Where I’m at …

  • Intro to Klaytn

    Klaytn is a cryptocurrency and a staking-based blockchain. Klaytn has major corporate backing for development and marketing. Klaytn adopts the best of Ethereum and adds to it. Klaytn aims to one-up Ethereum in every way. Klaytn even adopted Ethereum’s Solidity language as its main blockchain development language.

    The big difference between Ethereum and Klaytn is that Klaytn has massive consumer penetration in South Korea that Ethereum has not achieved anywhere on Earth. This is due to the internet giant, Kakao.

    I have little interest in the price of the Klaytn cryptocurrency. I admit passing interest as Klaytn skyrockets from its debut price of $0.11 on Gate.io, but I am no financial consultant.

    I am, however, a seasoned Software Engineer with several decades of experience including much experience with the Ethereum blockchain, so I find Klaytn as a technology very exciting. It appears that anything Ethereum’s blockchain can do, Klaytn can do.

    Klaytn provides transparency and immutability, like any useful blockchain. Applications are written to incorporate this transparency and immutability as a feature, like an app might include email, chat, or databases as a feature. To use a cooking metaphor, you don’t eat cinnamon by itself, but it tastes great when combined with other ingredients in a recipe.

    Use cases for Klaytn in applications include currency (duh), supply chain validation, authentication, trading, voting systems, certificates, diplomas, deeds to property, car titles, and crowd funding. Because the Klaytn blockchain is immutable and transparent, you can use it in any application that requires proof that no one has forged false documents or lied about past agreements.

    How could this help modern society? Imagine using Klaytn for a national voting system that could be completely audited by anyone for fraud. Oh, there are going to be some people completely against that one 😉

    A warning to new developers and CTOs looking to create blockchain apps: Test thoroughly! It is very easy to blow through $100,000 dollars worth of crypto in seconds if you write bad Solidity code. Explaining to your CEO where his entire budget went and that it can’t come back is not something you want to experience. Reddit is full of dev comments begging for their crypto to be returned when they screwed up.

  • Tsume Puzzles Book

    My 2011 Tsume Shogi book. It’s proven very popular.

    Most of my books are computer programming books, but I really like my Tsume Puzzles book. I am thinking of doing another one eventually.

    Here’s the Amazon book blurb.

    Centuries before sudoku, crossword puzzles, or word searches challenged Western minds, Japanese military and royalty were creating and enjoying tsume puzzles. Tsume puzzles are mating puzzles for shogi (Japanese chess.) Shogi’s history dates back 1000 years with archeological evidence that shogi existed in Japan at least by the 11th century. Some of the greatest know tsume puzzle books date back several centuries. Tsume puzzles have a long and honored tradition. Tsume are widely recognized to improve shogi skills. Tsume are also fun puzzles that anyone can enjoy. Whether your interest is in improving your shogi game, or just solving puzzles, this book provides many hours of entertaining shogi riddles. In this book you will find: * A complete introduction with rules of tsume puzzles and shogi rules that apply * Over 200 tsume puzzles of varying difficulty * Puzzles ranging from one move to thirteen moves * Solutions * Explanatory notes to many solutions * A quick reference section for those new to tsume and shogi

  • Hobbies and Interests

    Hobbies and Interests

    Working my land in rural Utah.
    Working my land in rural Utah.

    Hiking, permaculture, software engineering, shogi, TTRPG, and writing take up my time. Hope you enjoy the site! (more…)