---
lastmod: "2022-08-20T14:18:00.0000000+01:00"
title: About me
author: patrick
layout: page
sidenotes: true
---
I am Patrick Stevens, a software engineer based in London, England.

{{< rawhtml >}}
<img src="/images/AboutMe/northern-lights.png" alt="Photo of me under the Northern Lights" style="max-width: 500px;">
{{< /rawhtml >}}

I completed my BA+MMath at the University of Cambridge.

Social media accounts:

* [Github][Github: Smaug123].
* [Hacker News][Hacker News: Smaug123].
* [Email](mailto:patrick+sidebar@patrickstevens.co.uk).
* [LinkedIn][LinkedIn] (used almost never).
* [Twitter][Twitter: smaug12345] (used almost never). My handle is @smaug12345.

I am very interested in maths and puzzle-solving.
For instance:

* I have one of the [top twenty answers on the Maths StackExchange](https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1681993/why-is-1-frac11-frac11-ldots-not-real/1682008#1682008) by upvotes.
* On [Hacker.org], I am [laz0r][Hacker.org: laz0r], one of the top 50 users, although I have run out of low-hanging fruit on that site and I haven't returned to it for a while.
* For three years running, I have participated in-person in the [MIT Mystery Hunt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_Mystery_Hunt), solving with Team Palindrome; if interested, see [captain's write-up from 2019](https://www.ericberlin.com/2019/01/23/mystery-hunt-2019/) and [from 2020](https://www.ericberlin.com/2020/01/22/a-really-absurdly-long-post-about-the-mit-mystery-hunt/). In 2021, [we won](https://www.ericberlin.com/2021/01/19/my-mystery-hunt-2021-wrapup/).
* I have solved {{< side right project-euler "a number">}}<img src="/images/AboutMe/project_euler.png" alt="Badge indicating at least 185 problems solved on Project Euler"/>{{< /side >}} of [Project Euler] problems.

Languages:

* F#: this is my day job.
* Mathematica (recreationally); it's a lovely Lisp-ish thing. At one point, I was very active on the [Mathematica StackExchange].
* Python: better-than-code-monkey experience. The open-source [Sextant] and [Endroid] are in Python; I contributed to both of these in my dim and distant past.
* C#: my day job interacts moderately frequently with C# code.
* Delphi: the language I learned first.
* Agda: I'm [playing around][Agda] with this one at the moment.

I have an interest in rationality, philosophy, lifehacking, and the links between these. I like to play around with words and constrained writing (such as poetry).

[Twitter: smaug12345]: https://twitter.com/smaug12345 "My Twitter account"
[Github: Smaug123]: https://github.com/Smaug123/ "Patrick Stevens Github account"
[Hacker News: Smaug123]: https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=Smaug123
[Public key: Patrick Stevens]: https://keybase.io/patrickstevens
[Project Euler]: https://projecteuler.net/
[Hacker.org]: http://www.hacker.org "Hacker.org"
[Hacker.org: laz0r]: http://www.hacker.org/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&#38;u=13437 "My Hacker.org profile"
[Agda]: {{< ref "2018-07-21-dependent-types-overview" >}}
[GitHub Page]: https://pages.github.com
[Endroid]: https://launchpad.net/endroid
[Launchpad]: https://launchpad.net/~patrickas
[Sextant]: https://launchpad.net/ensoft-sextant
[Maths StackExchange]: https://math.stackexchange.com
[Mathematica StackExchange]: https://mathematica.stackexchange.com/users/30771/patrick-stevens
[LinkedIn]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-stevens-2846017b/