Meet the Team — Leon
As we continue to develop on top of the Colu Local Network, we decided to sit down and interview some of the people who make the magic happen behind the scenes. For our inaugural dev interview we have decided to interview Leon. Leon is one of our blockchain developers and joined the team just before our token sale in January. So without further ado, let’s meet Leon!
When did you first hear about Blockchain?
If I recall correctly, I first heard about Bitcoin in my last year of high school. This thing felt mysterious, almost cryptic and was about adult stuff, like money. So it was fair to say that I wasn’t very interested. The only thing I wanted to do was to develop Android games on a windows emulator :).
I forgot about Bitcoin for a good number of years and only during the 2017 crypto-boom did the topic grab my attention again.
I like the disruption that Blockchain technologies have brought. Although the market is saturated with buzzwords and fake ICO’s, for the first time we’ve started to touch on important subjects like the nature of money and organization of society. Another thing I like as a developer is that everything is open source. For me, it fits perfectly with the open software principles of Linux and GNU developers.
What’s your educational background?
I have a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Bar Ilan University. But I am a lifelong learner and understanding how different technologies work is the best way to learn more. In my past positions I was a Fullstack Developer, with some Machine Learning/Big Data experience. Before deciding that I’m going to work in the blockchain field, I was aiming for Machine Learning. I even took a Deep Learning course on coursera!
But then one day I decided to understand how bitcoin works, and it was like back to school for me. Learning how Elliptic Curve Signatures work reminded me of my abstract algebra lecturer.
But it’s not only about cryptography. There’s a vast umbrella of knowledge and skills that are needed to develop Blockchain technology. From Computer Science to Economics to Political Science. Actually there’s no limit to the skills you can apply to Blockchain technology.
What feature are you working on right now?
There are two main features I’m working on right now that I’m also super excited about!
The first is our dApp that is going to provide the UI for interaction with our Smart Contracts.
The second is looking into integration of IPFS with our Smart Contracts. IPFS is very interesting technology that’s supposed to be one of the building blocks of the web3.
What’s your favorite animal?
I have a cat, his name is Matisse after the french painter Henri Matisse.
What’s your favorite food?
I love Hummus, it’s a mid eastern dish made of chickpeas and other ingredients. You eat it with a pitta (Arabic flatbread).
To HODL or not to HODL?
To HODL, but sometimes a ROI of 100% is enough. Depends on what you’re hodling I guess.
Where do you see the CLN in 5 years time?
I see it as a vast and independent ecosystem that provides tools for everyone to create their own community. I see millions of users using and holding their local cryptocurrencies.
If you want to see more of what Leon is working on, check out his Github page at https://github.com/leonprou.
