Hello, I am Paul Hallett š
![[paul.jpg]]
## Software
Iām a software developer. I write code. Almost entirely in [Python](https://www.python.org/).
My favourite technology is probably [HTTP](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP). I like to explore how we use it with [Hypermedia](https://hypermedia.systems/), to build brilliant web services. I think itās a technology we often forget about due to too many abstractions. There is a lot more we can do with it than we realise.
When I build web applications I tend to use [Django](https://www.djangoproject.com/). Though Iāve also [Flask](https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/3.0.x/) and [FastAPI](https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/) a fair bit too. Iāve been using [React](https://react.dev/), [TypeScript](https://www.typescriptlang.org/), and [HTMX](https://htmx.org/) a lot on the front end recently.
My career has mostly focused on _internal customer tools_ - the āback officeā functions that arenāt always seen by the average consumer. Iāve developed a knack for befriending and building trust with internal customers and teasing requirements out of them.
I'm currently a Senior Software Engineer at [Kraken](https://kraken.tech), the technology behind [Octopus Energy](https://octopus.energy/).
### Projects
My current project is [Clientele](https://github.com/phalt/clientele) - which is solving a bug bear I've had for years with OpenAPI Python clients. I intend for it to be the most lovable API Client experience available in the Python ecosystem. You can read about the latest changes here: [[Clientele 0.7.0 released]].
In 2014 I created [PokeAPI](https://pokeapi.co/) to demonstrate good HTTP API design. At the time, nothing like [OpenAPI](https://www.openapis.org/) existed. PokeAPI was supposed to be a "pure" HTTP API with hyperlinks to other resources. However, it got more popular due to the subject of it's data - Pokemon.
It now has over 330 million API hits a month. Over the years we've gained members and we have built it in a way so that we need less and less time to maintain it.
## Photography
I also take photos.
Specifically, I like to use old [analog](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Pen_F) [film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica_M6) cameras.
They offer an experience unlike anything we get with modern digital cameras.
I love capturing a moment, and anticipating how itāll look when I get it developed.
Then I get to relive that whole experience a second time when the photos come back to me.
I think this process creates better memories - I don't get distracted by the digital camera obsessing over the perfect shot, and what I get back has imperfections that make it unique and special.
š You can view some of my photos on this website.
## Flying / Aviation
Ever since I was a kid and saw the [Red Arrows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Arrows), Iāve wanted to fly.
Since October 2022 I have been training to fulfil that dream. Life is getting in the way a lot, and currently I am not actively flying. In 2025 I should be able to find the time and space to get back up in the air again.
## Writing
As you see, I like to write a lot. I rarely publish what I write, though.
Iāve [blogged](https://github.com/phalt/blog/tree/master/content/post) for years. Tearing down a site when I get bored, then starting up a new one later on. The same will probably happen to this content.
Digital copy isnāt permanent. So I journal a lot in hand written books. I hope to one day read them back and reminisce.
I've also been writing a novel on-and-off for about a decade now. It's a cyberpunk / solarpunk / modern space age kinda thing. Maybe one day I'll chuck up some of the content on here so people can read it.
## Contact
You can get in contact with me through these various places:
- [Fosstodon](https://fosstodon.org/@proteanmachine)
- [Email](mailto:
[email protected])
- [GitHub](https://github.com/phalt)