Meet the Writer: HackerNoon's Contributor Hernán Ortiz, Co-Founder of Fractal

So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

I’m Hernán (her-NAHN), a writer with a background in systems engineering, but also an ex-developer and coffee geek passionate about science fiction. I’m based in Medellín, Colombia, the so-called “city of eternal spring” (now “city of unpredictable weather” according to climate change), and started working in the technology industry ever since I was a teenager. Inspired by the computer underground scene and cyberpunk novels, I taught myself how to program in ASM and C through ASCII-art decorated e-zines. I worked as a web developer for StarMedia, one of the top 10 biggest sites in the late 90s. While collaborating with designers, also tried my hand at writing interface text, something that at the time was considered an afterthought.

While studying systems engineering and writing short stories after classes, I found beauty in the words of both, a well-executed piece of code and a well-crafted narrative. Motivated by the power of stories to change realities, I co-founded Fractal, a large-scale event where we invited some of the world's brightest minds to co-create science fiction stories with local communities. I also participated in other future-facing projects in Medellín: a runway to explore the future of fashion through 3D-printed garments, a city-wide steampunk intervention of Victorian-era statues of historical figures, and a viral science fiction short film on the future of mixed reality.

As a content designer, I have contributed to global design teams in industries as diverse as education, finance, and transportation. I’ve also published two experimental books and my fiction has appeared in international literary journals, from Prague to Portland.

Now I’m working as a tech writer at supply chain management company Sonatype.

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

It’s about a new type of malware that is catching the attention of our security researchers. We’re calling them RAT mutants because they are remote access trojans that have shifted and adapted over time to be more evasive and dangerous. We’ve noticed that the malware is designed to steal cryptocurrency wallets and personal data, remotely control the victim’s mouse and keyboard, and evolve to evade detection.

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

Ever since I joined Sonatype I’ve been rediscovering my love for cybersecurity. Before that, I was writing science fiction and horror stories (my short story Cobweb Lake was nominated for Best of the Net in 2021). I’ve also written lots of microcopy (UX writing) and design fiction for Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits.

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

I do my research first, and then spend some time finding a unique angle for a story. I believe that in today’s AI-generated content world, human-generated technical content must change: it must pay special attention to the human themes and issues that are rising from the technical details. In this regard, the topics, the analogies, and I have to say, the human struggles, play a significant role.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

Creating technical content that’s worth people’s time and attention is a huge challenge. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a group of talented folks that point me towards exciting technical stuff to write about.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

Exploring how to still be a relevant human writer in a world of advanced language models. I feel that writing and stories can connect us as humans beings and help us shape a better future.

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

I have to say, coffee and chocolate. We have lots of great-quality beans here in Colombia. I can’t get enough of them (eating cacao nibs as I’m writing this).

Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?

I love discovering new music, at the moment leaning towards post-punk/noise rock bands with great lyrics. I also enjoy video games, short stories, and watching La Selección Colombia try to play football.

What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?

I plan to write more disclosures in collaboration with the security research team at Sonatype. We recently discovered a strange package uploaded to the npm registry that references the concept of Brahman, “the pervasive, infinite, eternal truth”. And it seems that’s not just a random reference: the package tries to install every known publicly-accessible package in the npm universe. An obfuscation attack with a spiritual concept behind it? We’ll see…

What’s your opinion on HackerNoon as a platform for writers?

I’m very pleased with how HackerNoon has been promoting my stories and would certainly recommend it to writers working in the tech industry.

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

If you’re a developer, I hope you’re keeping your build environment safe. Software supply chain attacks have been increasing lately, the attacks are getting sneakier and more dangerous, so it’s better to be extra cautious when managing dependencies.