Toby Kurien - mischttp://tobykurien.com/2020-12-20T14:38:00+02:00<br/>Engineer, Maker, Heavy-metal loving GeekTwitter links2020-12-20T14:38:00+02:002020-12-20T14:38:00+02:00Toby Kurientag:tobykurien.com,2020-12-20:/twitter/<ul>
<li><a target="_blank" href="https://nitter.tobykurien.com/i/lists/88528998">List1</a>
<li><a target="_blank" href="https://nitter.tobykurien.com/i/lists/737897025086296065">Local</a>
<li><a target="_blank" href="https://nitter.tobykurien.com/search?f=tweets&q=%40tobykurien&since=&until=&near=">Mentions</a>
<li><a target="_blank" href="https://nitter.tobykurien.com/search?f=tweets&q=%40citypowerjhb+implement+loadshedding&e-nativeretweets=on&e-replies=on&since=&until=&near=">CityPowerJhb loadshedding</a>
</ul><ul>
<li><a target="_blank" href="https://nitter.tobykurien.com/i/lists/88528998">List1</a>
<li><a target="_blank" href="https://nitter.tobykurien.com/i/lists/737897025086296065">Local</a>
<li><a target="_blank" href="https://nitter.tobykurien.com/search?f=tweets&q=%40tobykurien&since=&until=&near=">Mentions</a>
<li><a target="_blank" href="https://nitter.tobykurien.com/search?f=tweets&q=%40citypowerjhb+implement+loadshedding&e-nativeretweets=on&e-replies=on&since=&until=&near=">CityPowerJhb loadshedding</a>
</ul>Contact message sent2014-07-07T11:33:00+02:002014-07-07T11:33:00+02:00Toby Kurientag:tobykurien.com,2014-07-07:/contact-success/<p>Your message has been sent! I respond to <strong>all</strong> enquiries (that are not spam), so if you don't receive a response within a day, then please check your <strong>spam folder</strong> (many of my replies tend to end up there), or try again, as you may have entered your e-mail address incorrectly.</p><p>Your message has been sent! I respond to <strong>all</strong> enquiries (that are not spam), so if you don't receive a response within a day, then please check your <strong>spam folder</strong> (many of my replies tend to end up there), or try again, as you may have entered your e-mail address incorrectly.</p>About2010-12-01T11:33:00+02:002010-12-01T11:33:00+02:00Toby Kurientag:tobykurien.com,2010-12-01:/about/<h2>About</h2>
<p>I am Toby Kurien, an electronics engineer who does software development for fun (and hopefully profit). I am a South African citizen of Indian origin.</p>
<p>What do I do? Well, the simple answer is that I am a freelance software engineer, and I work on my business <a href="nextcloud-hosting">Nextcloud Hosting</a>. My <a href="cv">Resumé</a> has more details. I occasionally <a href="/category/articles">blog</a> and <a href="/microblog">micro-blog</a> about technology and other interests. </p>
<p>The long answer regarding what I do is that I am experimenting with <a href="/the-anti-consumerist-lifestyle/">an alternate lifestyle</a>. In late 2008 I decided to live a more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-consumerism">anti-consumerist</a> lifestyle. So I left the rat race, sold my shares in the company I co-founded, and started working on potentially fulfilling ventures. This is how I started creating <a href="/tag/startup">web startups</a>, <a href="/tag/apps">mobile applications</a>, and embedded <a href="/tag/diy">hardware solutions</a> – technologies that I am really passionate about. These technologies also help me in my quest to use first-world technology to solve third-world problems.</p>
<p>I am inspired by the "<a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/">four hour work week</a>" lifestyle as described in the book by Timothy Ferriss. I engineer my life by focussing on three things: <a href="/the-anti-consumerist-lifestyle/">Health, Time, and Finance</a>. Since 2021, I started <a href="/war-on-doomscrolling">reducing my digital footprint</a>, and adopted the philosophy of <a href="/digital-declutter">digital minimalism</a>.</p>
<h2>Gemini</h2>
<p>I have a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_(protocol)">Gemini</a> capsule, which can be reached using a <a href="https://git.sr.ht/~kr1sp1n/awesome-gemini#clients">Gemini browser</a>, at <a href="gemini://tobykurien.com">gemini://tobykurien.com</a>, or via a <a href="https://git.sr.ht/~kr1sp1n/awesome-gemini#web-proxies">web proxy</a>. I could've just linked you directly to my capsule via a web proxy, but that kind of defeats the point of Gemini, which is to create a new space on the internet, away from the attention- and surveillance-economy of BigTech, free of trackers and data mining, with a manaical focus on simplicity and pure textual content such as blogs.</p>
