About
Call me Ishmael. Not really. But who am I? I’m Logan Collins, a junior Computer Science student at the University of Kansas in beautiful Lawrence, Kansas. It really is beautiful here in the fall. The leaves are turning and you get the reds, the yellows, and the browns all spread across the horizon.
Anyway, back on topic, I have had a fascination with computers since I was a just little bugger. I would always look in awe at the mystic machine in front of me and wonder how it worked and how to get it to do other things. I guess that’s why I’m a programmer.
Specifically I’m a Mac programmer. What can I say? I’m a Mac fanatic. The Mac has a feeling to it that screams ‘My very foundations aren’t stuck in the past, because I was developed from the start to be ready for the future.’ I like software that has that vibe. It’s software that surprises the user with that extra attention to detail and flare that puts a smile on my face. A developer should put more into their software than what it HAS to do. It should be what it CAN do. There’s more to design than dragging and dropping freeze-dried widgets onto a window. Software design is an art, just like painting or music. There is a canvas, tools and unbelievably infinite possibilities. If you push for that extra spark, you will stand out.
The Mac and it’s software base has this quality. You see applications that define their respective markets. Delicious Library, Transmit, Acquisition, Omni-anything. They all have the complete-feeling. They don’t say “My developer felt like this was enough. Do you really need more?” They say “My developer spent time designing this to make you think ‘Wow. I never though about it like that before. This really makes things easier.’” Software is more than writing code. It’s designing the tools that users will count on in their daily lives. I guess I’m a bit of a philosophical programmer.
Movies are another of my forté. I love movies. Most movies that is. Give me a good cult classic like Clue any day. It’s the kind of movies that tell the audience “I was made by intelligent human beings who put their heart and soul into this, and not by some money-hoarding executive and his director friends so they could turn a pretty profit in the third quarter.” Movies have always been a great interest of mine. I love the way each one can wrap up your soul to the point where you are completely swept away into it’s storyline until the end comes…and then you realize you’re in your house, sitting on your couch, with an empty bowl of popcorn at your side. It’s an eerie feeling.
I love Italian food. My family is of Italian ancestry, so I grew up on the stuff. Give me a big bowl of pasta and I’ll tear through it. That’s not my only favorite though. I love trying new food. On the list of favorite eateries stands Olive Garden, Subway, old standby McD’s, and several local hometown restaurants that no one but the townsfolk of my home would know of (ahem-Chicken Mary’s, best fried chicken in Southeast Kansas). I also love to cook. It’s amazing to me how so many people have their own way of making this or that, and it is all different in its own special way.
My family is an important part of my life. As I’m up in Lawrence at school, two hours drive from my hometown, I wish I could see them more rather than just talking on the phone to them now and then. When you’re from a small town like I am, friend and family ties run deep. My high school had about 180 people in it. Total. My graduating class was around 28. Really. No, stop laughing. I’m serious.
What else…I kind of feel like I’m on one of those dating games. “Umm…well I like long walks on the beach and red roses…” How clichéd. Anyone else think I should end this before CBS calls me for a new reality show based on how boring my life can get? I hear they’re pretty desperate nowadays.
Alright. Well, that’s a small insight into who I am. Still awake? Well, if you made it this far without moving on to Wikipedia for more interesting topics, welcome to my world.
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