I love the process of designing a system – gathering customer requirements, planning useful classes and database schemas, and writing code that meets the requirements while limiting complexity and allowing humans to read, test, and extend it. C# is currently my favorite language because of the rich support it provides for object-oriented and functional-style programming. In the past I have also enjoyed Java, Python, and Lisp.
Outside of work, I have a few personal projects I am particularly proud of. Among these:
- The Cascadia Junior Classical League is a nonprofit organization that organizes an annual convention for students interested in the Latin language and Classical culture generally. A friend of mine had implemented a database in Microsoft Access to track convention data, and that system was beginning to show its age and no longer fully supported the needs of the convention. We collaborated for nineteen months migrating that database to Microsoft SQL Server and writing a web front-end using the C# Blazor framework. The updated interface has been used to track data and generate reports for the 2023 and 2024 conventions.
- Herc and Hippo is a 2D side-scrolling game in which Hercules must carry a hippo safely through obstacles and mean monsters. The game is in-progress but features a robust, extensible, testable back-end and two different front-ends: a console app and a web version. Written in C#, inspired by ZZT.
Other small projects I’ve worked on are available on my GitHub page.
Matthew Martinez-Dirks 