User:RyanK
About Me
I was Born and raised in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, IL, and currently live near Vernon Hills, IL. I studying computer science at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, IL and have pursued a career writing software, typically internet related, for about 10 years now.
Open Source Advocate
First exposed to Linux back in 1994 during my freshman year of college, it has been my operating system of choice ever since, while tolerating Microsoft Windows when necessary. I truly believe that the volunteer efforts of people who care about the quality of software/data will always produce strong products then a company can provide.
The OSM project fills a void created by poor, outdated and expensive map data, and I have a strong interest in improving the maps to include street and business information for the areas near me. Hopefully, this will lead to improved map data in my navigation devices (currently a Garmin Nuvi 660) in my local area, and can benefit others traveling through here.
Running
In 2008, I realized that working in an office too many hours per week has led to a sedentary lifestyle. Shocked to have found I've gained around 20 pounds over 5 years, I began running for exercise and have since competed in a couple 5K races, as well as a half-marathon.
As such, I'm interested in mapping trails that can be used for running, and hope to find a way to incorporate that data easily into my Garmin Forerunner 305. Would love to be able to find interesting paths in the area or be able to plan out my workouts and program them into the device. For example, if I have a 8 mile run planned, I'd like to use OSM data to find a path using the trails and sidewalks in my neighborhood and program the route so that I end up back at home having traveled the proper distance.
Mapping
My mapping is currently focused around the area's I visit most: Lake County, IL (Home); Chicago, IL (Best City to live near, imo); Las Vegas, NV (favorite Vacation Destination);
Find me Online
- OSM- http://www.openstreetmap.org/user/ryank
- Dopplr- http://www.dopplr.com/traveller/RyanK
- TripIt- http://www.tripit.com/people/RyanK76
- Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/RyanK
- FriendFeed- http://www.friendfeed.com/RyanK