Meet Hannes, Developer at Gidsy!

Today I had the pleasure of meeting up for a chat with Hannes, one of our superstar developers at Gidsy. 

Hannes loves beer and technology, is a retired rockstar, and a fan of cartography, but there’s even more to learn about him…so keep reading!

Hi Hannes! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I was born and raised a bit outside of Hanover, Germany. My dad is an engineer at a TV station, so I grew up with a lot of computers and electronics. He also makes a lot of music, so that marked off on me too. I started playing Cello when I was six and then later switched to an awesome electric guitar and played in some bands. I went to a Waldorf School, which was also really focused on art - painting, weaving, sculpting, music, etc. After that, I moved to Hamburg to study computer science, but mostly concentrated on working as a developer for agencies.

How did you first get involved with Gidsy? What’s the story?
I was living in Hamburg working as a developer for an agency and decided to move to Berlin with my girlfriend. Gidsy was the startup with the friendliest face - meaning that without having been in the office before, I could imagine a very friendly, creative and dedicated team and working environment. It came together in a very standard way - I applied, had some interviews and got the job :) 

Where do you come from originally and how long have you been in Berlin?
I am from Hannover, and I’ve been in Berlin for seven weeks now.

So you’re pretty new in town. What do you think so far?
It’s pretty awesome so far. Hamburg is awesome too, but it doesn’t change. I think in Berlin it’s different. I have a Foursquare to-do list that grows by the day.

What does working as a developer at Gidsy entail?
So, I’m the newest developer at Gidsy, where I focus on backend code. I usually arrive quite early, which gives me time to drink some coffee and look at the stuff I did the day before as well as review code by others (we try to review each other’s code as much as possible, so we’re up to date on changes and find errors quicker). At 10 we have a ~5 minute standup meeting where we talk about the last and present day, what needs to be done etc. I then start coding on whatever project I’m working on, and never stop. I am interrupted by lunch, the occasional meeting etc.

What’s the best thing about working at Gidsy?
The awesome coffee, the team, and technology. So everything. I see it from two perspectives. From a developer’s perspective, I really like the technology we use. It is cool to finally have the tools I wanted to work with all along. I am able to really focus on one thing at a time and make it good. Also, the people are really friendly, enthusiastic, and young. I think the whole thing has a lot of potential to be a big deal—everyone works together and is very passionate, so it’s something very easy to be enthusiastic about.  

What do you like to do outside of the office? 
I like specialty and craft beers. All of the food and drinks available in Berlin are very developed. What makes me happy are very tasty things (and consuming them with my girlfriend), I love cocktails, craft beer, coffee, bread, cheese… The simpler the better. For me, the most important things have few, but very good ingredients. And I really want to get started with brewing my own beer. I also publish little doodles on my website, hannesstruss.de, although that’s kind of on hiatus right now because of laziness.

Do you have any advice for beer lovers in Berlin?
Try Craft Beer Tasting with Cory A! A cool bar in Neukölln called Yuma that has imported Belgian beers. Also, try Hops & Barley, a microbrewery. 

What event would you like to see on Gidsy?
A beer brewing workshop!

Where are you most likely to be found in Berlin on a sunny, lovely weekend?
Either relaxing in the park or cycling in Potsdam.

Can you tell me about the best trip you’ve ever been on?
I traveled to Indonesia in 2009 to see a friend living in Jakarta. We flew to Bali and visited the islands there. We spent the time riding scooters and eating crazy food. I travel a lot. After some trips to Asia, the USA and Russia, the next places I want to go to are Iceland and Belgium. 

What are you reading right now?
I just finished a book about id Software (they invented some very famous computer games), and currently I am reading the Steve Jobs biography.