James is a software engineer with 30 years of SDET experience who runs Jaemzware LLC, a consulting practice focused on privacy-first, self-hosted solutions. He builds open-source alternatives to commercial services that run on infrastructure ranging from $15 Raspberry Pi hardware to production cloud deployments.
His philosophy centers on ephemeral design and zero-persistence architecture - if you don't store data, it can't be compromised, sold, or subpoenaed. Current projects include Stuffed Animal War (real-time communication platform), Analog Archive (self-hosted music streaming), and Skatepark Map (location-aware mapping system).
James is passionate about teaching accessible paths into technology, particularly showing that expensive infrastructure isn't necessary for quality personal services. He's presented at SeaGL and actively engages with privacy and self-hosting communities.