So I've not actually made a PROPER introduction post yet so this is it. :D
Greetings, I am Ben Swinburn, or otherwise known online as Shmoogle Osukami.
How I found Hive/STEEM
I'm not particularly new the HIVE/STEEM, I registered an account way back in December 2017 although I didn't really use STEEM/HIVE a great deal until December 2019 where I started getting more involved and started really enjoying using STEEM/HIVE.
I don't really remember how I came across STEEM/HIVE, I think it might have been when I was looking for unique blockchains like Storj and Sia. Utility blockchains that have a use beyond just being a 'currency' or 'Store of value'
Either way I'm glad to be here and I'm specifically here because of the social aspect of this chain, it's the part I really like.
About me
So a bit about myself, I'm British, currently living in the county of Lincolnshire in the UK. I'm 30 years old and I'm autistic.
I currently live with my father who is my carer and I'm unemployed and living on state benefits.
Being autistic is.. well. hard to explain really. To put it simply, I struggle with social interactions, from understanding emotions to understanding facial expressions and intent.
I also suffer from depression and anxiety as a result, It makes it really difficult to go outside and interact with people face to face, Hell even interacting with people in voice chat can be really stressful for me so I generally live a pretty isolated life. The past 4 years before 2020 on average I'd leave the house maybe 8 times a year.
That being said. This year I was making a serious effort to improve just about everything about my life. Attempting to go out more, started taking medication to make thing easier, Started keeping to a routine of basic health and hygiene. It was going really well and then COVID-19... So these improvements are.. delayed at most. The routine still continues it's just the going outside part that'll have to wait.
Now medical issues aside, Some of my interests include web development, coding (although I'm bad at it), arts and crafts, Gaming, streaming and wolves.
Web Development
Regarding web development and coding, I'm a self-taught web developer and coder, I've not really got any projects to show off as I tend to not really finish any personal projects and am too afraid and distrustful of my own skill to do work for others. The only REAL work I've done for others is updating the Gridcoin website to fix a bunch of issue as you can see here.
I had a lot of fun working on that but given my autistic nature I tend to spontaneously lose interest in things or just feel so terrible I can't do things.
Art & Crafts
I do occasionally draw pictures and such but I struggle to become interested in such things at the moment. You can find most of my artwork on deviantart and furaffinity.
Most of my artwork is Furry in nature, Being a member of the furry fandom that's a given. Also Shmoogle Osukami also happens to be my fursona as well as my online identity.
I may post my artwork both old and new to HIVE in the future.
Streaming & Gaming
My current main interest is streaming video games on twitch.tv, You've probably seen a few of my 'Going Live' posts here on Hive in the Hive Gaming community.
I'm generally live every day from 7PM BST(GMT+1) playing games like Stellaris, RimWorld, TheyAreBillions and Satisfactory.
I'm really enjoying streaming even though I rarely get any viewers, the occasional person popping in for a chat is a great feeling.
It also give me a way to interact with people without loading to much stress on myself. It also improves my ability to cope with social interaction as well thus making the whole going outside thing easier.
Wolves, Animals & Pets
I have a collection of wolf related stuff. Plushies, pictures etc. Lots of stuff. Too much stuff. I like wolves.
I also own and maintain 2 aquariums!
This one is 200L and currently only has 2 fish in it, A Damansoni Cichlid and a Freiberg's peacock I think.
It's my 'I don't know what to do with it' tank and I also can't currently afford nor go out to get new fish. It's also infested with snails and I also grow my plant in it at the moment.
This one is 240L and houses my gold fish, a large 13" pleco, some albino cory, A variety of Tetra and a albino bristlenose pleco. It still needs some work to make it look perfect but money and Covid-19 delays that.
I also have 2 dogs and a cat! The dogs are wondering why I'm bothering them while they are sleeping on the bed. The cat just doesn't care.
