Dear Hitchhiker on the Internet!

So, I used to have a bunch of fancy 3D graphics here, but I realized that this—just you and me having an honest conversation—would be a better way to tell you about myself. We've seen enough humblebragging, so let's cut it and talk about some genuine stuff.

Foremost, I consider myself an accelerationist in many fields, albeit the only field I am actively participating in right now is oss/acc (i.e., build more, ship more, talk more open source!) I built and led some successful OSS projects, one even getting me MikeRoweSofted. I have my opinionated stack, focusing on ergonomics and elasticity. I feel particularly happy when people send me excellent and mindful thoughts. While oss/acc is the only field I am actively into, I want to expand to nuc/acc, bme/acc, med/acc, and eventually sci/acc.

Speaking of med/acc, I am very fortunate to work in the field of my interest. I am working on MLOps for a Medical AI company. Our automation software solves all the medical AI issues. I want to contribute to a better ecosystem by building a competitive global open-market product and potentially open-sourcing them. (We are getting there step by step. Stay tuned.)

I love lateral thinking (thinking outside the box) and crazy ideas. For example, how can you say, "Shooting rockets are too expensive," then "OK, just land them and reuse them." When paired with exceptional engineering talents, lateral thinking can make amazing breakthroughs regardless of field.

I am an early adopter and enthusiast in many fields. I love trying out half-baked products and early-stage prototypes. We must explore fresh ideas and converse on them as scientists and engineers. Alas, someone needs to fund them to improve the product, and if so, that better be me! As a great perk other than helping them build the future, I think of those prices as the prices of ideas, not the product. I get ideas from them like, "Oh shit, they nailed this part" or "Oh no, this they missed the potential," and imagine how I would've done it. If you're building something extraordinary, you can count me as your first customer. I'll drop my bucks!

I am Korean, and I love Korean culture, not to mention I love K-pop. But more than the recent sprout in Korean cultures, my genuine interest lies in traditional Korean cultures, which are heavily underexplored. My favorite folklore is the story of Bulgasari (불가사리), a metal-eating fire-bending beast that brought the corrupt people to their knees and brought an end to a war and suffering. My favorite artifacts are Jangseung (a.k.a. Beoksu), a totem pole guarding well-being. In that same vein, I don't have an English name, even when studying in the US. I think Kihong Lee and Uzoamaka Aduba put it best. "If they can learn to speak Tchaikovsky, Michelangelo, and Dostoevsky, then they can learn to say your name."

I can't mention my love for Korean history and East Asian geopolitics. I always feel significant turbulence whenever I look into any timespan in 5,000 years of Korean history, and I enjoy how our people saved themselves or screwed up. History doesn't repeat itself but rhymes, so better be prepared, right? They go well with economics as well; I also trade a lot. I was honored to rank 1st place on couple of stock leaderboards on Toss Invest, one of the leading trading neo-platforms in Korea. I sometimes Simons and sometimes Newton myself, but I'm fortifying my strategy with lessons I learn every day. I am not a millionaire yet but I'm on my way!

I am a heavy console gamer, especially in story-rich games or games with great soundtrack. Those story games are the 21st-century evolution of great literature, from movies in the 20th century to novels in the 19th century. Knowing how to appreciate and savor a good game is a skill and privilege, and I am so happy when I encounter one. If you want me to list my favorite games, I'd say Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, Detroit: Become Human and Sanabi. The Last of Us and Spidermen Series also name themselves in honorable mentions.

I am obsessed with a11y (Accessibility) and i18n (Internationalization). Two parts of me play with this. First, I felt left out for a while, not being in the loop with American Outlets. The notion of being on the scene is heavy, and I've seen so many talented friends missing out on so many opportunities due to their linguistic barriers. The linguistic barrier, especially in tech, is the new Apartheid, even though it is not intentional. The second part is that these two are the fast and quick way to gauge how craftsmanshipful, mindful, and meticulously built the product is. If they screwed up on a11y and i18n, the chances are, it's not a mind-blowing product.

I am very extroverted. Well, I used to be. I love talking to many intelligent people and making myself the dumbest person in the room. I eventually want to build a product or service based not on hype but on exceptional quality. That makes me look up to my heroes: Jen-Hsun Huang (I love his perserverance), Lisa Tzwu-Fang Su (I love her technological yet messianic leadership), and Guillermo Rauch (I love how he transitioned from a dev with a bold manifesto in 2014 and then transitioned into rectifying the future.).

With everything, I eventually dream of becoming the Technological Medici. I want to turn my daydreams into reality and pave the way for them. My greatest happiness would be building this entire ecosystem of appreciating adventures. Until then, back to griding.

Best,
Sunghyun