About

Human Stats
Name: Lemnik Merrak
Current Age: 23
Location: South Africa
Gender: Male
Programming
I’ve been programming since the first version of Java was available, and I’m basically self taught. Because I didn’t have web access for most of the time I was learning, progress was often slow, but I generally came up with very different ways of solving common problems (mainly cause I had no idea how everyone else did it). It wasn’t until about 3 or 4 years ago that I became interested in the new web technologies: at the time it was JSP’s and Java Servlets for me. It was also around this time that I started working with SQL databases and such.

My knowledge of programming has a very heavy object-oriented slant, and I tend not to get excited about new technologies, unless they truly are something different. Aspects are a good example, they’re nothing massively special (not new anymore either), but they do offer a very nice way of augmenting objects, and have been useful to be when maintaining legacy code.

My work currently is focused on enterprise / database / web and mobile technologies. The development is primarily Java based. Basically: JSP, Servlet and EJB. I like everything in that list except EJB (which I hold in very low regard as a technology). Though that’s the primary focus in my work, I also have good knowledge of technologies like MIDP,AJAX and Swing.

Other Interests
Mostly I’m a fairly average 23 year-old geek. Nothing very special about me or my interests. I love music, though I listen far better than I can play. I enjoy taking lots of photos, you can see some of them here. I enjoy digital art, when I find time, but then it’s mostly Povray and such tools. I tend to stick to open-source software, since I find I can work it much more easily. I also enjoy hiking (again, when I can find the time). I really enjoy driving, my car is nothing special, but it can move if I want it to ;).

In terms of reading material: I used to read one programming book after the other, one encyclopedia after the other. I never used to touch fiction, until I got hold of some decent Sci-Fi. I quickly switched to Fantasy after reading “The Eye of the World“. This almost immediately turned into a fantasy obsession, to the exclusion of other genre’s, though I’ve recently picked up the Sci-Fi again.

My musical taste are very wide, and varied. I pretty much grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Yes, and such. More recently, I’ve discovered (and am I huge fan) of bands like Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation and Amorphis. Strangely enough, I’ve even gotten my father interested in several in that list (not what I expect with what his taste used to be).

I also became a bit of an anime freak a while ago, and started to take lessons in Japanese language. Unfortunately I don’t have time for that anymore, but I’m still pleased with the amount I can speak, read, write and understand. I plan on resuming my lessons when my life allows for it. I still watch a fair amount of anime (favorite would be one of: Love Hina, Noir or Requiem from the Darkness). Also read and translate manga (I like translating it, since it keeps my Japanese going, and I can do it in my own time).