Hey all, my name is Kalid Azad, I’m the new UI Dev for MindTouch!

I got in touch with the company after a tweet regarding a project of mine, which led to an email/call & trip to San Diego to meet the team. San Diego apparently has name-brand sunshine, vs. the generic packaged stuff we get up in Seattle. The team was smart, friendly, down to earth, and it was cool talking about new technologies (git, no SQL style databases) with an atmosphere of curious experimentation. Not every new tech is the right fit, but it’s important to explore the possibilities and know what’s out there.

I’m a fan of MindTouch for a few reasons. First, it’s open source — I’ve worked inside closed corporations, and did a double-take when my first spec was put on a public site. Really? Other people can… read it? Believe it or not, this is mindblowing in other circumstances :). Being able/allowed/encouraged to engage with a community, in the open, from the getgo is really freeing.

Next, I love blogging about math/programming geekery, and was looking for a way to have readers contribute. I like tinkering around with new platforms (tweaking WordPress, etc.) and being able to contribute to a project I’m experimenting with myself is just awesome. I’m keeping a list of little UX features that might be cool on my user page. Comments/feedback/UX ideas are more than welcome.

Last, I like the idea of separating the data (API) from the presentation layer, in that good ol’ MVC pattern. Theoretically, you can have a web  interface, gmail-like interface, desktop interface, iphone interface, command-line interface… and it should just all work. Just having the separation gives you the freedom to experiment, which I’m looking forward to doing.

Hrm… about me: I like javascript, jquery, snowboarding, web apps, iphones, TED, math geekery, jiu jitsu, startups, keeping the simple things simple and the complex things possible. Dislikes: Country music, bureaucracy, car doors that get half-closed but not quite so you have to re-open and close them again. In 2010, how does this still happen?!

Back to normal now. Looking forward to working with everyone!