Zorro
Mitzi
Sheba
Cryptocurrency
When it comes to cryptocurrency I've known about it for a very long time, Since 2010 or so, or well, I was involved with bitcoin since just before the very first ASICs where getting released. I could have brought in at like £30 but who would have known it'd have exploded so much since then eh? :D
Anyway hindsight aside, The most bitcoin I've ever owned at one time way 5BTC, Sold them all for £1500 to buy 2 new GTX 980Ti's which I still use to this day, Had I kept them and sold at the peak.. £80,000-£100,000.. omg.. hindsight I hate you. Anyways I'm not mad, I got what I wanted at the time and it was still way more than I ever put into crypto. :D
Anyways these days I'm only really invested in 2 projects, That's HIVE and Gridcoin. Hive, well it's a no-brainer, I use it everyday, get to follow awesome people and read interesting things and earn while I do it.
Gridcoin is all about contributing to science via BOINC. It's a tiny sleeper coin hidden in the background. It's got an awesome active community and active developers but is relatively unknown. I've been working to fix that with my web development skills and also updating info here and there. It's a coin I'm passionate about and I'm really hyped for the next release!
I've also looked into Storj and Sia, both cloud storage cryptocurrenies which I find interesting, I'm more interested in Storj over Sia at this point, I had thought of running a Storj node but electric costs are expensive if running my home computer 24/7 and running an external VPS probably wouldn't cut it. Maybe one day it'll join my portfolio.
In closing.
Anyways this has been a long post. If you got all the way through it congrats. It took me ages just to proof read this haha and there are probably still a bunch of mistakes.
Anyways I hope it was a good read and I hope you stick around on hive and get to know this wonderful community, I certainly plan to stick around and make a bit of content here and there!
Shared to twitter: #posh
Wow what a very good post, very insightful and you have done well. Personally I don't like the labels we brits put on people, its way to disreectful especially for people who have what you do. I have a 12 year old grandson who is Autistic, its a label I don't like, for the mere fact he is an absolute genius at some very hard things, similar to what you have shown in your post above
Keep going with what you are doing. Good to meet you
ET remake on Atari.
Found you on Discord
I love your autobiography.
I wish I could write ANYTHING relatively interesting about myself, like you do.
I hope to see you around more man 😁
Well I don't know if I still have the permit to drop this comment despite its old timing.
But I must say that you have an interesting profile I admire so much.
I was glued till the end, such lovely pets and environment.
2 dogs, a cat, and 2 tanks of fish is a lot to keep one busy!!
Dogs are lazy and the cat is also lazy so they are pretty easy to deal with, Tanks are the bulk of the work with weekly waterchanges, Carrying around a combined total of 144L of water back and forth. :D
Hi from a fellow Brit (Bedfordshire). These are strange times we live in and I can understand if you are finding it hard. Staying social on-line can be a life-line when you can find a supportive community.
Stay positive and stay well.
I'm autistic too and love cats and dogs and I do know some code. Welcome.
Re-welcome to Hive!
Thank you. :)
Welcome to HIVE.. Your story is inspiring!
Hey Ben @shmoogleosukami
Love your intro post. Informative about yourself, open and honest. It's good to know you. Following.
I took a peep at Gridcoin. It's on my radar now. Tag me if you post about it please, if you remember.
Namaste
Atma
ps. I'm a fellow Brit, most of my life in Norfolk, but living abroad for last 14 years, now settled in Bulgaria.
pps. I would have voted the post if it were young enough.
Cheers for the follow. :D I'll try remember if I post anything about gridcoin in the future.
We've often thought about migrating to Bulgaria or rather we often think about how things could have been had we saved up then initial £10,000 or so you'd need to buy a nice house/plot of land there some years ago.
Never could really commit to it though, to many unknowns and difficulty figuring out how we'd make a living. Probably would have ended up running a farm of some kind and living self sustained or something.
Nowa days it's not much of an option to make that big a change in life.
It's never too late. It's only the mind which holds us back.
Source
My house, with big plot of land and a barn, cost me 7k btw although i guess i've spent another 15k or so renovating. Fortunately i don't have to earn a living so don't need to work, although i do unpaid online "work" by choice to help "save the world" :-)
hey hope doing ok, i like your introducing. keep it up :)
poggerz