Why is Gollum on your Twitter & LinkedIn background?

The image features a LEGO character and carries several layers of meaning — depending on how you look at it.

LEGO

I grew up with LEGO and still buy sets for my kids. The tradition continues.

Fantasy literature

Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb — childhood reads that shaped how I see the world.

Social commentary

The image is a quiet critique of modern consumer culture and liability paranoia — the kind of world where toy packaging needs a warning that reads: Boat does not float.

Wordplay

Riddles for the Ring. Boat does not float. A layered pun: fantasy reference meets literal product description.

Narrative frustration

The character represents thwarted ambition — always grasping for the unreachable goal. Relatable in most development projects.

Flow metaphor (2015 onward)

From 2015, the imagery took on a new meaning alongside Azure Functions, Logic Apps, and Microsoft Flow. "Whatever floats your boat" became about enabling success through automation: there are no rocks and obstacles — there is only imagination, and the river Flows around the rock.

Living in interesting times

I'm a coder who dreams, then rants. Constantly observing the world and finding fascination in the act of commentary itself.