I am Parnell Springmeyer. This website is my long-form interface with the internet, a platform where I refine the craft of writing and articulate developing ideas.

My approach to building modern software centers on functional programming and strong, static types. A decade of production development in Haskell, Erlang, and Nix has taught me that convivial software emerges from rigor, discipline, and the honest exposition of structure. I treat the codebase as a civic commons. Stewardship of this shared space demands, IMHO, the transparency of strong type systems and the the practice of formally showing your thinking.

This conviction extends to my role as an engineering leader. Nineteen years of development and eight years of leadership have taught me that technical excellence cannot survive (or, it is, at minimum neutered) without psychological safety. I cultivate environments defined by semantic precision and shared values: places where we recognize what we owe to each other and commit to turning toward, rather than away from, the discomfort of growth.

Currently, I apply these philosophies as Director of Engineering for the NDR product line at Arista. My work there aims for continuous, holistic growth; ensuring that the systems we build respect both the structures that define them and the people who maintain them.

Some of my values:

• Empathy and mutual obligation
• Stewardship
• Candor
• Conviviality
• Curiosity
• Rigor
• Fortitude
• Integrity
• Social and environmental justice

Personally, I like to spend my time:

• Powerlifting (4 hours a week)
• Learning and practicing math (3-4 hours per-week)

  • I'm taught by a retired professor of Mathematics; and,
  • Math Academy (granular spaced repetition system for learning and practicing math)
  • I'm currently well into "Calculus 1" with early beginning coverage in Linear Algebra and Vector Math, Lines in Space, and Planes (my tutor likes to teach these first). I like linear algebra a lot
• Reading (Interests & Favorite Books)

  • I like math, computer science, science, literary fiction, classic literature, and hard science fiction. Some of my favorite books are:
    • A liberated mind : how to pivot toward what matters
    • Growth: from microorganisms to megacities
    • Transformer: the deep chemistry of life and death
    • Vector: a surprising story of space, time, and mathematical transformation
    • The Art of Computer Programming 1-4B
    • Active inference : the free energy principle in mind, brain, and behavior
    • The rings of Saturn
    • The brothers Karamazov
    • The name of the rose
• Hand-tool woodworking

  • In late 2018 I did a 16 day hand-tool-only timberframing course in Latvia with the Northmen Guild
  • In late 2024 I embarked on a project to build my own Anarchist's Workbench
• Writing opensource software

  • Over the last five years, I've struggled to find time for regular contribution (as I'm spending it remediating my math education); but,
  • You can find many of my aging projects on GitHub