Welcome

This is my personal site, still a bit minimal right now, but after years of placeholders this is finally the point where real content starts to appear. And IF time and motivation happen to visit me, you might find even more of me here in the future.

About Me

I am a cross-border commuter, living in France (Sarreguemines) with my wife and our two children in our home with a garden. I have a university diploma (Diplom) in Practical Computer Science, and I work in Germany as a software developer. I speak German and French fluently, and with English I feel very comfortable when listening, while speaking still takes a little extra courage sometimes.

Interests & Mindset

I am naturally curious and pretty science-minded, so I usually look at things with critical evidence-based thinking. I have always been drawn to astrophysics, computers, and technology, and that curiosity still influences how I learn and how I work. In my free time, I enjoy home automation, freshwater aquariums, 3D printing, RC flying (planes and drones), and genealogy, especially researching stories of my Spanish ancestors. Another hobby is collecting tools for home projects that I absolutely plan to finish one day. Astrophotography is part of that world too, even if it is currently on pause until the kids are old enough for me to trade bedtime duty for the occasional long night under the stars. I still dream of one day earning a glider license or even a private pilot license, a childhood dream I have long kept alive through flight simulators. Until my first child was born, I really enjoyed motorcycle riding. These days I mostly enjoy the memories and might start again when the kids are a bit older and less dependent.

Technical Skills

My core programming stack is Java full-stack (Spring, Spring Boot, Swing, JUnit), JavaScript (Node.js, React), Python, and shell scripting. For API work, I build and integrate REST APIs and GraphQL services. On the data side, I work with PostgreSQL, H2, MySQL, SQLite, and Microsoft SQL Server. For infrastructure and delivery, I work with headless Linux server administration, Docker, and CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and GitLab CI. For version control and collaboration, I use Git together with GitHub and GitLab, and my everyday tools are IntelliJ IDEA, VS Code, and Vim, while NetBeans and Eclipse are tools I used extensively for many years in the past.

Why “coolcow”?

More than 25 years ago, back in the days of ICQ numbers and LAN parties, I needed a nickname for Counter-Strike. My best friend already had one that suited him perfectly: crazysheep, so I copied the same pattern: adjective plus animal, ideally something farm-related.

“cool” came first, because staying calm is something I have always tried to practice. “cow” followed, inspired by one of my favorite mental images: a cow peacefully chewing grass next to a noisy highway, completely unimpressed by the chaos around it. That image turned into a small life philosophy: stay calm, keep chewing, and do not panic. And that is how coolcow was born, a name that has stayed with me ever since as my alter ego wherever one is required.

          _( ~ )_
( moo! )   )O^O(
        ` ( @_@ )
           )   (