We continue to welcome new team members. Today we’re excited to share the news that Michael Song has joined Zeitspace as a software engineer. As one might have expected, we asked Michael a few questions, and we’re sharing his answers below. We think he's given some meaty responses.
Why Software Development?
I’ve really liked programming ever since I took my first Computer Science course in high school. The satisfaction and tight feedback loop you get from running code you just wrote, as well as being able to build cool things really quickly has kept me fascinated with the field. I was somehow convinced that studying business and economics at Western University for my undergraduate degree was a good idea, but I quickly realised that I didn’t like it at all and switched into Computer Science in my second year, where I felt much more at home.
What kind of development do you like? Mobile? Web? Something else?
I’ve really only worked on backend systems at my previous jobs, and I’ve always gravitated more towards the backend when working on school projects, so I guess that’s what I like right now. That being said, I’m still only really starting out in my career, and one of the reasons I chose to join Zeitspace is that I’ll have the opportunity to work across the full stack using various languages and technologies, so my answer could definitely change in the future!
Recommend one thing (maybe a book, movie, album, TV show, physical experience…) Why?
There is a science fiction trilogy I read calledRemembrance of Earth’s Pastthat is hands down the best series I have ever read. It explores one of the more rational answers to Fermi’s Paradox in depth (asking why we have not encountered aliens yet despite there being a massive number of planets capable of supporting life in the universe). The series was originally written in Chinese and then translated into English, so it suffers from some awkward phrasing at times, and the characters have less personality than a piece of cardboard. However, the ideas presented by the author are brilliant, and the epic scale and scope of the proposed solution to Fermi’s Paradox is mind blowing. With some clever use of game theory, the author discusses that aliens do exist, but are all hiding due to the fear of extermination from each other, and the mounting sense of horror, hopelessness and dread as the plot unfolds is more real and spine chilling than any horror movie, due to how logically the author presents his solution to Fermi’s paradox. It actually ruined science fiction as a genre for me afterwards for a bit due to how unrealistically alien interactions and human expansions in space are depicted in most other media.
What’s your favourite new (or old) discovery in Waterloo Region?
The Lancaster Smokehouse is my favourite place to go to with friends. It offers delicious smoked meat and sides in massive portions, and I always stuff myself silly when I visit. Make sure to bring your appetite if you go!
Share a cool thing that folks might like to know about you?
I basically only listen to one genre of music — it’s a subgenre of EDM called “Trance” that was really popular in the 1990s to 2010, but it has been out of style for almost a decade now so I guess I never really grew out of my angsty teenage years. However, there was so much music produced during that period with endless mixes to listen to that I’m still discovering new tracks to this day! I also eat pizza backwards because I hate eating the crust last.
