I'M ISA, THIS IS WHAT I DO
Hello Taskeen!
- LOCATION:
- Cape Town, South Africa
- STATUS:
- 25 y/o programmer (12 yrs code)
- EXPERIENCE:
- software engineer for 5 years
- VIBE_CHECK:
- vibe coder for 1 year
- LAT/LON
- 33.9249°S 18.4241°E
- DATUM
- WGS84 · TM
- ROADS
- 000 KM
- SUN
- --
- WIND
- --
Alphacrest: Directing technical strategy and execution, managing scalable AWS cloud infrastructure, developing and optimizing low-latency algorithmic trading systems, and engineering critical internal developer tooling.
Thesis: "A framework for secure financial transactions using relativistic quantum tokens", combining quantum computing and software engineering to develop next-generation secure transaction protocols. Currently in the final year of an MSc in Computer Science at the University of the Western Cape.
Mentorship: Currently mentoring cybersecurity teams at UWC (2024, 2026). Represented UWC as a SANReN finalist in 2023, and secured 1st place in 2025.
Recent Posts
Swapping Faceplates: Six Themes, a Progressive Blur and a Real Map of Cape Town
Two months of changes since the July redesign: token-pure faceplate themes including PS1 and PS2 plates, a five-layer progressive blur between pages, a Natural Earth coastline with scroll-grown roads, and the AI models that built it.
Designing in Monotone: Overhauling the Portfolio with a Teenage Engineering Aesthetic
A deep dive into the recent portfolio redesign, transitioning to Svelte 5, implementing interactive easter eggs, and leveraging an AI-driven development stack.
Things I did in 2023
A collection of things I did this year
Quick Apollo Backend Breakdown
Quick breakdown of the Apollo app's backend code
Things I Want To Learn In 2023
A collection of things I plan on doing
Active Gaming Log
| Game Title | Stats / Mode | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Valorant | PEAK PLATINUM 3 | PC (RIOT) |
| Geometry Dash | 12 DEMONS COMPLETED | PC (STEAM) |
| Fortnite | ZERO BUILD MODE | PC (EPIC) |
| No Man's Sky | SINGLE PLAYER | PC (STEAM) |
| Into the Dead: ODD | SINGLE PLAYER | PC (STEAM) |
ISA TIPPENS // USER MANUAL
IT-01 SOFTWARE ENGINEER, CAPE TOWN
Read this manual before operating the unit. Keep it for future reference, or recycle it with the rest of the paper.
01SPECIFICATIONS
| MODEL | IT-01 |
|---|---|
| LOCATION | Cape Town, South Africa (33.9249°S 18.4241°E) |
| ROLE | Chief Technology Officer, Alphacrest |
| EDUCATION | MSc Computer Science, UWC (final year) |
| THESIS | Secure financial transactions using relativistic quantum tokens |
| LANGUAGES | Rust, Go, Python |
| POWER | USB-C PD, 20V 3A. Coffee accepted. |
| CONTACT | isatippens2@gmail.com |
| SOURCE | github.com/IsaTippens |
| WEB | isatippens.com |
02CONTROLS
- F1 BLOG
- F2 PROJECTS
- F3 RESUME
- F4 GEAR
- ?
- KEY MAP, open / close
- ESC
- close the key map
- J K
- next / previous row, blog and projects
- MODE
- change faceplate (status bar dial)
- BAT
- connect / disconnect charger
03FACEPLATES
- 01 LIGHT paper + ink
- 02 DARK charcoal + off-white
- 03 PHOSPHOR green phosphor scope
- 04 GAMEBOY four-tone DMG
- 05 PS1 console grey + symbols
- 06 PS2 charcoal black + wordmark blue
Fitted at the factory to match the host: PS1 under a light OS, PS2 under a dark one. Swap with the MODE dial. Paper is always LIGHT.
04SAFETY
- Do not submerge. The unit is not rated for the Atlantic, or for False Bay.
- Contains no user-serviceable parts; the MSc is still in progress.
- Operating temperature 12 °C to 28 °C. Uptime outside this range is loadshedding-dependent.
- Do not operate with League of Legends installed. Symptoms resolve on uninstall.
- Twelve demons completed. A thirteenth is not covered by warranty.
- The unit may emit stretched vowels (issssaaaaah). This is normal.
- Printing this manual does not charge the battery.