My name is Jaken. I'm a software engineer building software to solve cold cases using DNA at Othram in the Rust programming language.

I live on and work a 13-acre livestock farm called Rowan Ranch. We raise pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, and turkeys. We have quite a list of equipment we use, but since tractors are the main focus of most farming operations, I'll list the ones we use daily. We use a 3038E John Deere for basic everyday operations like spraying, broadcast seeding, and front-end loader use, and we have a 1968 Ford 4000 that we use more for mowing, tilling, discing, and other heavy-duty operations.

To aide in our day to day operations, my wife and I are currently building out a livestock management app called Pitchfork using Swift.

📺 : What I'm watching • In 2024, I'm keeping track of the television and movies I'm watching - just for fun.

📷 : Simple photos (Instagram) | Pretty photos (Flickr) • I have a Sony A6000 camera with a Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 Lens I'm still trying to get the hang of. Check out some of the photos!

📹 : Farming Videos • Every now and then, my wife and I make a video of what's going on at Rowan Ranch. We're not planning on getting famous off of them - they are just a fun way to keep memories and pass the time.

👟: Losing the gut • Well, not really - more like "maintaining" the gut. I don't really run or have a hardcore workout regimen, but I do go for the occasional jog, do some strength workouts, yoga, and try to get 10,000 steps worth of walking in every day.

⛪ : Lookin' for the Lord • I'm proud of my Christian faith and my relationship with Jesus Christ. The link takes you to my YouVersion profile, although - I don't really post anything on there because I am much more of a pen 'n' paper studier. I study the bible twice daily and am partway through a Certificate of Ministry program through Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary.

🐷 : Rowan Ranch website • This is my farm's website. We're going to be selling meat in 2024, but for now - it has basic merchandise, photos, blog posts, and videos from the ranch as well as some descriptions of services we provide to other farmers and ranchers in the area.

📝 : Feeling Puzzled • I am an avid fan of word and number puzzles. I do the Houston Chronicle puzzle page daily as well as Puzzmo (the link). I used to do the NYT games, but I got burned out on those as well as the Wall Street Journal crosswords - maybe I'll come back to them one day.

📚 : Bookwormin' • I like to read about Texas & U.S. history, Christianity, and farming. I've also authored a book on game development using Amazon Lumberyard.