This week’s interrogation is with Noddlepod developer Chris Harrison. Take it away Chris!
Why coding?
I think like most people who go into Computer Science these days, I did it for video games. I grew up pretty much wired into consoles and I wanted to have a hand in crafting the things that had been such a big part of my life. It hasn’t quite happened yet, but one day I will have made a video game, or have a very disappointed inner child.
The reason I’ve carried on though is that it just fits my brain type - I could quite easily spend all day thinking my way through logic puzzles and to me developing software is just that on a grander scale.
Besides coding, what else interests you?
Anything and everything - I have a terrible habit of flipping between hobbies. At the moment though the thing that gets me away from screens is upcycling & DIY. I’ve never been very handy, but picking up discarded things, breaking them down and turning them into something new and useful is proving very cathartic for me.
My backyard is now furnished with half a bathtub/bench, a herb rack, a composter and a stone fire pit / barbeque, all made from pallet wood and other recycled bits!
What type of devices do you use?
All the devices! But if you’re asking what my electrical allegiances are: Ubuntu, Android, XBOX
What are you working on right now?
At the moment the big feature we’re gearing up for is analytics. We want to give the Noddlepod admins a lot more information about how people are interacting and make it easy for them to visualise trends in their communities behaviour. Everyone loves a good statistic, right?
Tea or coffee?
Coffee, always coffee, all day coffee, coffee-coffee-coffee. Come to think of it maybe I should cut back on the stuff…
What’s your day like?
Mornings usually start after about 3 alarms with coffee and something sweet. If it’s sunny and I’m feeling adventurous breakfast happens in the garden, otherwise in front of the TV with my morning ‘toons.
Quickly followed by the realisation that I’m running late, and then actual running to wherever I’m supposed to be. It’s how I keep my svelte physique.
When the day is done and I have no social obligations, TV shows and video games beckon often until the wee hours - I have very poor impluse control when it comes to those two.
Favourite Vegetable?
None, they are odd & frightening entities and I refuse to indulge their madness. Especially eggplants. ಠ_ಠ
Favourite movie?
The Usual Suspects - My dad let me watch it at probably far too young an age, and I grew up wanting to be a mysterious crime boss just like Keyser Soze. That might be a childhood dream I have to let go of though, I don’t think I have the people skills required to run a crime syndicate…
Favourite TV show?
Far, far too many to distill down into one single answer, but The Wire and Firefly are ones that I always recommend people watch.