Welcome to my programming and creativity section!⌗

Here, you can find out more about my creative pursuits. I describe the history of each of my activities—specifically, programming, juggling, and YouTue—and direct you to places where you can explore even more!

By the way, the dinosaur on the cover is a digital painting by a close friend of mine. Enjoy! ;)

Coding⌗

History & Philosophy⌗

My passion for programming began in 6th grade when I disassembled an old laptop, which sparked my initial interest in hardware. I continued dismantling computers throughout the year and my room resembled a kid’s room filled with LEGO at the end. Although characterized by mess, this experience provided me with valuable insights into computer components.

During a summer course after 6th grade, I delved into web design using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This experience revealed to me the vast potential of programming and marked the shift of my focus from hardware to software (I still look at my projects from then hosted on gltch.com). Excited, I expanded my skills through the “Pasja informatyki” (eng. Passion for Computer Science) YouTube channel, exploring desktop applications and gradually transitioning to C++ in 7th and 8th grade, combining also my hardware knowledge in the process.

Upon entering high school, I switched to Python, initially due to curriculum requirements. However, I grew to appreciate Python’s welcoming community and its applications in fields such as Artificial Intelligence and bioinformatics. Nevertheless, high school not only exposed me to new programming languages but also fostered my growth as a coder, instilling a commitment to writing quality code and developing my coding philosophy.

More specifically, I have defined precise goals in my craft: I aim to create things that are both useful and unique. I derive immense pleasure from the fact that my products make others’ lives easier, whether it is about enhancing the learning experience or streamlining repetitive and daunting tasks. In other words, usability is the primary factor that draws me to programming and fuels my projects.

Furthermore, I also code to learn. It is my genuine belief that the practical application, where knowledge and theory are put into practice, is the most effective method of learning as a software engineer as it provides a sense of accomplishment and purpose. I adopted this doctrine from Guido van Rossum, the creator of Python, who said that the best way to learn a language is “to find something you actually want to do with it.”

All in all, I have a long history with computers, which are now my main area of focus. I am deeply interested in all their aspects, from hardware to software.

Projects⌗

I have a dedicated web page for my projects, which you are more than welcome to visit, so I won’t go into detail here.

Juggling⌗

History⌗

Yes, I juggle. However, this skill came to me quite unexpectedly. It wasn’t my idea, but my aunt’s, who one day visited a shop called Tigger and spotted a bag of hacky sacks marked as juggling balls. She decided to buy them for me.

Her purchase coincided with the pandemic, so I had plenty of free time to spend on juggling training sessions.

Initially, I had three balls to juggle, and I quickly learned to juggle them fluently. Over time, I mastered more tricks and added them to my repertoire. Then, my mom bought me a fourth ball, giving me more to play with.

It didn’t take me long to master the fourth ball as well. On my 18th birthday, a group of friends gifted me newer, larger, and more durable balls—six of them, to be exact.

Although I’m not yet proficient with more than four balls, I’m confident it will come with time.

Skills⌗

Meanwhile, you can preview my skills in the video below. Despite the balls falling a couple of times (thanks to the floodlights drilling into my eyeballs), I still think it’s a good presentation of my repertoire.

My part start around 1:04:00.

YouTube channel (no longer)⌗

History⌗

I used to run a YouTube channel (link here). Initially, it served solely as a repository of evidence for my CAS portfolio, as it was the easiest way for me to upload videos online. However, as time went by, I became increasingly excited about running my own YouTube channel. My videos grew in length and professionalism, and I started getting more views.

Nevertheless, I quickly realized that I wasn’t cut out for it. The process of editing videos, rather than bringing me joy, became a burden that I wanted to eliminate as soon as possible. As a result, my channel has come to a halt.

The good thing is that I gained valuable experience in video editing, which has been helpful for some of my schoolwork. And who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to apply this knowledge further in my life.

Introductory video⌗

Here you can see the first video ever on my YouTube channel.