism. I champion open, asynchronous communication and am a proponent of tech community growth. Voice calls with me might be occasionally punctuated with music pauses!

A tidbit about me - my military stint has been adorned with awards such as the Iraq Medal, the Australian Active Service Medal, and the Australian Defence Medal. I find my productivity peaking in the afternoon and evening hours.

Feel free to delve into my music on platforms like YouTube or peruse through my writings for insights into tech, career narratives, and the latest in the industry. Appreciate the visit! 😎

To learn more about what I'm probably like, my personality type is ISTP-A. You can also take your own test here.

Speaks: English

Highest WPM: 151wpm

Note Tests conducted on Monkeytype

My Links

LinkFree | Spotify | Twitter | YouTube

Books I Like

Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker, Long Walk to Freedom, Secrets of the Autistic Millionaire, The Rose That Grew from Concrete (poetry collection), The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of War, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Think and Grow Rich and Zero Day.

My Interests

Arcade Games, Beat Making, Card Games, Coding, Comedy, Computers, Gaming, Music Production, Reading, Running, Sleeping, Swimming, Trivia and Writing.

Favourite Uses

AWS, ChatGPT, Cloudflare, CrabLang, GitHub, Google Workspace, Linux, MacOS, Ruby, Slack, Ubuntu and VSCode.

Quotes I Like

• "Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic.” - Arthur C. Clarke
• "Social engineering bypasses all technologies, including firewalls." - Kevin Mitnick
• "People said I should accept the world. Bullshit! I don't accept the world." - Richard Stallman
• “The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.” - Sydney Harris
• "Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." - Napoleon Hill
• "It doesn't matter what you know, what matters is when you know” - Kathy Sierra
• "Technology frightens me to death. It’s designed by engineers to impress other engineers. And they always come with instruction booklets that are written by engineers for other engineers — which is why almost no technology ever works.” - John Cleese
• "Software is like sex; it's better when it's free." - Linus Torvalds
• "The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways." - Robert Greene
• "I don't see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers." - Tupac Shakur
• “A hacker is someone trying to figure out a way to make toast with a coffee maker” - Wau Holland
• “Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. What people call intelligence just boils down to curiosity.” - Aaron Swartz
• "I always felt that I had to work harder than the next guy, just to do as well as the next guy. And to do better than the next guy, I had to just kill. And you know, to a certain extent, that's still with me in how I work, you know. I just... go in." - Jimmy Iovine
• “I know the dark things that people have intentions for when it comes to using information nefariously and I do my best to interrupt that and I’m going to continue to. I’m not afraid of anybody and If I’m called to take care of that its game over for that person or group.” - Gummo
• "Silence is a source of great strength." - Lao Tzu
• "If we don't know what we are doing, the enemy certainly can't anticipate our future actions." - Colonel Goodhead
• "A rising tide floats all boats….. only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked." - Warren Buffett
• "I'm not a genius. I'm just a hard-working guy." - Steve Jobs
• "If you claim to be someone's ally, but aren't getting hit by the stones thrown at them, you aren't standing close enough." - Stan Mitchell