<p>If this …</p><h2>About</h2>
<p>I am Toby Kurien, an electronics engineer who does software development for fun (and hopefully profit). I am a South African citizen of Indian origin.</p>
<p>What do I do? Well, the simple answer is that I am a freelance software engineer, and I work on my business <a href="nextcloud-hosting">Nextcloud Hosting</a>. My <a href="cv">Resumé</a> has more details. I occasionally <a href="/category/articles">blog</a> and <a href="/microblog">micro-blog</a> about technology and other interests. </p>
<p>The long answer regarding what I do is that I am experimenting with <a href="/the-anti-consumerist-lifestyle/">an alternate lifestyle</a>. In late 2008 I decided to live a more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-consumerism">anti-consumerist</a> lifestyle. So I left the rat race, sold my shares in the company I co-founded, and started working on potentially fulfilling ventures. This is how I started creating <a href="/tag/startup">web startups</a>, <a href="/tag/apps">mobile applications</a>, and embedded <a href="/tag/diy">hardware solutions</a> – technologies that I am really passionate about. These technologies also help me in my quest to use first-world technology to solve third-world problems.</p>
<p>I am inspired by the "<a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/">four hour work week</a>" lifestyle as described in the book by Timothy Ferriss. I engineer my life by focussing on three things: <a href="/the-anti-consumerist-lifestyle/">Health, Time, and Finance</a>. Since 2021, I started <a href="/war-on-doomscrolling">reducing my digital footprint</a>, and adopted the philosophy of <a href="/digital-declutter">digital minimalism</a>.</p>
<h2>Gemini</h2>
<p>I have a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_(protocol)">Gemini</a> capsule, which can be reached using a <a href="https://git.sr.ht/~kr1sp1n/awesome-gemini#clients">Gemini browser</a>, at <a href="gemini://tobykurien.com">gemini://tobykurien.com</a>, or via a <a href="https://git.sr.ht/~kr1sp1n/awesome-gemini#web-proxies">web proxy</a>. I could've just linked you directly to my capsule via a web proxy, but that kind of defeats the point of Gemini, which is to create a new space on the internet, away from the attention- and surveillance-economy of BigTech, free of trackers and data mining, with a manaical focus on simplicity and pure textual content such as blogs.</p>
<p>If this sounds intriguing, check out <a href="https://geminiquickst.art/">Gemini Quickstart!</a></p>
<h2>Curated music</h2>
<p>For a very curated selection of trance, metal, and other songs I find interesting, check out my <a href="https://mastodon.social/@music_tk">music links</a></p>
<!-- Indieweb profile, see https://kevq.uk/how-to-create-an-indieweb-profile/ -->
<section style="display: none;" class="h-card">
<!-- About me -->
<span class="p-name">Toby Kurien</span>
<span class="p-note">
>Engineer, Maker, Heavy-metal loving Geek
</span>
<!-- Profile picture -->
<img class="u-photo" src="https://tobykurien.com/images/toby.jpg" />
<!-- My location -->
<span class="p-locality">Johannesburg, South Africa</span>
<!-- Links -->
<a class="u-url u-uid" href="https://tobykurien.com"></a>
<a class="u-email" rel="me" href="mailto:toby@tobykurien.com"></a>
<a class="u-url" rel="me" href="https://mastodon.social/@tobykurien"></a>
<a class="u-url" rel="me" href="https://twitter.com/tobykurien"></a>
<a class="u-url" rel="me" href="gemini://tobykurien.com"></a>
<a class="u-url" rel="me" href="https://github.com/tobykurien"></a>
<!-- Categories -->
<span class="p-category">Programming</span>
<span class="p-category">Electronics</span>
<span class="p-category">Making</span>
<span class="p-category">Startups</span>
<span class="p-category">Open Source Software</span>
<span class="p-category">Privacy</span>
<span class="p-category">Webdev</span>
<span class="p-category">Androiddev</span>
