I am the leader of the Tart open-source radio telescope project that started here at Otago, and now is being deployed in various nations in Africa and Europe. I keep pinching myself because it is hard to believe that people halfway around the world would appreciate a Kiwi project that I started a decade ago without any grand designs.
Why do you do what you do?
I love to see people using technology and understanding that technology. If we can master technology, we are no longer slaves to that technology. I love to create open-source projects that involve groups developing technology together.
What is your earliest memory of doing something that now relates to your career?
I remember trying to write a computer program to predict how stars would move when I was a teenager. Now I know that my approach was completely wrong!
Who influenced you growing up?
My parents. Both of them were fascinated by how things worked. My dad helped hugely by making things with me when I was young.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
Being on the Interpol red list, along with Osama bin Laden, for a computer hacking incident in the United States! It took over a decade to straighten out with United States authorities. [In 2005, he admitted hacking into the computer system of his former US-based employer, BuyMusicHere, a now-defunct internet music business started by his former neighbour. The case was tried in New Zealand on behalf of the US and he was convicted on two charges of unlawfully interfering with data in the BuyMusicHere database, and one of deleting data from the system without authority. It seems the results of his court case did not get through to Interpol.]
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Goodness, I hope that there won’t be a film of my life. Life is for the living, not for looking back at.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Well, it would have to be tiramisu! Oh, and Milo milkshakes, and affogato (espresso over ice cream).
If you could do it all again, what would be your dream job?
I pinch myself every day — I think I have a dream job already. I feel incredibly lucky that my day job involves building cool gadgets. I know this is a massive luxury. If I could, I’d like the job of running New Zealand’s Science and Technology programme. I’d love to try something different to get the best out of our nation’s researchers.
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
I’d invite people with opposing views, add food, beer and wine, and listen to them solve the world’s problems. I love to hear serious discussion between passionate people who disagree on something important. Guests would have to be chosen carefully because people who are willing to tolerate alternative points of view are as rare as hen’s teeth.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Spending more time with my children, family and friends. This is a difficult thing to balance with work, but perhaps I need to be a bit more extravagant and travel more.
Property aside, what’s the most extravagant thing you’ve bought?
I bought a secondhand trailer-sailer yacht. My dream holiday is to take it up to the Marlborough Sounds.
What song makes you relax?
Either the blues in the background, or heavy metal in the foreground. The louder the better. System of a Down, Lonely Day and Aerials are current favourites.
What keeps you awake at night?
Worrying about the state of technical education in New Zealand. I would love to be able to make meaningful change, but lack the political skills.
