Welcome Karl Holt

Karl had always imagined that he would spend his career in academia, as had many who know him. However, after becoming disenchanted with the whole university environment halfway through his Master’s degree, he sought a role outside academia and joined Dyalog Ltd. Although he’s only been here for a few months, he feels that he has already settled in well.

Karl was one of the few computer science students who actually enjoyed the courses on project management; he was also part of an even smaller minority who enjoyed writing mathematical proofs! He not only brings his mathematics and coding abilities with him, but also a fresh energy to the team.

Karl is a perfectionist, and often spends countless hours contemplating the right way to pick up a cup and otherwise trivial daily activities. This fits perfectly with how he has been mentored by our CTO, Morten, as every time he has shown Morten what he found to be a specifically beautiful APL expression, Morten has shown him five different ways to do the same thing, each of which is even prettier and has its own strength!

Even though the majority of Karl’s education has been in the natural sciences, he also enjoys many facets of the “softer” ones. He has a broad range of interests, and always enjoys hearing about what other people are working on – everything from quantum physics to anthropological studies contemplating the queerness of algae. His favorite read in 2023 was “Invisible Women“, a book disclosing the big data gaps within political minorities, especially women’s experiences in a world designed for men.

Karl is just as happy being an interested listener to a conversation as he is being the main speaker. He keeps a long list of projects he would love to work on if he someday had the time; for now, he spends his spare time playing board games, solving fun puzzles, staring at bodies of water, and hanging out with his friends and many siblings.

Employee Spotlight: Stefan

About to ski down to the fjord in Norway’s Sunnmøre Alps

It’s now one year since Stefan joined Dyalog Ltd, and we asked him what he made of the experience so far. “I can’t believe how time flies. It feels like it was only yesterday I arrived at the Bramley office for the first time, to pick up my laptop and meet everyone.”

Prior to joining us, Stefan worked for IBM, where he discovered APL more or less by accident. “Coming from a huge, anonymous mega-corp, it’s a welcome change being able to actually get to know the whole company,” Stefan continues. “Here, of course people have their particular core areas, but everyone gets stuck in with a little bit of everything.”

Stefan takes a particular interest in the Mac platform, as he is a life-long, unapologetic Apple user. Everywhere else he’s worked (especially at IBM, inventor of the PC), developers demand Apple hardware, so he was surprised to find that at Dyalog Ltd, that’s more unusual.

Epic powder day in Italy’s Courmayeur

Outside work, Stefan likes the adventurous side of the great outdoors. He spent many years rock climbing home and abroad, until chronic elbow tendinitis forced a stop to that. Back country skiing is another hobby, and he tends to take all his vacation days in winter. “Living aboard a boat in Svalbard, skiing with a rifle to ward against polar bears was a bucket list experience”, he says. “Sampling the famous japow and live volcanos on Hokkaido, and ticking couloirs in Canada’s Purcells range is up there, too.” Stefan rides bikes to keep fit, and his garage has accumulated far too many bikes over the years.

“Dyalog is my dream gig,” he says. “I always wanted to work for a company where the people really care for the product they make.”

Top of the Grandpa Peabody boulder in The Buttermilks, Bishop, California

Employee Spotlight: Jada

This week marks one year since Jada joined Dyalog Ltd, and we asked her about her experiences thus far.

“It’s truly been a whirlwind of a year. I don’t know where the time has gone! It’s been intense, but in the best way possible. I’ve been able to get a feel for everything that being a part of Team Dyalog involves in a very short amount of time, from my first user meeting (Dyalog ’23) to my first product release (Dyalog v19.0). It’s been a steep, but fun learning curve.”

Jada joined us when it became apparent that the administrative needs of the company were growing. She was tasked with taking on some of the jobs that were being done by the Karen and Stine (then the Financial Officer). However, Jada was familiar with Team Dyalog even before she joined, as she had previously attended Dyalog ’19, Dyalog ’22, and various Dyalog internal events as a guest of her partner, Rich Park. Through Rich, Jada was introduced to Dyalog and the world of array programming. “I’ll be honest, a lot of the technical stuff does not yet make sense to me. But that just means there’s so much still to learn, which keeps my work life very interesting. Seeing others try to understand APL code reminds me of Derrida’s views on language, intention, and the need for deconstruction.”

Jada’s daily routine has begun to take shape. “Initially, I had so much to learn, it was rather daunting. From our products/services, our customers, my colleagues, the history of the company, to my actual job…I could go on! But all that initial familiarisation work was worth it, and I had plenty of support along the way.”

