The Information Age equivalent of Johnny Appleseed

Hi, I'm Maymay. (Download my digital business card.)

I am a free software developer and technology consultant and I work without money. Instead of owning a home, I live on the road, so that I can travel to do Good Work with Good People for the benefit of our future. I've been called the "Information Age equivalent of Johnny Appleseed."

In my former life, I was a software engineer and consultant for Fortune 100 companies such as Hewlett Packard and Lehman Bros. But I hated those jobs and I wanted to make a difference in the world instead of helping bankers line their pockets, so I quit corporate America in 2007. I've been freelancing ever since.

Are you trying to make a difference, too? Do you have a project that needs a skilled programmer? Are you looking to make a bigger impact through wide exposure? My projects generally make the news. Pique my interest, and I will come to you.

Projects I have worked on recently include:

(See a complete list.)

Some of my skills and areas of expertise:

In plain English: I can help you do anything you want with a computer.

Photograph of maymay as 'The Helpful Hacker' sitting in a café with a sign on the table that reads, “The Helpful Hacker: Learn how to protect your data from prying eyes. Easy & Free-of-Charge. I can help!” :)

In addition to developing open source software, I also facilitate CryptoParty teach-ins (here's a short video about it), run public workshops on computer security, and offer free one-on-one consultations for individuals concerned about data privacy. I blog regularly about digital civil rights at maymay.net/blog.

How you can hire me:

You can't. I don't work for money. Money is a technology that destroys trust and human relationships. Its entire purpose is to short-circuit our relationships in order to insert itself as a middleman. It makes everybody spend more money, at more emotional cost, for things that make us angry at each other. Don't offer to pay me. Seriously. If you offer me money, I will decline on principle.

I don't sign contracts or make any kind of exchange agreements. I work on projects because they inspire me and I work at my own pace—which is typically very, very fast. Have an interesting project, make it ambitious, get me excited, and you will be amazed what we can do together.

I don't work on proprietary products. I am an avowed anti-capitalist. Anything we build together will be freely shared with others who can also benefit from it. If your project so much as pretends to have a profit motive, I will tell you to go fuck yourself and your project. Yes, really.

I do work best when I'm warm and dry, well-fed, have a safe place to sleep (this can be as simple as a quiet side-street on which to park my car), and am surrounded by curious, intelligent, integrious humans who are passionate about making the world better. Cats are good company, too.

How you can find me:

I'm easy to find on

You can also e-mail me at , or call or txt me at 323.963.4827.

How you can support me:

You can make a single donation via Square Cash, Venmo, WePay, PayPal or credit card in the amount of your choosing using any of the “One-Time Donation” buttons on my various websites. This donation will not be processed repeatedly:

You can also use the following buttons to contribute a fixed amount each month, and you can stop contributing at any time you choose:

If you use Flattr, GitTip, Tip The Web, or have BitCoins, you can send me tips by flattr-ing blog posts or videos that moved you or flattr-ing me, or GitTip-ing me as a person. You can also send me flattr microdonations automatically each month by subscribing to my creator profile. This FAQ explains how. Flattr-y will get you everywhere. ;) To do so, click the , , Tip This, or Donate Bitcoin buttons when you see them on any of my websites.

If you are having any trouble donating, please let me know by emailing me directly. It’s almost certainly nothing you did wrong; sometimes The Man gets pissy at folks who don’t follow Teh Rulez and likes to fuck with us. Help me fuck back. ;)

Food (and other necessities)

Cash is nice, but what I really need it for is food, drink, and other necessities. As a writer, coffee is particularly useful and, yes, I spend tons of my time in Starbucks. ;)

Ways to keep me fed from the comfort of your home, in your underwear!

Having access to the items below also makes it easy for me to be generous to others; should I encounter a hungry, injured, or dehydrated person, having gift cards to chain stores makes the stores’ supplies available to me to support the other person with.

This list is sorted by usefulness to me; the most immediately useful gifts are at the top.

Other gifts

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much for your cyberbusking donation!

Thank you so much for your donation! :) Donations like these are my primary source of earned income right now, so every dollar really counts towards things like food!

While every little bit helps, I want to help others help me in whatever way they can. If you can continue to send money, thank you. If you can't, but you can offer me a couch to crash on when I'm near wherever you are (perhaps I can visit your neck of the woods at some point?), please message me to let me know!

I also really enjoy finding win-win situations that give me a safe place to put my pack down for a little while. I love pet sitting and housesitting, but I'm also always on the lookout for ways to put my programming and people-organizing skills to good use. If, for instance, there's a company or non-profit in your area that might be interested in bartering some of my skills in exchange for letting me sleep under a desk for a couple weeks, please put us in touch, too! :D

And regardless, I hope you'll say hi to me should our paths cross again in the future. :) Either way, your support—in whatever form it comes—is very appreciated!

You are encouraged to copy, republish, redistribute, re-share, and link to anything of mine that you like. Everything within this domain is published under a creative commons attribution license, which means you're free to it as long as you cite me appropriately.

This domain is also served with CloudFlare certificates.

I last updated this page in June of 2017.