,ggg,        gg                                                   
dP""Y8b       88                                     8I            
Yb, `88       88                                     8I            
 `"  88       88                                     8I            
     88aaaaaaa88                                     8I            
     88"""""""88    ,ggggg,   gg    gg    gg   ,gggg,8I  gg     gg 
     88       88   dP"  "Y8gggI8    I8    88bgdP"  "Y8I  I8     8I 
     88       88  i8'    ,8I  I8    I8    8I i8'    ,8I  I8,   ,8I 
     88       Y8,,d8,   ,d8' ,d8,  ,d8,  ,8I,d8,   ,d8b,,d8b, ,d8I 
     88       `Y8P"Y8888P"   P""Y88P""Y88P" P"Y8888P"`Y8P""Y88P"888
                                                              ,d8I'
                                                            ,dP'8I 
                                                           ,8"  8I 
                                                           I8   8I 
                                                           `8, ,8I 
                                                            `Y8P"

You are right. Mister Bond. That is just what I am, a maniac. All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards their goal. The great scientists, the philosophers, the religious leaders - all maniacs. What else but a blind singleness of purpose could have given focus to their genius, would have kept them in the groove of their purpose? Mania, my dear Mister Bond, is as priceless as genius. Dissipation of energy, fragmentation of vision, loss of momentum, the lack of follow-through - these are the vices of the herd.

— Dr. No, Dr. No

about me

My name is Johannes, and I go by the handle j0hax online.

This is my personal site, filled with random information pertaining to me.

Born
Houston, Texas
Age
26
Location
Germany
Occupation
  • student
  • IT (part-time)

hobbies and interests

computing

Since recieving my first computer at the age of 10, computers have been a dominant interest of mine.

I spend a lot of time doing recreational programming.

I have a particular passion for the following hardware and software:

  • nix, especially
    • NixOS for my server;
    • Fedora Silverblue for desktop applications;
    • OpenWrt for my routers
  • 3D printing, some of it useful, much of it kitsch
  • open hardware, such as that of PINE64

food and drink

I'm not sure I have a favorite food ;)

Although I like meat, I tend to eat little of it. Instead I season vegetarian foods well. I love my herbs and chili.

Of the finer things in life I also appreciate

  • strong cheeses, such as Esrom, Camembert or Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • fresh, black coffee
  • Scotch, especially the peaty, salty kinds
  • red wines such as primitivo or dornfelder

objects made to last

Possibly cliché, but probably for a reason:

watches

This one is a big rabiit hole. I appreciate the effort and design put into mechanical watches and clocks, vintage as well as modern.

Among my favorite designs are the classic Omega Speedmaster Professional and the NOMOS Metro. A controversial opinion of mine is that the the Tudor Pelagos is much more appealing than the Black Bay 38 ;)

fine writing

I'm a sucker for the slick, minimal fountain pens of LAMY. No surprise here, I'm a member of the LAMY 2000 club.

When it comes to utility, I like the Parker Jotter modified with a gel cartridge.

mechanical keyboards

During the COVID-19 pandemic I assembled my own keyboard; it's nothing special, but exactly the way I want it:

  • A minimal 60% layout with:
  • Cherry MX Blue switches
  • DSA Granite keycaps, with Icon modifiers of course!

For my 22nd birthday I was gifted an IBM Model M by my friends, which is one of the most meaningful guestures people have done for me.

Although I have been living in Germany for the long-term I still prefer the ANSI-US layout. I guess what they say about old dogs is true.

botany

Ever since I learned of plant blindness I've tried to be more mindful of of this incredibly diverse kingdom of life.

I enjoy propagating and raising plants for aesthetic and culinary purposes.

I do use self-raised perennial herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano on a daily basis when cooking, and like any other plant person I have a small collection of aroids.

entertainment

I like to watch a lot of YouTube. Some of my favorite channels include Big Clive, Adam Ragusea and DankPods.

I am also a big Trekkie: Janeway may have broken the prime directive one too many times, but she's still my favorite captain.

music

While programming and working I always listen to music, it plays a big part of my life.

Particularly I enjoy

  • rock, ranging from prog to indie rock. My favorite bands include
    • Muse
    • Alt-J
    • The Alan Parsons Project
    • Foster the People