So, what does Jada actually do? “Well, think of all the things you need to do to run a business. That’s what I do. I help wherever I can. I deal with office maintenance, renewals for licences, billing, sales of physical products (books, APL keyboards), contract reviews, and all things compliance. I’m also an Apprentice Cat Herder – luckily, I’m learning from the best! Karen has really been my rock this year. She’s one of the most thorough and competent professionals I’ve ever met. I’m hoping to continue to learn a lot from her and Stine.”

Jada also enjoys her life outside work. “I like to read (fiction and Japanese manga), love going for long walks and the occasional run in the woods, and canoeing the Thames with Rich. I always enjoy a good night out as well – gigs, bars, and dancefloors call my name! My latest hobby has been learning to play bass guitar. I’ve got no immediate plans to sell out Wembley, but it’s fulfilling to set my sights on a piece, learn it bar by bar, and gradually improve and gain muscle memory. It can be frustrating at times, but practising is so much fun. My rhythm has improved a lot too.”

Overall, Jada has really enjoyed her first year with us. “I’m so grateful to be here. You see a lot of corporate speak about ‘family’ to distract from poor business practices, but not at Dyalog Ltd. Although this is a company, the heart and soul are the people behind it and the community around us. We’re real, we care, we listen. There’s no apathy or shilling. The passion for Dyalog is infectious. My colleagues’ hard work, meticulousness, and honesty motivate me to apply those qualities to my own work. When I work hard and produce quality work, it’s recognised and that makes me feel valued. I couldn’t ask for a better job with better people.”

Welcome Mike Mingard

Mike recently joined Dyalog Ltd, bringing his experience in web and digital design.

Mike grew up in West London, and now lives by the sea in East Sussex. His background is in Recording Engineering, and he worked for a number of years as a front-of-house sound engineer and theatre stage manager. Having learnt the basics of HTML while at University, he started to develop websites as a hobby; it wasn’t long before he realised the hobby was the more rewarding pursuit.

Four years of web and digital design followed, based in London. Clients included many international companies and organisations such as Merial, The World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and The Pirbright Institute.

Mike then worked for ten years at a West Sussex-based web agency with a diverse mix of clients, from small local companies to brands such as BMW and Suzuki.

In 2013 Mike joined Optima Systems and immediately moved all design and branding work that was previously outsourced to be in-house. Optima System’s internal needs were a primary focus, supplemented with working on websites for many local companies and brands. One of the companies Mike worked with was Dyalog Ltd, so when he needed a new challenge he knew exactly who to speak to!

Mike is now our in-house resource for all marketing and graphical design efforts (social media images, banners, video thumbnails, and so on).

Welcome Abs Suri

After graduating from the University of Portsmouth with a bachelor’s degree in software engineering, Abs started investigating IT roles. He wanted something that provided a challenge, working for a team that was passionate about what they do, and in which he could contribute to that effort through the software and IT abilities that he has accumulated; with Dyalog Ltd he found it! Abs was hurled into the world of APL, which was very different to the Python that he was used to. Although his role doesn’t involve much APL, he appreciates how compact APL solutions can be when wielded correctly. Armed with a fresh perspective and a helpful attitude, he joins our IT department hoping to maintain and improve the current IT infrastructure and provide technical solutions to anyone that needs it.

When Abs isn’t working, he can be found gaming, a hobby that started his fascination with computers and technology. He also loves to learn languages and experience different cultures through travelling, and is currently working on his spoken Japanese. However, his true passion lies within music, and he enjoys playing guitar, bass, and drums (whenever he can get his hands on them).

Welcome Aarush Bhat

In pursuit of his dream to contribute to the development of a programming language professionally, Aarush started cold emailing companies that worked on them (there aren’t a lot, but a lot). One of the companies he contacted was Dyalog Ltd. Aarush initially joined us in January 2023 as a contractor, focusing on testing the primitives of the language with a new test suite, and in August he officially became a full-time member of the team.

Aarush’s interest in computers led him to a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India. Before joining Dyalog Ltd, Aarush explored various facets of web technologies and made significant contributions to projects like Haskell and Bitcoin. When not working professionally, he enjoys contributing to Open Source Software.

Expanding on his love for FOSS, he was selected for sponsored open-source programs like Google Summer of Code and Summer of Bitcoin while still pursuing his academic degree.

Beyond coding, Aarush finds joy in exploring Linux, programming languages, Bitcoin, and dreaming about new mechanical keyboards (he got one)! He also has a penchant for music, photography, F1 racing, and, perhaps most notably, travelling. The flexibility of remote work has allowed Aarush to explore new places and cultures. Due to his love for photography and spending money, he has recently also bought a 360 camera that he still cannot figure out how to turn into a useful webcam. 🙁

Aarush is known on the internet as sloorush or, as his friends call him, rush (pronounced like bush).