James Powell's hacker name is “dontusethiscode” (or sometimes “dutc”)… which is also the name of the company where he works. Since 2014, Don't Use This Code has been confusing procurement staff, contract attorneys, and even the occasional managing director-“is this the name of a real company?” Yes, yes it is, and the Don't Use This Code team provides consulting and training services in software development, scientific computing, data analysis, and data engineering.
James is also a prolific speaker, having spoken at over eighty conferences worldwide. He has worn a suit and tie for every programming talk he's ever given, which is good, because it sets the bar on expectations really low. One time at PyCon, Guido even asked about the suit, to which James replied, “I am the most subversively dressed person here.
James is a dedicated supporter of the open source and open source scientific computing communities. In his volunteer time, he serves as the chairman of the NumFOCUS board of directors, as well as a lead organizer for NYC Python. He has also advised, chaired, and served on the organizing committee for over fifty open source conferences worldwide.