Hello, my name is Matt Cooper. I’m a father, husband, purveyor of dad jokes, and PC gamer. I’ve been an IT “Pro” for a few years but, I’ve been dabbling in home-labbing (yes, that’s a verb I just made up) for a while. I enjoy breaking things and putting them back together, in order to learn how they work.

Career

I cut my teeth in the private security sector and as an auto insurance, litigation claims adjuster. Eventually, I ended up redirecting my career to the IT field (and I couldn’t be happier). Recently, I shifted the focus of my career path, within IT, to Information/Cyber Security. With over a decade of experience in the physical security industry, this has been a natural fit and something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.

Interests

I’ve been called a jack of all trades and, as far as I can tell, that’s a pretty accurate statement.

Technology, Privacy, and Homelab

I enjoy tinkering with tech in my homelab which consists of a 44u, enclosed cabinet that’s nearly filled to the brim with servers of varying types/sizes. Most of it is for virtualization, in one form or another. I could host a separate blog on the contents of the rack but, I might just save the bits and pieces for another day. Without going into too much detail; I’m running several ESXI Hypervisor boxes that include numerous operating systems via virtual machines.

While I’m not a privacy expert, I’m certainly an advocate on the subject. I’ve done my best to de-google where possible and support TOR. In fact, I host a TOR Relay to help strengthen the TOR Network.

Firearms

For a period of time, I managed a gun shop in the Florida area so, naturally, I have an appreciation for firearm nomenclature and an affinity for shooting/range time. I’m never pushy about the subject and reserve my thoughts but, I’m always happy to talk shop if you’re genuinely interested.

Cooking

I enjoy cooking and, more specifically, grilling/smoking meats of varying types. Chances are, at some point, I’ll write about making beef jerky, smoking pork butts, or preserving foods.

Family

I’m a father to the coolest little girl in the entire world and my wife is also pretty incredible. Not to mention, she puts up with me and allows me to do all of my nerdy/geeky stuff, without questioning. I love them both and they mean the world to me.

Social Media

I’ve been completely removed from the “traditional” social media platforms for several years. Many things led up to this decision but, at minimum, the significant privacy concerns were enough. I’ve made my home on Fosstodon, which is an instance on Mastodon. If you’re looking for more enriched social media experience, I’d highly recommend it.

You can reach me on Fosstodon, here and, if you feel inclined, you can buy me a coffee, here.