Alexander Payne

Pronouns: he/they

Introduction

I’m a programmer and Scout leader currently living in Madison, Wisconsin. When I’m not at work or in the wilderness, I like to write Rust, SCUBA dive, woodwork, tell my cat how good he is, drive across the continent, and listen to way, way too much girlpop.

I work at the Sub-Zero Group as a senior embedded software engineer, where I develop the control and interface software for various kitchen appliances. I’m very excited to be returning to my embedded and human-tool roots!

I’ve previously worked as a software engineer at Fastly on the H2O web server, at Amazon Web Services bringing Rust to embedded devices, and at Space Dynamics Laboratory building and operating research small-satellites. My long-form résumé (PDF) is available if you’re interested in reading it.

I also volunteer with a local Scout troop, teaching aquatics and wilderness travel.

Contact Info

You may reach me through any of the methods listed here. My phone number, like that of most Americans, is relentlessly spammed so I don’t broadcast it anymore.

I use the screen name “myrrlyn” pretty much everywhere, so if you find that name somewhere I haven’t listed here, it’s still probably me!

If you do have my phone number, you should, but by no means must, use Signal to text me. Again, it’s more a habit thing than anything else; normal texts are also fine.

Social Policy

I have believed in the virtues of a strong and diverse social graph since the day I moved to Utah and found myself without any local friends. Please feel free to interact with me through any of these media and I will do my best to respond in kind.

If you are geographically near† me, I will gladly hang out with you at least twice in any setting you like. I am fine with catching a meal or drinks, and I always love anything outdoors or otherwise scenic. I am a fairly tall man and I recognize what this implies for a lot of people’s decision-making process, so here are some explicit promises:

  • I will never ask for a non-public setting, nor will I approach to within my arms’ reach without invitation.
  • At your discretion, you may freely suggest a less than public setting, or step closer.
  • I will not initiate physical contact but I accept the usual American fare of handshakes and hugs.

†: I have a relatively loose definition of “near”, and I usually broadcast my movements on Twitter. This offer absolutely stands when I am traveling as well as when I am home.