Welcome to my website!
About Me
Hello, I am AJ Tomalino. I am currently a senior at Kutztown University. I am pursuing my Bachelor's
degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. I have always had a passion for all things
technology related, and I wish to use this website to showcase my current hobbies and projects.
Currently, I am taking a software engineering class where me and my group will be developing
an embedded system on a small computer, likely a Raspberry Pi. The project is in its extremely early
phases, but I am excited to see where it goes! When development begins, it will be on my GitHub page.
On top of that, I am also working on this very website as my own personal project. This is my first time
working with Blazor, so I am learning as I go. I hope to add more features and pages in the future!
Tech-Related Hobbies and Interests
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I've always enjoyed repairing computers. Back in highschool, I was part of a student organization that repaired the chromebooks of students and teachers. I have also repaired my own computers and those of friends and family. It is always so invigorating to see something that I worked on come back to life, and it makes all the hours spent troubleshooting worth it.
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I recently acquired a FlipperZero as a gift. It is a small device for tech and cybersecurity enthusiasts. It has a variety of features, such as RFID and NFC capabilities, infrared communication, and many more. I haven't been able to get too deep into it yet, but I am excited to learn more about it. I hope to make a small script for it, or even relate it to my aforemention software engineering project in some way.
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For the past few months, I have been using Linux as my primary operating system. I have always been interested in Linux, but I never took the plunge until recently, when the SSD in my laptop failed. Seeing the opportunity, I decided this was the perfect time to make the switch. I have been happily using CachyOS, a fork of Arch Linux. In daily driving it for the past few months, I have learned a lot about Linux and how it works. Prior to setting it up as my primary OS, I used Arch Linux on a small portable SSD for a while, which was a great learning experience as well.
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A few years ago I became very interested in hacking Terraria. It is not a very complex game nor is it obfuscated, so I saw it as a great opportunity to learn Cheat Engine with it. I also used a little bit of DNSpy to decompile it. Academics prevented me from getting too deep into it, but I did have a lot of fun writing small scripts and it was very satisfying to watch them work.
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Every now and then, I bring an old technical book from my dad's collection. I've really been enjoying learning from these books. Even though they're a little dated, they still have a lot of useful information and a great way to learn about a topic from the ground up. Currently, I'm reading TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 1: The Protocols by W. Richard Stevens.
Other Hobbies and Interests
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I have been hiking for a very long time. I was never a boy scout myself, but my brother and many of my friends were, so I often just tagged along with them. But more recently, I've been involved in Kutztown University's Outdoor Club, which hosts hikes and trips. Most notably I went on a trip all the way to the Galapagos with them, and I must say that it was the best 8 days of my life. On top of that, I also went hiking in California, particularly Yosemite and the Sequoias with them. Some of these hikes were very strenuous, but I'm very glad to have experienced them.
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I've always been interested in the ocean and its inhabitants, from the deepest depths to shallow reefs. I was so interested, in fact, that it was my plan to switch to a Marine Science major in the case that I lost interest in being a Computer Science major. Of course, as a senior now I'm not planning on switching majors, but it is good to always have a backup plan. I do participate in the Marine Science Club here at Kutztown University, where we meet up weekly, manage fish tanks, and make trips to aquariums.
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I have always been into gaming. The idea of making a game is what got me interested in programming. Even though I'm not interested in making games for a living anymore, I still play a lot of games. I have a wide variety of taste and also enjoy playing with friends. At Kutztown, I joined the esports there and have had some competitive success. I even got 1st place at a LAN at Penn State! Beyond that, my two favorite games of all time are Hollow Knight and Cave Story.
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My first significant dream job was to be an aerospace engineer working on rockets, until I took my first engineering class and very quickly learned that I hated 3D modeling. At that moment I learned that programming a project was much more fun than modeling it. Despite no longer wanting to be an engineer, I still remain interested in astronomy. I enjoy both learning about theoretical astronomy and stargazing. And that is why I participate in both the Physics club and Astrophotography club.
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When I first heard that my university had a sport where I could hit people with swords and not get into trouble, my interest immediately peaked. I actually have a long history of doing martial arts; I got my black belt in Tang Soo Do when I was only 10 years old. Even though I've only been fencing for a couple years, I have had a lot of fun doing so and I've come a long way. It has also given me the chance to go to other universities for tournaments and meet many interesting people.