About Me
THIS IS A STAGING ENVIRONMENT FOR TESTING AND DEVELOPMENT! THIS IS NOT THE REAL WEBSITE!
The RomanCaoBoy
Yup, that's me
Grocery Store Run
When running through a grocery store with a GoPro...
The Cao Farm
(L --> R; F --> B) Mom, Noah, Dad; Me, Peter, Eric
About Me
My name is David Cao. I'm 30, and I grew up in Nebraska. I graduated the Univeristy of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management with a Software Engineering major and Business minor. I am a Catholic Vietnamese American, in that order.
I have a wide range of interests, from programming to music to dancing to photography to learning. I love to hang out with friends, make new friends, laugh loudly, have deep conversations, have fun, and overall just be human with others.
Quick Facts About Me
Favorites
- Color - Azure blue
- Food - Mom's home cooking
- Quote - "Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten" - Lilo and Stitch
- Music Genre - early 2000's
- Song - too many, can't pick; if forced to pick one I'd say Classic by MKTO
- Author - Eoin Colfer, particularly Artemis Fowl and W.A.R.P
- TV Series - toss up between Danny Phantom, Avatar the Last Airbender, and Phineas and Ferb
Facts
- I have no formal photography/videography training or classes; just years of experience spent learning from mistakes
- I am a tech nerd; I like learning about new technology and seeing how it fares in the real world (I think virtual reality (VR) is a bit overrated at the moment, good idea with a niche market but won't hit mainstream popularity for a while. Blockchain is overhyped.)
- I have a terrible knack for not always being able to put names to faces; I can remember names and I can remember faces but it takes a bit of time for me to put the two together
- If I wasn't a Software Engineer I'd probably be a world-traveling landscape photographer.
Inspiration - People I Look Up To
I have a lot of people in my life that I look up to for different reasons. Some people inspire me, others set great examples, others are in my life as my role models.
Parents
Absolutely none of this would be possible without the support of my parents. From my parents I have received my faith, my values and morals, my family, and much of my understanding of what it means to be alive. They have taught me so much and have raised me into the person I am today. They have truly been a blessing in my life, and I will be forever grateful and thankful for them. Much of what they have taught me is woven throughout my projects.
Movies/Video
In terms of favorite movies, I am a huge fan of animated movies. Tangled is my all-time favorite movie and I have great appreciation for Disney, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli movies. However, in terms of what has influenced my videography skills and style, I would say that I have been formed over the years by countless videos online and in theatres. I strive for videos that tell a story with and does so in a beautiful way. My style of videography is all about focusing on the content and really trying to move the heart of my viewers. If I had to pick people I look up to here, I'd say I really like Steven Spielberg and Edgar Wright.
Music
My favorite artists of all time are Michael Henry and Justin Robinett (MHJR). This duo originated from YouTube and are absolutely fantastic! They not only are great musicians but also great people in general. They have a unique sound, great voices, and are very talented at music composition and arrangement. Unfortunately, they split a few years ago; Justin is still in music but Michael is working in law. 'Twas a sad day, but their music is still by far my favorite and most influential. I admire pretty much everything about their musical abilities, but I especially admire their harmonies and how they arrange their songs.
Other popular artists I admire and why I admire them are as follows: John Mayer - lyrics; Bruno Mars - voice, dancing, stage prescence; Adam Levine - voice; Jesse McCartney - voice, lyrics.
YouTube
I hold many different YouTubers in high regards. These are just a few in no particular order.
Film / video oriented - Corridor Digital, Film Riot, Rocketjump, RocketJump Film School, CinemaWins, Cinema Therapy, Lessons from the Screenplay, StudioBinder, SoKrispyMedia, dillongoo
Musicians - MHJR, Chester See, Boyce Avenue, Christina Grimmie, Yuuwii and Weiwen Choo, The Piano Guys, Drumeo, PomplamooseMusic, Will Jay
Remixes / mashups - Daniel Kim, PostmodernJukebox, The 8-Bit Big Band, Video Game Remixes, DJ Earworm, DJ Flapjack, Ne Prosto Orchestra, My *personally curated* remixes and mashups playlist
Software engineering - ByteByteGo, Fireship, Hello Interview
Technology - Marques Brownlee, MrMobile [Michael Fisher], Dave2D
Learning - Smarter Every Day, CGP Grey, Cleo Abram, Stuff Made Here, Works By Design, PolyMatter
Fashion - Teddy Baldassarre, Long Island Watch, Tim Dessaint, Fly With Johnny Thai
Other - New Catholic Generation, Nigahiga, Attention Andrew, Tobias Ellehammer