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by Andy DJ

About Me

I'm Andy DJ, and I'm a Shropshire-based "makerpunk" - whatever that means ;-) Ok, so guess it means I like to make things. I've always got quite a few projects on the go, and I even "finish" some of them. I've made a lot of whimsical things, but largely, I make practical ones. I prefer to upcyle and recycle where possible; I buy second-hand tools when I can; I love picking up bargains in charity shops and making something new out of them.

Some things I have made in the past

  • Shelves for my wife's former shop, made out of upcycled pallet-wood
  • My work benches in my workshop
  • Shelving in my workshop
  • Bike shed
  • Bike shed alarm
  • Matrix display clock
  • Point-and-click web game as a birthday card
  • Auto-on Shop Vac controller
  • Cyclonic dust separator
  • Lots of 3D printed gadgets and gizmo's
  • SMS controlled digital sign

I also do quite a lot of "DIY" round the house: * Plumbing * Fixing and fitting * Painting * Furniture assembly * Repairing kids toys and gadgets

Neurospicy

I'm a late-diagnosed autistic person, which means I see things differently to most people, and I'm not particularly comfortable in large social groups. I also approach many everyday tasks differently, and I'm likely to do things in weird ways. Unlike many aspies however, I'm more prone to see things in shades of grey rather than black and white - autism IS a spectrum after all.

Day job

In my day job, I'm a computer geek. I've been in the IT industry for over 30 years, and I'm currently doing hardware support, which involves a fair amount of Windows and Android admin stuff. In a previous life, I have worked as a Linux administrator, coder and network monitoring admin (both separately, and in the same job at times) and as a Novell, AS/400 and Windows Server admin.

Other interests

  • Veganism - I've been vegan for over 30 years. I help my wife organise and run vegan fairs in Shropshire
  • Anarchism - I'm a strong believer in non-domination, equality, mutual aid, and self determination
  • Music - The Levellers, Bad Religion, Foo Fighters, Rage Against The Machine, and Feeder are some of my favourite bands.
  • Sci Fi - Adam Roberts, Richard Morgan, William Gibson, and more recently, Cory Doctorow
  • Repair Cafes - I've helped out with, and even helped found several repair cafes
  • Maker Spaces - I founded one about 6 years ago, though I'm not involved with it much anymore