About Me (rambly)
The Basics
Hi, I'm Taz! I'm most well-known for my presence hosting GNULectures, a casual/edutainment YouTube Channel about technology, particularly in regards to GNU/Linux, Free Software, and Random Hardware. Taz is not my real name, but it's based on a nickname that is similar to my real name.
However, my presence on YouTube predates GNULectures as I used to have a radically different channel called "HeyIt'sTaz! :D", it was originally meant to be an animation channel, but I can't draw so it ended up being about storytelling through parodies (I have a very silly sense of humour). I ended up deleting that channel due to human error.
My Editing Style
I tend to keep my editing style basic. Not only does this save time and means I don't have to use a super complex video editor (I use Kdenlive), but some of my favourite channels focus on the subject rather than the editing. Examples of such channels include Atomic Shrimp, colinfurze, styropyro, bald and bankrupt, Luke Smith, Shiey, and MasterMilo.
I genuinely like the style and hate how so many videos are oversaturated (what some might call MrBeast-ification).
Not just another techie
As strange as it may sound, I do not work in tech. I won't share too much about my career besides the fact I'm a type of engineer. I enjoy tinkering with computers and other kinds of electronics, but I find sitting at the same desk for 8 hours a day to be very dull, I'd rather do something hands on. Some experiments I've done include:
- Getting x86 software running on other ISAs
- Passing a GPU through to a virtual machine
- Intentionally running malware (and even writing my own for fun)
- Replacing the proprietary BIOS with Libreboot on a desktop
- Hosting a website on the Tor Network
- Writing random programs (TARDIS, TazSearch, CoronaWare, SillyWare XP, DawsonBoard)
For some of these experiments, the real credit goes to the talented developers of Free Software (people like ptitSeb and Leah Rowe). I'm basically a guinea pig who reads documentation for their projects and tries to put it into practice.
Not a Linux YouTuber??
Despite making a lot of Linux content and being a Linux user myself, I don't like calling myself a "Linux YouTuber" for a few main reasons:
- Not all my content is directly related to Linux itself - especially since there's a lot of overlap with other topics (e.g., Free Software, Privacy).
- I don't make typical Linux content - for example, I don't do distro reviews because they're overdone and most distros aren't that unique or interesting to me.
- Linux YouTuber is an arbitrary term - who counts as a Linux YouTuber? Some of the most popular channels are radically different to each other.
Totally True Facts About Me
- I'm "double-jointed" and tend to stretch my right arm in a very unusual way
- I'm a millionaire in Venezuela
- I ordered a Whopper at McDonald's and got one
- I can hypnotise goldfish
- I was born on the 31st of February
- I'm a voice actor for smoke alarms
- I bought 0.03 bitcoin with monopoly money
- I counted to infinity and back
- I'm banned from France because a fire hydrant heard me speak English
- I taught a horse how to reverse into a parking bay