About Seirdy (Rohan Kumar)

Selected projects

Clogstats

Analyze WeeChat logs to quantify, graph, forecast, and perform anomaly-detection on IRC channel activity. Written in Python; uses Pandas.

MOAC

Generate passwords and analyze password strength given physical limits to computing. Based on a weblog/gemlog entry: Becoming physically immune to brute-force attacks. Written in Go.

Interests, preferences, et cetera

I ought to come up with more interests than these, but that sounds hard.

Inclusive design

I care a lot about accessibility, resource usage, and compatibility. My Web site may seem simple, but I put almost 20 thousand words of thought into its design in an effort to maximize its inclusivity. This site should work well whether you’re using Lynx, NetSurf, the Tor Browser with a screen reader, or a printout.

Many people frame accessibility and compatibility in terms of “percentage of users impacted” to justify ignoring certain demographics. I find that this mindset somewhat discriminatory. I prefer framing concerns in terms of “populations excluded”.

I have some skin in the game: I rely on forced colors and use often use screen readers for web browsing. This is a really helpful measure to reduce overstimulation, given my anxiety and ADHD. I encourage others in similar situations to try these measures.

Software freedom

While I care very much about “free software” (the name is confusing, it refers to freedom rather than price), I don’t share the same perspective as most “fossbros” and organizations like the FSF. Software freedom is important because it gives people agency instead of delegating control to an authority; it’s not valuable in and of itself, and promoting a “FOSS” alternative that has vulnerabilities and accessibility issues is sometimes counterproductive.

I think that simply meeting GNU’s definition of free software isn’t enough: it’s one of multiple requirements for software to avoid the possibility of user domestication.

Other tech stuff

Other technology-related interests include security, privacy, and open platforms.

I lean towards simplicity; I usually prefer line-mode command-line interfaces that follow the UNIX philosophy. If a piece of software is complex enough to require a funding round, I would rather avoid it. My reasons for preferring simplicity also relate to user autonomy: extremely complex software can’t be forked easily, creating dependence on the vendor. It’s also because I’m a bit paranoid and want to know everything that happens on my system.

There are exceptions, of course: I use a Linux distro with Systemd (Fedora), after all. When I use a graphical program, it’s typically for things for which graphics are an inherent requirement or for accessibility reasons (most textual user interfaces don’t play well with screen readers).

More information is available in my “uses” page.

Anime

I watch anime. Some of my favorites, in no particular order:

• Pluto
• Code Geass
• Mawaru Penguindrum
• No Game No Life: Zero
• Darling in the Franxx
• Black Lagoon
• Serial Experiments Lain
• Saga of Tanya the Evil
• Monogatari
• Attack on Titan
• Violet Evergarden

I think that at least one entry in that list has some problematic messages, but my personal interpretation was a bit unorthodox and it felt wrong to exclude it.

Music

I’ve put together a periodically-updated list of tracks that I’ve rated 8/10 or higher in my mpd stickers database, auto-generated by some of my mpd-scripts. I’m a fan of glitch, trailer music, and symphonic and power metal; I’ve also recently been getting into Japanese rock thanks to a few anime openings. Some of my favorite artists are The Glitch Mob, Pretty Lights, Beats Antique, Hammerfall, Badflower, Celldweller and Scandroid, Helloween, Two Steps from Hell, Nightwish, Mili, and MYTH & ROID.