Some of us have dedicated our careers to the cancer field, some of us have dedicated our careers to helping people use technology to improve their lives and some of us just like helping people. We’re really proud of our work and our team here at Navigating Cancer.
Meet David Winiecki, one of our talented software engineers:
Briefly describe your role.
I’m a software engineer. I work on a part of Navigating Cancer’s software that provides patients with information about medications and treatments that they have been prescribed. The goal is to help patients better understand their medications and have better outcomes as a result.
Where do you find inspiration?
I’m inspired by the beauty of nature and the love of my friends and family, by people who work for justice, freedom, or peace, like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., and by people who help us learn the truth, like Edward Snowden, scientists, and journalists.
What’s your favorite technology and why?
The bicycle is a great technology. Riding a bicycle has lots of benefits for the rider and others. I think it would really change the world if more people rode bicycles. It’s also fun!
Cloud computing (Amazon Web Services for example) is great too. Before, if you wanted to create a web application like Navigating Care, you had to spend a lot of money up front and wait weeks while physical servers were installed. But now with cloud computing, you can get full control over a server instantly and pay only for the time you use it. This gives more people opportunities to experiment, innovate, and start businesses.
Also vaccines!
What’s your favorite app and why?
Unix and Linux operating systems. Lots of computers use Unix or Linux, including most websites and Apple and Android computers and smart phones. It’s difficult to create good apps without a good operating system.
Star Trek or Star Wars?
I think I’ll always have more nostalgia for Star Wars, even though I really like both. Star Wars was the coolest thing when I was a kid. Plus some Star Wars books are good.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not at work?
Take my daughter, who is almost 2, on bike rides to playgrounds.
Little-known fact about you that would surprise people?
I can’t think of anything surprising, but I really like Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.