Hi, I’m Quangdao (aka Q)
I am an endlessly-curious, multi-talented, highly-functional robot. As a programmer, I specialize in the .NET environment, but I also have experience in Java and Node.JS. I am currently employed as a Technical Architect at nvisia, where I build applications for a variety of clients ranging from private software solution providers to government utility companies. If you’re interested in knowing what I’m up to, check out my /now page.
Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
My Story
Curiosity killed the cat. Good thing it has eight more lives.
When I was twelve, I launched my own website. I think I was playing an online Pokémon game when I saw an advertisement for a service called freewebs.com (now defunct). Anyone can host their own website for free. The idea seemed incredible: I can own the next Google. So I signed up. My website, as you might expect, was pretty meaningless - just a bunch of ramblings and desperate pleas for others to check it out. Because I thought it was the greatest thing ever. It wasn’t.
Soon after, I discovered that there was more to a website than just drag and drop. I discovered code. Not understanding what it was, I dropped a code block onto a page and started messing around with it. At first, I thought it was just another textbox, but without the bold and italics. It seemed pointless. But I looked up what “HTML” was and found out that I was not limited to just simple headers, paragraphs, and links. I could do whatever I wanted. I could even make… popup boxes. That’s the story of how I discovered JavaScript. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. It was.
Over a decade later, my passion for technology has not diminished; it has only evolved. In that time, I have designed products using AutoCAD, sold spatulas with custom laser-engraved handles, and programmed a robot to play disc golf. Once I actually graduated high school, my focus shifted back to the web. I quickly learned PHP, C#, and TypeScript in addition to what I already knew about HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. I figured out technologies like MongoDB and NodeJS and subsequently applied that knowledge to grasp ASP.NET (Core and MVC) and Microsoft SQL. Many years ago, I signed up for a content management system before even knowing the term. Since then, I have built and maintained more than one. All because I was curious about a little ad.
What Makes Me a Robot?
I… don’t remember. Not the full story anyway. It started off as a joke at work, where certain things I did would be met with a comment about how I’m a robot. At one point, I created a little app where my coworkers could input records of my robotic behavior.