In this blog post in our interview series, we would like to introduce you to Nate Robison.
Meet Nate. Calm, patient, and smart, he is one of our .NET programmers.
Name, Company, Title, City
Nate, Infinity Interactive, Programmer, Salem OR
When did you first work with Infinity?
I started as an intern during the summer of 2014 and have stuck around ever since!
What are six words you think of when you think of Infinity?
Creative, Unique, Flexible, Fascinating, Perspicacious, Talented
Is working at Infinity your first job as a programmer? If so, how do you feel about it? How are the projects different from your school projects?
Working for Infinity is my first job as a programmer. I can honestly say I love it. The flexibility, challenges and awesome coworkers make it a great place for a developer such as myself to learn and grow. Of course, the work projects have very different requirements, and there are more than one way to solve them. The projects also differ in that they are used, or at least have functions, in the real world.
Are you from Oregon?
I am originally from outside Fort Bragg, NC. Around 2006, my father moved to Oregon. After visiting him a few times, I fell in love with the state and eventually moved here to enjoy it.
Why did you fall in love with Oregon?
It was just a welcome change in people, landscape and weather. I found things a bit more relaxed out here as far as people go. It was also nice to be an hour away from the mountains and an hour away from the coast. Where I used to live, it was 3-4 hours to the mountains and about an hour and a half to the coast.
Oregon doesn’t seem to get nearly as hot as North Carolina not to mention the lower humidity. Also, the weather is a lot nicer here and less dangerous — no tornados or hurricanes, very few thunderstorms.
Speaking of Oregon, you have a reputation as an Adidas connoisseur. I’m a fan, too. How did this come to be? And what’s your most prized piece of Adidas gear?
As a kid I always enjoyed Adidas products and didn’t always have the money to afford them. I actually worked in one of their stores through college and that’s a big reason I was able to expand my collection of Adidas products. My most prized Adidas gear has to be some of the ridiculous Jeremy Scott designer stuff. I also have a number of the Star Wars shoes that Adidas came out with that I cherish, including a matching Darth Vader Superstars and track jacket.
What is your favorite mode of transportation?
I love driving my Subaru with Subaru accessories. I find it really fun to go for drives and even a bit of off-roading. I also really enjoy road trips cross-country; the United States is fairly large and has many different areas with each being unique in their own way.
Have you driven to many different areas of the country? Which part of the U.S. do you like the most?
The only places I haven’t driven to are California, the Northeast (anything north/east of NY), Hawaii and Alaska. I have plans to reach Alaska next year. If I excluded my home state bias, I would have to say that I most enjoy Colorado as a state to drive through. It most certainly lives up to its nickname: Colorful Colorado.
How do you recharge?
There are a few ways I recharge based on what has been going on. Going on a road trip or a drive is one way I like to recharge. If I have been doing some of those inevitable mundane developer tasks, I like to work on my own personal projects. If I have had a day filled with developer challenges, I tend to throw some headphones on and lose myself in a game. On the really rough days, a bit of good rum goes a long way.
What is a good rum in your opinion and why?
I enjoy the darker rums which tend to have been aged in bourbon barrels. One rum that comes to mind is Pampero Aniversario which has a sweetness to it but not too sweet. It tastes of vanilla with a hint of smokiness and a bit of oak from the barrel it was aged in. It is a great sipping rum and should be enjoyed neat.
Why rum and not, let’s say, whiskey?
I tend to enjoy the flavoring of rum more than whiskey (although I do enjoy some whiskeys.) Rum can, and does, share some similarities to whiskey in its flavoring, but is usually sweeter and smoother. Depending on where the rum originated, you can get hints of different fruits or nuts along with flavors depending on what it was aged in. As with most drinks, it comes down to personal preference. If you enjoy whiskey, you should give some rum a shot.
What’s the first video game you played regularly? Current favorite game?
I have enjoyed playing games since I was a small child playing games on a DOS machine. It’s a great way to unwind and have fun with friends from all over the world. Gaming offers a way to stay in touch with my friends across the country in my home town. It also offers different challenges than those I face at work.
The first game I played regularly, and for some time, had to be Diablo I & II. It was one of my first games I remember playing over and over again. Playing Diablo II online was so much fun even if it was on dial up. After that, I got into Final Fantasy 11 which I spent way too much time playing. My current favorite game is probably War Thunder, a WW2 plane/tank fighter which has arcade or realistic battles (harder controls, no respawns, less help and more challenging). My guilty pleasure game is probably Minecraft. It is fun to have a sandbox type game where you can create things.