In this week’s Six Questions, we would like to introduce software development engineer Alex Nazarov, Labs’ resident Russian-Canadian transplant and golf aficionado.
Which Labs projects do you work on?
My favorite part of working as a software development engineer at Labs is that I get to be involved in many different projects and be a “generalist.” Most of my time is spent working on the “brains” of our algorithm to make sure our applications present the best possible news to users. I also work on the “glue” of our apps, making sure everything sticks together nicely.
How would you describe WaPo Labs to someone unacquainted with the team?
The keyword is “Labs.” We get to experiment and try out new stuff – just like the Google Labs team works on engineering the car-of-the-future that will drive itself, we are a team working to figure out what the news-of-the-future will look like.
What animal are you most like?
A tiger. I am always moving around, always active, a bit loud, a bit cocky, and I really wish I had super cool fur like that.
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I knew pretty early on that I loved problem solving and math and science. I originally thought I would end up in the field of chemistry, but I couldn’t pull myself away from the computer long enough to study all those crazy molecule names.
What’s one thing that few people know about you?
Once I got lost hiking up a volcano in Nicaragua. I ended up having to sleep overnight with no equipment on a side of a mountain and follow a water piper back to the nearby village early in the morning. A four-hour hike turned into a 24-hour survivor adventure.
Speaking of survivor adventures — you’re stranded on a desert island with one book, one album, and one object of your choosing. What items do you have?
Can I cheat and choose an e-book as my book and a really strong wi-fi antenna as my object?
Anything else you would like to add?
Did I mention I am single and… wait, is the tape recorder still on? Hello?