Exorcising Bugs
Hit it until it bleeds out. Systematic exploration from user input to kernel level, because sometimes the bug isn't where you think it is - and that's when it gets interesting.
Who I Am
Hi, I'm Alex, the person behind Binary Brew, and I've been writing code professionally for over a decade. But if we're being honest, my first lines of code were typed nearly 30 years ago in 1995 - Visual Basic, of all things. Jesus, that's a lifetime.
It all started with a SNES and Donkey Kong Country under the Christmas tree in '94. I decided right then that I wanted to make games when I grew up. Spoiler alert: I never did. Impostor syndrome, life circumstances, and a healthy dose of self-doubt steered me elsewhere. But here's the thing - I picked up a TON along the way. Today, I'm a Senior Software Engineer with over 10 years of professional experience, specializing in backend engineering, system architecture, debugging complex production issues, and reverse engineering. I've built and maintained SaaS platforms, designed distributed systems, and spent countless hours in the trenches debugging issues that would make most developers cry. I'm also a Mentor, Exorcist of Bugs, and Father of two.
What I Do (And Why I Do It)
Binary Brew lives at the intersection of two worlds: the technical and the human. On one side, you'll find me deep in the trenches of software engineering, debugging, and reverse engineering. On the other, I'm exploring the psychology of teams, management, and what makes us tick as people.
Beyond the 9-to-5 (or let's be real, the 3am debugging sessions when the baby wakes up for food and I can't fall back asleep), I code for fun. I write stories - social dramas that live on the edge of real life. I've published three books exploring the darkest corners of human experience: procreation, self-medication, troubled minds, psychological trauma, loss. The stuff we don't always talk about but should.
From time to time, I compose music. Majestic, symphonic black metal, to be specific. Organized chaos with a purpose.
I started Binary Brew because I believe sharing is caring. The community gave me so much over the years. This is me giving back.
What I Write About
People & Teams
Trust and respect are built over time but broken in an instant. Exploring the psychology of teams, mentorship, and why managing humans is infinitely harder than debugging code.
War Stories
Adventures from the trenches, complete with dad jokes, bad humor, and the raw frustration when something refuses to work. Real problems, real solutions, real mess.
Learning Out Loud
Fail fast and often - it's the only way to win. Sharing knowledge because the community gave me everything, and it's time to give back. You learn by teaching.
Get In Touch
Think I'm wrong about something? Good. Let's talk about it. The best conversations happen when we disagree respectfully and learn from each other. Challenge my approaches, question my decisions, bring your war stories to the table. I get the craft and the human working on it - and I want to hear your perspective too.