Technology

Silicon Valley and the social Darwinist tech bro culture is a very “there but for the grace of God go I” situation for me.

Raised in a white conservative family & area, was an angry and edgy teenager that kept getting great grades, understood that being a “good” person meant building wealth, and bad life experiences were personal responsibility issues, etc. Went to a high end university. And even in my early adult years, I liked to listen to talk on my commute more than music, and it was pre-smartphone so I didn’t have my Howard Stern mp3s and therefore everything I listened to on the radio was Republican bad faith propaganda during the W era in the US.

But not to fear. The same inquisitive nature that got me into computers/STEM and out of religion as a minor, also helped me straighten out the meaning of life as an adult. In middle age I’m into the ole triple L: Lemmy, Leftism, and Linux, lol. My software engineering job is at a very much non-silicon-valley place that’s only 3 miles from my modest house via quiet twisty country road, and instead of a Lambo I have a family, a koi pond, and a ton of other pets. I was always into nature and wildlife (especially aquatic) as a kid and it never went away.