Hi reader, and welcome to my blog! My name is Andrew Zigler and I incubate strange technology that most would push away. Under the cloak of moonlight, I nourish them until they become big digital monsters that are hungry for data and love. I’m also a web designer, a teacher, a writer, a developer advocate, a chef, and a gamer.
A little about me: I made my first website when I was eight. In fact, I still remember making the banner in MS Paint. Like any American kid who lived in a town too small to be important, I grew up on the internet. I was the kid in class who was on Neopets first. I haunted a lot of MUDs and played a lot of text games in my formative years while huddled over an old, overheating computer. As an adult, my life has been bicoastal and bicontinental. I was born in Maryland but grew up mostly in Texas, where I studied Classics at UT Austin. Next, I moved to Japan after graduation to teach English in the JET Program.
While in Japan, I exchanged culture with the locals and biked in extreme temperatures for my commute. I also filmed drag shows on the side and was part of an underground art scene in Tokyo. I picked up the Japanese language slowly, but I've managed to retain a lot of what I learned. When my time in the program was ending, I had to decide between pursuing a career in idyllic Japan or returning to my American homeland. Because I wanted a life outside of the office, the work culture in Japan made my decision to return home very simple.
I now live in West Hollywood with an extensive collection of inflatable dinosaurs. By day, I’m a front-end developer for an education company. By night, I’m building interactive experiences in corners of the internet. I enjoy combining procedural narratives with artificial life in a way that lets me hunt for discrete units of fun within intricate simulations.
What does that mean? Don't worry, this blog will dive in. I'm using this blog to write about my life, the world we live in, and my various projects. Thanks again for tuning in!