Who is Rick Olson?

Part open source programmer, father of one, and comic book fanboy.  I live in Portland, OR, and work at GitHub.  Before that, I launched two bootstrapped web products as the lead developer.

Where and when did you start programming?

I was working the night shift in the Air Force in 2000, so I picked up a PHP book out of boredom.  My first task was to replace my static HTML blogging workflow with a sweet PHP system.  I had a friend with spare room on his server that hooked me up with free hosting.  He taught me how to telnet into a unix system and upload PHP scripts over ICQ.

Best thing about working with GitHub?

Open Source has consumed a large part of my life for the last five years.  I’m really stoked about being in a position to improve that process for other developers.  It’s great working with an awesome team that’s also passionate about this.

What does your typical day look like?

I log into Campfire around 9 or so to see what’s going on.  From there, I’ll either help with code-related support issues, hack on open source, or work on some internal project.

What do you do in your free time?

I am an expert Rock Band drummer, and a terrible live drummer.  It’s summer now, so I get to spend a lot of time with my son.  I also play video games and go see live music when interesting acts come through town.

Current favorite apps?

While working, I’m constantly using Propane, git, and Textmate.  In my off hours, I use Comixology and Kindle a lot on the iPad.

Small picture for your Workplace?

I’m still working remote for another few weeks, so it’s just my Macbook Pro and me at some random cafe.  If I stay at home, I alternate between my bean bag or the couch.

Favorite: Color, Font, Language, JS Framework?

Green, Monaco, Ruby, and Node.js.

Name something that has inspired you recently?

I’d have to say Node.js and asynchronous web development in general. Whether Node.js becomes the next hot thing in web development or not, asynchronous programming is on a lot more minds now.  There are even several experiments in getting Rails on an asynchronous core.

What do you prefer (and why)? Freelance work or full time employment?

Full time.  I like being able to focus on a single product, rather than having to change gears a lot.  Product development goes far beyond the initial launch.  There are always a lot of improvements to make after it first goes out the gate.  Freelance work can be fun and profitable, it just wasn’t for me.

What are your personnel projects and goals for 2010?

I’d love to get my 9 year old son on GitHub with his first commit.  I feel like this could be his year.