</section>Pay attention to *me*!2008-04-01T04:43:00+02:002008-04-01T04:43:00+02:00Toby Kurientag:tobykurien.com,2008-04-01:/pay-attention-to-me/<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Every blog has to have an arb post
elaborating on some personal affliction. Here's mine.</span> </p>
<p>It seems human beings have a lot of self-defeating traits. I often
wonder how we became a (mostly) civilised and advanced society with all
these counter-productive traits. Like laziness, for example. We are
naturally lazy, right? So how did we ever build cities? Or get to the
moon? </p>
<p>Social phobia - I heard about this one recently. The third most common
psychological problem, apparently. But many of us suffer from this to
some degree. Me, for example. I'm shy and overly self-conscious. I may
not seem like it now, but leave me alone in a crowd of strangers, and it
rears it's ugly head. Like when I walk alone in a mall. </p>
<p>I spent much of my life alone, and those years of solo walking has
conditioned me to extend my gait. I often get asked to slow down when
walking in a group, and I end up almost tripping over myself at the
pedestrian pace. When walking alone, I do not want to appear to be lost
or walking around without purpose. Walking fast makes me look busy. So
busy, infact, that I often walk right past the very place I am walking
to. The realisation then sets in and I find myself needing to make an
about-turn, which then completely undermines the "walking with purpose"
image I'd put on. </p>
<p>Walking fast also keeps my hands busy. I can swing them from side to
side in sync with my stride. Slowing down really throws my hands into a
confused state. I then have to pull out my cellphone or hold something
in my hands so …</p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Every blog has to have an arb post
elaborating on some personal affliction. Here's mine.</span> </p>
<p>It seems human beings have a lot of self-defeating traits. I often
wonder how we became a (mostly) civilised and advanced society with all
these counter-productive traits. Like laziness, for example. We are
naturally lazy, right? So how did we ever build cities? Or get to the
moon? </p>
<p>Social phobia - I heard about this one recently. The third most common
psychological problem, apparently. But many of us suffer from this to
some degree. Me, for example. I'm shy and overly self-conscious. I may
not seem like it now, but leave me alone in a crowd of strangers, and it
rears it's ugly head. Like when I walk alone in a mall. </p>
<p>I spent much of my life alone, and those years of solo walking has
conditioned me to extend my gait. I often get asked to slow down when
walking in a group, and I end up almost tripping over myself at the
pedestrian pace. When walking alone, I do not want to appear to be lost
or walking around without purpose. Walking fast makes me look busy. So
busy, infact, that I often walk right past the very place I am walking
to. The realisation then sets in and I find myself needing to make an
about-turn, which then completely undermines the "walking with purpose"
image I'd put on. </p>
<p>Walking fast also keeps my hands busy. I can swing them from side to
side in sync with my stride. Slowing down really throws my hands into a
confused state. I then have to pull out my cellphone or hold something
in my hands so they don't bother my brain with stupid questions like:
"people are watching, what should we do now?" </p>
<p>Making myself look busy has a terrible side effect though. I actually do
want to be stopped by someone I know. Infact, I'd love it if that
happened. Unfortunately anyone I know would barely be able to finish
their facial-recognition processing before I flash by. And my avoiding
eye contact makes it doubly difficult. Short of violently yanking my
hand as I race past, or screaming out my name, there's little chance of
a chance meeting. Self-defeating. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, walking fast has become a habit. Habits, however, can be
broken. So I now make a conscious effort to walk more casually. I just
have to keep reminding myself that no one is actually watching me, and
maybe if they are, I need to give them time to figure out it's *me*!
Oh, and if you happen to see me, scream out my name :)</p>