About

Ah, so here you are. Casually surfing the web, absorbing content of questionable nature and authority, and you arrive here. How unfortunate. The web today, you think, is so cluttered with garbage and other useless material - what makes this any different? Well, nothing really. This site is nothing more than unraveled garbage of various genres and questionable quality carefully glued into place to create a masterful work of unimaginable intellect (…or a feeble attempt at any sort of portfolio).

My name is Mike Gerwitz - you can just call me Mike. Most know me as the computer nerd - if someone has a computer problem, I’m the “go to” guy. I have a very odd string of hobbies, ranging from web and software development to magic/illusion. Anything I take even the slightest bit of interest in, I pursue. If my pursuit furthers my interest, I strive to master it, then to convey that knowledge to others. To teach others. That is what this website is all about. A small glimpse into my world and hobbies. My work. Hopefully I’ll be able to teach you something as well.

Oh, and don’t let the nature of my speech take you by surprise. This place isn’t as bad as I may make it out to be! Don’t put words in my mouth! Relax. No need to be professional here - the world has enough of that tense atmosphere. Take of your shoes, put your feet up. Laugh a little. Joke a little. Enjoy yourself. That’s what gets me through my work. That’s why I love everything I do. I take the time to appreciate and enjoy it.

Software Development
I began software development at the age of ten as a hobby. I remember playing a fun little game (LaserTank I believe) with a level editor. I loved to create my own levels and create them. That got me into game design and development. While I did initially get into software development for game creation, I’ve only created a few simple games (such as bop-a-mole and breakout, along with various minor ones, including a small 3D game where you try to run away from rising water). After working with Visual Basic for a while, I began to work on various types of desktop applications, then got involved in networking (I loved creating chat apps).

I worked with software development for many, many years, and still do from time to time. It slowed down once I began getting into web development. The languages I have practiced include: Visual Basic 6 (no longer), VB/C#.NET (no longer), Perl, BASH scripting, C/C++. I initially developed for Windows system, but have since moved to strictly GNU/Linux systems. Any GUI applications I develop using GTK+ and I may consider developing cross-platform applications in the future.

Web Development
Most of my time is now spent with web development. I began a few years ago using ASP to create a personal website as well as a website for a private game server I hosted for an MMORPG. Once I switched hosts for the personal site, they didn’t suport ASP, so I switched to PHP (a choice I’m very glad I made early enough to stick with). My focus is now the development of communication websites, primarily online communities (see MyCustomBB). I develop using only PHP (sometimes a little Perl), and make use of XHTML 1.1 (following all standards), CSS2/3 and Javascript (including AJAX functionality).

I stay up to date with the newest technologies and plan ahead. For example, my WebKernel and MyCustomBB projects are designed for PHP 6, with backwards compatibility with PHP 5.3. I believe in the advancement of technology. I don’t like old technology to linger simply because people don’t feel like upgrading. Creating software that takes advantage of the newest technology promotes its advancement and encourages others to update. It promotes innovation. If there’s something big on the horizon, you can be sure I’ll make use of it - even if it’s not yet released. If there’s not something big on the horizon, well, you can be sure I’ll put something there.

Free and Open Source Software
I am a very strong supporter of free software and open source (FOSS is a term commonly used to represent free and open source software). Free software represents the freedom to modify and redistribute the software however you wish - it does not place restrictions on price. I am a member of the Free Software Foundation, I use only free software unless no reasonable alternative is available, and give back to the community whenever possible.

I’m not only for software freedom - I firmly believe in complete freedom of the user. The user should tell the computer what to do, not the other way around. The computer should make helpful suggestions. The computer has the right to restrict the user when necessary for their own safety only if the option is clearly presented to fully disable the precautionary measure. In other words, I’m highly against DRM.

Writing
I enjoy expressing myself through writing and (most commonly) poetry. Some of my poetry is available on this site, though I tend not to release much of my material as I find it to be too personal. My writing tends to be more instructional or educational material, such as articles and tutorials, rather than stories. I do write some stories, and have even started a few novels, but I can never seem to finish them.

Magic/Illusion
For about a year, one of my main hobbies was magic/illusion - primarily street magic and impromptu effects, such as those performed by Criss Angel and David Blane. I still practice it from time to time - it’s a fun hobby. It’s fun performing the more subtle effects in every day life in random situations when people least expect it.

Theoretical Sciences
How far science has advanced in recent years astounds me. The rate of progression in both science and technology is like never before in this planet’s history. We’re learning new things every day - things humanity previously thought to be impossible fiction has become reality, or is on the horizon. Be it quantum mechanics or metaphysics, I love pushing the limits of the imagination and strive to explain the unexplainable through objective thought and experimentation.