About Policy & Packets and Me
Hi, I'm Micah. I have lived in Canberra my whole life. I have a love for Programming tech and urban planning which I hope to share on this blog.
Welcome to Policy & Packets, my personal space for documenting findings, thoughts, and technical specifications regarding network engineering, public policy, and active urban transit.
The Packets: My Tech & Networking Journey
My journey with technology started early, my first major memory is when I made a simple command line math game in python on an old laptop we had. Even though my dad did most of the coding on it I was hooked.
The next major thing for me was wanting to make my own games which led to me coming across Unity and C#. Where I learned the basics of programming while not understanding OOP. During this time I came to use git and GitHub which I still use today. This led to me participating in a game jam with someone I met online where we developed a game in Unity called Wheres My Damn Capybara which you can play here on GitHub or here for itch, sadly I have lost the original code for the game.
As I got to college (Year 11 and 12), my two favorite classes were programming and networking no surprises there. But the big change for me was focusing more on the theory and writing good code which was a big eye opener for me. The biggest thing for my success during this time was my teachers Mick and Adam who both had industry experience before becoming teachers.
While Mick’s Class was a fast paced rush of knowledge, even for someone with some experience going in it was tough for me but I learned so much. We started on C where we did algorithms and memory management. Then in the second semester we learned about agile and working in a team, which is something I had never done before other than someone else doing the art which is very different. For this we developed a library management application which we built in C# and Avalonia at my behest which was probably not the best option, I ended up writing 50%+ of it in a 4 people team. In year 12 we started with websites using Python and Flask, this is where I developed a DND management program which did not succeed. It is where I found my love for Tailwind and Python, even though I had used it on other projects. For my last semester I learned Java which even though it’s like C# I did not like it. I think it’s because C# allows for more functional patterns and has less boiler plate compared to Java. During this time I developed an Application during this time called RapidCipher which is a local password manger.
For networking I remember the first test which because I had been away so much felt like I hit a hard rock, but Adam helped me get back on track with the test. From that point on I did not the best but alright in the class. Adam used CTFD to have do capture the flag challenges. These challenges helped me learn about Linux and server management. For one of the assignments I made a multi story capture the flag challenge, were you were the rebels and you needed to hack into imperial systems. To make this challenge I had to learn about Docker and Container Labs which allowed me to create challenges were you started from a website where you had to do cookie manipulation in order to complete it. Sadly I must have deleted this repo and can’t remember that much more. My favourite assignment was where I had to make capture the flag challenges for the year 11’s to attack. To make this challenge I used two Raspberry Pi Pico one of which was a website and display the temperature, from the other Pico with a dht11. Both Picos where connected to WIFI and the temperature sensor one would send the data to an endpoint on the other Pico. This must have been the most fun I have ever had on a project, seeing the year 11’s trying to solve it was so fun. I sadly lost the code for this one as well. Looking back a big change I would have made if I was to do it again was to make the sender do a broadcast and make the students have to capture that, but I think I did a good job with my knowledge at that point.
My biggest thing that I got out of my time at college was not learning or working on projects. It was being in a room with fellow nerds and some of my best memories, which will stick with me is talking to Adam and Mick about IT and just general stuff. If they ever read my blog I would like to give you a huge thank you for everything.
Now after graduating I was really hoping to get a job in the APS straight out of college but that did not end up happening. I decided to enroll in CIT I was planning on doing CIT part time at night even if I got a job. Enrolled in nights so if I got a job, I would still be able to complete the semester at least. In my first semester of CIT I enrolled into Cloud Computing, Intro to networks, Emerging technology, and Work collaboratively in the ICT industry. I will talk about what I thought the best subject was Intro to networks. In this class we went through netacad doing Intro to networks CCNA while the Cisco stuff was not the best, the teacher Graham did an amazing job by not sticking to the course work. Which can not be said about the next class, Cloud computing for this we started by going through some very basic azure stuff. After 4 weeks and the first assignment we switched to AWS doing the work through AWS academy which itself was amazing, but the teacher was absolutely useless and only went through the videos. Emerging technology was a self paced class and the only one at CIT I think it was good if a bit outdated with what they consider emerging technology so if it was a bit updated and a few more options for case studies. Now for work collaboratively I think the teacher was great, but the course was not the best as it was all about protocols/rules for a simulated company. It focused on stuff like not connecting from a public place and what video chat service to use. IT was not very much part of it there was no talk about git, trello, assigning work, or agile.
I’m enrolled into classes for the rest of the year at CIT but hoping to get a job sometime soon in IT or a related field.
The Policy: Sustainable Cities & Tech In Government
As a lifelong Canberran, I care deeply about how our city grows. I have a strong interest in seeing Canberra develop better infrastructure for a future where cars are not the primary way people get around this city. I also will look at public transport around the county and maybe the world but this blog is mostly focused on tech.
Some of the Policy is also how government uses and regulates tech as someone who has been surrounded by people who work in government it’s been something I have become quite interested in. This has become more interesting as government around Europe has been switching to Linux and away from Microsoft and Windows.
Why This Blog Exists
I have created this blog as a way to write down my thoughts on things mostly tech and transport as I hope it helps me refine my ideas and get others options on them. I might be writing to no one but I feel that is okay as this is where I can point people to about my thoughts on something and help me reason through stuff. Even though blogs seem to be going the way of the dodo I hope that if you are reading this you will enjoy my blog and get something from it.