Hello! I’m Mark van Brenk, and I’m a big-time nerd for data. A lot of kids cared about sports, but few memorized the comparative ERAs of left-handed vs right-handed pitchers. When I was introduced to an Apple II and VisiCalc (the grandfather of Excel), I created data tables to track and analyze a handful of topics fascinating to me. Nolan Ryan’s path to his 5,000th strikeout in 1989 was one such piece of information that caught my attention. With a look at his pitching trends, I predicted the milestone with a margin of error of two games. I’ll reiterate: I’m a big-time nerd for data, and have always been.
Personal Life & Hobbies
Home Improvement: When I’m not analyzing data or writing code, you can find me with a socket wrench or jigsaw in hand, working on some project around the house. I’ve got a never-ending list of items in the house and yard for maintenance and upgrades. Recently my family purchase a home in Redding, CA that is a bit of a fixer-upper but has a lot of great features that just need some TLC.
Oakland A’s Enthusiast: As a third-generation Californian and a product of the East Bay, my love for the Oakland Athletics runs deeper than my love for baseball or sports in general. In recent years, it’s been harder to love the team but we loyalists can hope the team is sold soon, and can remain where it belongs.
Digital Art & Modeling: My creative side finds expression in digital art and design. I love tinkering with SketchUp to bring architectural ideas or woodworking projects to to life onscreen with precision and creativity. I spend a lot of time in Inkscape, drawing vector graphics of whatever comes to mind.
Professional Skills
I’ve spent the last 25 years of my life in data and technology for both personal and professional enjoyment. My career revolves around data, business process, and the efficiency of both. With decades of experience in development (Perl, PHP, Python, cURL, bash, C++, R, etc.) and data management (MySQL, Oracle DB, Microsoft SQL Server, etc.), I’m passionate about solving complex challenges and optimizing processes to help businesses thrive.
I believe that the combination of my personal interests and professional skills enriches my approach to problem-solving. Whether it’s building an effective batting order, wiring CAT6 cable throughout the house, or developing a data or process solution to prevent lost costs, I enjoy finding solutions.
Feel free to reach out if you’d like to collaborate or simply share a home improvement tip, baseball insight, or a recommendation for a digital artist to follow. Thank you for stopping by!