And this is me. Hello!

My name is Jonathan Rothwell. I’m an undergraduate student reading Computer Science at Queen Mary, University of London. (I originally hail from Camberley, but have bits of Mancunian, Sotonian and Scotsman in me. I was also born in Kuala Lumpur, which has caused me no end of inconvenience with the UK Borders Agency when seeking employment.)

I used to write a blog at Crashed Pips, but the blogging operation has now merged into this site for consistency. In addition to writing blog posts here, I also write the odd bit of code with varying degrees of success (getting better, though!) I also enjoy writing fiction, specifically science fiction. (I wrote The Arrow of Time, a short story which won an extremely minor competition.)

I like minimalism (to a degree), statistics and public transport (except coaches). Usually, I welcome change with open arms. I have the bad habit of leaving my computer on all the time. Also, I have a strange obsession with space.

Please see the appropriate page for details of how to contact me.

I used to put a long list of my political viewpoints here, but I’ve found that lately I’ve become more and more apolitical. I will only genuinely speak out if I feel that a political policy is extremely unjust. For all other intents and purposes, I’m a semi-socialist semi-libertarian liberal realist who votes with a cross in the ballot box, not with my voice box. In short, I stand for:

• The Human Rights Act (it’s abused by some, but it’s there for a very good reason)
• Cuts in public spending that are balanced by the closure of tax loopholes and increase in taxation on the richest segments of society
• Civil rights, regardless of colour, religion or lack thereof, sex or sexual orientation
• Policy dictated by evidence, logic and fact, not by rhetoric, blind faith or emotional pleas

If there was a political party where Ken Livingstone was running for Prime Minister with Vince Cable as Chancellor, I’d vote for them in a heartbeat.