Radii's resident IT Traveler, Suolon Hu, brings one of the most artistic and diverse backgrounds to our development team. Having worked professionally both as a photographer and a programmer, he has traveled the world--over 29 countries on four continents. Check out some of his work after the break!
In his travels, Suolon has accumulated literally hundreds of thousands of photos. Here's a snippet of his work from countries including the US (Hawaii), Kenya, Tanzania, Greece and Turkey. Find more of his work, including his stunning portraits, over at Silver Horizon. And of course, please remember that all his work is copyrighted.
But what makes Suolon tick? Here's his responses to quick-fire questions:
Why did you want to be a programmer?
It was actually not my first choice coming out of university. I was more into Networks and Digital Hardware. I only got into development after taking a few courses in Lotus Notes at IBM. After that, I liked the creative aspect of being able to come up with a full complete solution in application development.
Were there any other subjects or career paths you considered?
In high school, I always thought that I would have got into Environmental Studies, but when it came to choosing a career path, I choose the Computer field… I thought to myself “well, I do like using and working with computers, and do enjoy the computer related courses…. So what would be the most difficult path I can take? Computer Engineering!”
Once I graduated from university, I bought myself an SLR film camera and then took some courses. It was then that I wish that I chose a different path. Right now, I still do IT related work, and complement my desire with photography whenever I travel on vacation.
What got you into Sharepoint development?
After working with Lotus Notes for the past 13 years, I saw that in the past 2 years, the popularity of Lotus Notes in the corporate world was quickly being replaced by other technology, one of them being the rising demand of a new technology from Microsoft – SharePoint. Seeing how SharePoint is relatively new, I choose to engulf myself in learning SharePoint.
What do you like best about your job?
I like the people at Radii since it is quite the close knit group with each person having a different skill set in what they are really good at. To be able to utilize their skills has really helped me in learning key skills that I would normally not have been exposed to.
What's your routine when you first get to work?
My routine actually starts even before getting into work… I drop off my daughter at daycare, go get a coffee at Tim Horton’s (some times get either a donut or muffin as well)… go to work… connect my laptop… login… check emails… eat my donut/muffin if I have it… and start working on whatever I have left off from the previous day.
What's one problem you are best at solving for your clients?
Being able to determine their needs from listening to what they want, and then able to realize that into a solution.
Any accomplishments you're proud of?
Most of the things I am proud of are the ones where I was able to solve something that I have little to no knowledge of… I like the challenge, even if it at times frustrates me…. It’s all part of the journey.
What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a developer?
Be resourceful! You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just as long as you know the concept of what needs to be done… Google is your friend!
What's the one item or app that you couldn't go a day without?
My iPhone… simply because I can take photos and videos whenever I want and wherever I want, without having to carry around my SLR camera.
What's one thing you've always wanted to do?
Always wanted to be able to just travel around the world for a year or more and just take photos and videos of my journey.
What's your favourite way to spend a weekend?
Spending time with my wife and daughter, close family, and friends.
Coffee, tea or water?
All… depending on what I am craving at the time.
Chrome, Firefox, IE or Opera?
Chrome and Safari.
Most useful design or dev tool/app?
GOOGLE!
Favourite movie?
Too many to choose from, but the one that will always be dear to me is… Empire Strikes Back.
What's your hobbies?
Photography, ice hockey, playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 3.
Any pet peeves?
Inconsiderate people.
Play any sports?
Softball, beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, ice hockey, dragon boating, badminton, tennis… I use to play them all, but now I’m just doing ice hockey and volleyball.
Favourite code editor?
Lotus Notes – I know there are many others that are better, but this is the one that I am familiar with and see the power of it… it’s very versatile.
That's it for this edition of Eye on Radii! Coming up will be an interview with one of our development leaders, James Rodgers. In the meantime, take a look at Our Work and see which projects Suolon has worked on.
