Some may find solace in painting, or gaming, or gardening… For one individual, Sophomore Daniel Crane, he takes a different approach. Daniel prefers the more reliable, more literal pleasures in life. “I like messing around with computers – and I am very interested in amateur radio, also known as Ham radio. I also enjoy learning how networks work and enjoyed learning about the privacy and security side of things. So, like how encryption works and stuff like that.”

In reference to computers, he states, “I like learning how they work. I like messing around with operating systems, installing different operating systems, especially Linux-based ones. I think I like learning about software more than I do hardware.” He—hopefully—jokes, “Computers are something that grounds me. If someone told me I couldn’t use a computer for a week, I would probably start going insane.” He then shares, excitedly, “See the photo with me, holding my thumbs up over the computer? That was me installing Linux distribution.” Daniel then goes further in-depth into networks, saying, “I also enjoy learning how networks work. You know how everybody goes to their friend’s house and it’s like ‘what’s the Wi-Fi password?’ Ya’know, to join their friend’s Wi-Fi network—but no one actually knows how it really works. Like what goes on behind the scenes for that device to be able to communicate with everything else on the internet.”

He then speaks about radio, saying “I’m somewhat new to it. I probably started getting interested about a year or two ago. Ham radio or amateur radio is basically learning about how radio frequencies work and stuff. You have to get licensed by the FCC—which is the Federal Communications Commission—and once you get certified, you can basically transmit on certain frequencies that are designated by the FCC.” He then mentions a more practical side of it, saying, “It’s a way for you to learn about how radios work and how the equipment works. It’s also used in disaster relief, so in times there’s a hurricane—because this is Florida—and cell towers get knocked down and the power is out, you can use disaster relief.”

Although it’s not all tech, Daniel very proudly speaks on his love for photography. This could be due to his love of machinery, technology and reliability which blend together to produce such a creative outlet.