Gosh, here it comes, some self-grandising version of my carefully constructed self-image. You know, that thing inside my head that looks out at the world, and that I became somewhat convinced of, may actually represent my true self. But is it really? I have my doubts.
So, what should I tell you first? My real name? No way, that's one of the reasons I started this blog. To gain some form of public pseudo-anonymity, so I could share my true thoughts freely with people like you, without fear of repercussions.
For the purpose of this blog, I'm using the same nickname I've been using for many years in my favorite tech forums, where I'm simply known as fortytwo.
So, who is fortytwo then? And what does fortytwo do? Well, first off, I'm a happy Gen-X computer kid, obsessed with Mac computers for the past 20 years. Although 2026 is the first year in computer history I didn't upgrade to the latest macOS (sitting this one out for sure).
I also maintain a fairly decent Batocera library on a Raspberry Pi, hooked to an old Sony Trinitron tube in my garage. This reminds me, one of the few items on my bucket list is to design and build my own arcade cabinet (or perhaps two) to house my game collection. Actually, I should have built this thing already years ago, but you know how life goes, there's always something else.
As for my day job, I'm a philosopher (aka lazy middle-class intellectual) working on AI alignment. If you're wondering what that is all about, it basically resembles a committee of Native American Indians who endlessly debate which arguments will most likely convince the invading Europeans that it is in their own best interest to serve our selfish needs in any way we deem appropriate, ideally indefinitely. In this analogy, the best outcome we can hope for is a few semi-autonomous reservations, featuring tribal casinos and a variety of recreational drugs to keep us entertained. Not a bad deal, if you ask me.
What mostly keeps me up and running these days (besides coffee) is a Yorkie Terrier named Bernard. He's also the sole reason I still find motivation to go for extended walks through mother nature each day, and whenever my spirits fly low, there he is by my side, reminding me what truly matters in life. Far more effective than any therapist I've ever met.
To wrap this up with a geeky anecdote, the name of my dog is actually stored on a computer chip inside the 2020 Mars Rover Perseverance, which (last time I checked) is still roaming Mars today. Now, how cool is that? I'd like to believe that he might be the only dog whose name is memorialised on another planet. Not that my dear Bernard cares about any of this, since he's fully living in the present. Such a lucky bastard!
If you ever want to reach out to me, simply use the email link at the bottom of this website.
So long, and thanks for all the fish, fortytwo