You can see my flickr photos here.
I've been interested in computers since about 1988 when I first came across an IBM PC and then later learned BASIC on an Apple IIe, then Pascal on a PC. In 1989 I got my first job programming in RPG (which I figured out from reading the IBM reference manual) on an AS/400 system.
I've been using the Internet since 1993, and still remember well the excitement of being able to use IRC to talk to my friends thosands of miles away in Russia when phone calls cost a fortune.
My favorite programming language is Python. As much as I wish that everything I develop would be written in Python and C, I find myself spending quite a bit of time with Java, C++ and even Perl.
I am a proponent of open source software (I am one of those people who favor BSD licenses over GPL), I use it daily, and my contribution to the OSS community is mod_python which I wrote and to this day maintain (but not without the invaluable help from many people). I am also a member of the Apache Software Foundation.
My favorite operating system is FreeBSD. I also like Linux very much, but at the moment FreeBSD seems to better fit my needs. I've owned an Apple PowerBook since late 2001, and have become quite fond of Mac OS X as well.
I am also interested in computer security, encryption, wireless and high-speed networking and high-availability systems. Up until September 2001, I used to work for a large hosting company where I got an opportunity to be on a small team charged with building a very large datacenter, so I also happen to know a lot about large computing facilities, power, cooling, cabling and other fun things (like management).
Since 2001 I sing in a Russian Orthodox Church choir as a second tenor, which has been one of the most rewarding experiences in the recent years. I started out as a complete neophite, and only recently begun to feel like I have a handle on my vocal abilities. The most fascinating aspect of singing has been the discovery of how truly complicated it is, and the sense of learning something new, acquiring a new skill. You can get a taste of what we sound like by listening to mp3's from our rehearsals here [192bps/5.6MB] [96bps/2.8MB] ("Reveille", A. Pushkin, music G. Sviridov, secular) or here [64bps/1.1MB] ("God's Clarity Everywhere", A. Block, music G. Sviridov, secular), or here [64bps/2.9MB] (Cherubic Hymn, Sofroniev Monastery Chant, music P. Chesnokov).