October 15, 2016

K Lars Lohn

42 minutes

Summary

K Lars Lohn has had a long and varied career, spending his most recent years at Mozilla. This week he shares some of his stories about getting involved with Python, his work with Mozilla, and his inspiration for the closing keynote at PyCon US 2016. He also elaborates on the intricate mazes that he draws and his life as an organic farmer in Oregon.

Brief Introduction

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Your host as usual is Tobias Macey

Today we’re interviewing K Lars Lohn about his career, his art, and his work with Mozilla

Interview with K Lars Lohn

Introductions

How did you get introduced to Python?

You have an interesting pair of articles on your website that attempt to detail how you perceive code and why you think that formatting should be configured in a manner analogous to CSS. Can you explain a bit about how your particular perception affects the way that you program?

On your website you have some images of incredibly detailed artwork that are actually mazes. Can you describe some of your creation process for those?

What is it about mazes that keeps you interested in them and how did you first start using them as a form of visual art?

At Mozilla you have helped to create a project called Socorro which utilizes complexity analysis for correlating stacktraces. How did you conceive of that approach to error monitoring?

Can you describe how Socorro is architected and how it works under the covers?

At this year’s PyCon US you presented the closing keynote and it was one of the most engaging talks that I’ve seen. Where did you get the inspiration for the content and the mixed media approach?

For anyone who hasn’t seen it, you managed to weave together a very personal story with a musical performance, and some applications of complexity analysis into a seamless experience. How much did you have to practice before you felt comfortable delivering that in front of an audience?

In addition to your technical career you are also very focused on living in a manner that is sustainable and in tune with your environment. What kinds of synergies and conflicts exist between your professional and personal philosophies?

Keep In Touch

Website

Twitter

Picks

Tobias

Terry Pratchett

Lars

Bach’s Tocatta & Fugue in D Minor

Links

Functional Geekery Episode 65 – Morten Kromberg talks about APL

K Lars Lohn’s Portfolio

The Well Tempered API

Temple Grandin

The intro and outro music is from Requiem for a Fish The Freak Fandango Orchestra / CC BY-SA

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By Tobias Macey

4.4

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