{
  "about": "I'm Mario Balbi (known online as Balbus), a Computer Science graduate from the University of Salerno (Master's in Cybersecurity). I'm a pragmatic developer and creative problem solver with a focus on backend systems, cybersecurity, and AI/Data Science. My technical approach is rooted in reverse thinking — I like to understand how things work before deciding how to fix or improve them.",
  "mission": "Build automation tools that remove real friction from daily workflows. Apply AI and data science for practical, transparent utility — not black-box magic. Master backend engineering at scale and contribute to cybersecurity research. Craft software that is not just functional, but measurably efficient.",
  "telos": [
    "P1: Unnecessary complexity slows systems down — performance should be a first-class concern, not an afterthought",
    "P2: Automation potential goes unrealized — too much time is spent on repetitive tasks that computers should handle",
    "P3: AI and ML remain inaccessible to most developers — the gap between research and practical tools is too wide",
    "M1: Build tools that demonstrably save time and remove friction from developer and user workflows",
    "M2: Apply Explainable AI to make data science results transparent, trustworthy, and production-ready",
    "M3: Bridge backend engineering and AI/ML systems — from architecture to deployment",
    "G1: Land a role at the intersection of backend engineering and AI/data science",
    "G2: Build and maintain open-source tools that solve real problems for developers",
    "G3: Achieve mastery of distributed systems, performance engineering, and AI integration at scale"
  ],
  "current_location": "Fisciano, Salerno — Italy",
  "preferences": [
    "Languages: Python, Java, TypeScript, Go (learning Rust)",
    "Editor: VS Code with Vim keybindings",
    "OS: Windows + Linux (Proxmox homelab)",
    "Coffee: Espresso — Italian style, no exceptions",
    "Music: Rock/Punk/Metal roots (Pink Floyd, Queen, Metallica, Green Day) — Italian Hip-Hop (Caparezza, Salmo, J-AX) — Italian songwriters (De André, Guccini, Dalla) — lo-fi, jazz/swing, classical & orchestral (Zimmer, Morricone) for coding",
    "Work style: Deep focus blocks, reverse-engineer first, automate everything",
    "Hardware: Mechanical keyboards, retrogaming, vintage tech",
    "Gaming: FPS, MMORPG, Racing, Arcade — Dark Souls, Deep Rock Galactic, WoW, Binding of Isaac, Resident Evil, NFS",
    "Comics & Manga: Dylan Dog, Tex, Japanese manga/anime, American graphic novels",
    "Board games: Chess, Mahjong, D&D, Bang!, Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders, Carcassonne",
    "Values: Efficiency, curiosity, craftsmanship, practical utility"
  ],
  "daily_routine": [
    "Morning: Coffee, 1–2h deep work block",
    "Coding: Reverse engineer first, then build — understand the system",
    "Afternoon: Feature development, debugging, code review",
    "Evening: Homelab experiments, side projects, gaming",
    "Night: Reading, lo-fi coding sessions, learning new concepts",
    "Physical: Gym 3–4x/week, swimming, yoga — future goal: Kung Fu"
  ],
  "favorite_books": [
    "\"1984\" by George Orwell",
    "\"The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart\" by Mathias Malzieu",
    "\"When Nietzsche Wept\" by Irvin D. Yalom",
    "\"Wherever You Go, There You Are\" by Jon Kabat-Zinn",
    "\"A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming\" by Tuccillo, Zeisel & Peisel",
    "\"Dreaming Yourself Awake\" by B. Alan Wallace",
    "\"The Teachings of Don Juan\" by Carlos Castaneda",
    "\"Autobiography of a Yogi\" by Paramahansa Yogananda"
  ],
  "favorite_movies": [
    "The Matrix",
    "Inception",
    "Interstellar",
    "The Truman Show",
    "The Dark Knight",
    "A Clockwork Orange",
    "Trainspotting",
    "Breaking Bad (series)",
    "The Lord of the Rings trilogy",
    "Game of Thrones",
    "Star Wars saga",
    "Pulp Fiction",
    "Kill Bill",
    "Inglourious Basterds",
    "Back to the Future trilogy",
    "The Karate Kid",
    "Mission Impossible",
    "The Conjuring / The Exorcist / Saw / Friday the 13th / A Nightmare on Elm Street (horror)",
    "Edward Scissorhands / The Nightmare Before Christmas (Tim Burton)",
    "Disney / Pixar / DreamWorks animation classics",
    "The Simpsons",
    "Family Guy",
    "Rick & Morty"
  ],
  "favorite_podcasts": [
    "Meditation & mindfulness",
    "Lucid dreaming & consciousness",
    "Humor & comedy",
    "Science entertainment",
    "Animals & nature"
  ],
  "predictions": [
    "AI will automate most boilerplate backend code within 2–3 years (Almost Certain)",
    "Cybersecurity will become the most critical engineering discipline as AI scales (Almost Certain)",
    "Explainable AI will be legally required in regulated industries by 2027 (Probable)",
    "Open-source LLMs will match closed-source frontier models within 12 months (Almost Certain)",
    "Every serious developer will run a personal homelab by 2030 (Probable)"
  ],
  "projects": {
    "technical": [
      "ZeekXAI — Cyberattack detection with Explainable AI (Master's Thesis 2025)",
      "GuitarGuru — Real-time CNN chord recognition, Flutter + FastAPI",
      "NLP Filter Code — LLM-based IFTTT filter code generation pipeline",
      "PRIMIS — Backend Java dev on enterprise healthcare management system",
      "EvoFolio — Portfolio optimization via genetic algorithms (published)",
      "Book Store DApp — Decentralized e-book marketplace on Ethereum (Solidity, Truffle)",
      "Bioinformatics NSGA-II — Multi-objective sequence alignment optimization (Python, DEAP)",
      "Star Wars Interaction Analysis — Graph data analysis with Neo4j and Node.js"
    ],
    "creative": [
      "Homelab — Proxmox VE + NAS + WireGuard VPN + Pi-hole + Home Assistant",
      "3D Printing — CAD modeling in Blender/AutoCAD, hardware mods",
      "Retrogaming — Hardware restoration, emulation, vintage peripherals"
    ],
    "personal": [
      "Daemon — This site: live public profile and daemon for AI context",
      "Face Segmentation — BiSeNet + FAN for periocular region analysis",
      "Nebula CTF — Linux privilege escalation research and hardening"
    ]
  }
}