About NOVALISTIC

What is NOVALISTIC?

NOVALISTIC (ˌnəʊvəˈlɪstɪk; nova·listic) is the online home of Daniel Tan (that's me!).

This site has an interesting little history. The domain name (NOVALISTIC.com) itself has been around since 2001! It was my big brother who came up with this rather unique name back then, and in fact it was his personal site, not mine. That changed the following year, and in 2002 he let me have the domain name — I was only ten at the time! — and it has been mine ever since.

In the decade or so that I've had this site, it's been a number of things:

1. A personal site showcasing a variety of hobbies of mine (1.5, 2002–2005 — 1.0 was hosted elsewhere).

2. A personal site showcasing... well, a variety of other hobbies of mine (2.0, 2006–2007). Believe it or not, I did not learn CSS until I started developing this second iteration of the site from the ground up.

3. An attempt at creating an online resource for web developers, with tutorials, assets, and even a discussion forum. Codenamed "Oltanis", I spent months implementing version 3.0 between 2007 and 2008 before finally deciding not to launch it as I realized it was too large of a commitment for myself.

4. My first venture into the world of freelancing (4.0, 2010–2012). While I did launch my portfolio under the codename "Sarathos", I ultimately decided that freelancing wasn't for me for personal reasons, and so I doubled back not long afterward.

Astute readers will note that NOVALISTIC has spent basically half of its lifetime lost in space. So I've set out to change that. Today, NOVALISTIC 5.0, codenamed "Veldin" brings the site back to its roots: a showcase of websites and software that I've created as well as a collection of mini-sites based on my other interests. Just an online avenue for self-expression; no more, no less. Ten-year-old me would be amazed. Read more about it in this blog post.

If you have any questions or feedback about the site, feel free to reach out!

Who's behind this?

I'm a software developer who relishes authoring HTML and CSS on the web and hacking C# on their self-built Windows PC. I adore Jesus and the colors green, purple and teal, and I often catch myself thinking in numbers and code on a whim.

When I'm not cruising about in this corner of the universe, I'm living on the sunny island of Singapore, on planet Earth, in the Solar System, in the Milky Way galaxy, in the Laniakea supercluster... you get the idea.

My areas of specialty are in web design — I've known HTML and CSS for more than a decade now! — and Windows app development with C# and XAML. Other languages I've worked with include (from most to least experience) PHP, SQL, ActionScript, Swift, Objective-C, Perl, Python, and Java.

Along with being a CSS guru, I'm also a Microsoft MVP! You'll often find me answering questions on Stack Overflow about Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, as well as Windows app development on WPF and UWP.

Fans of the Ratchet & Clank video game franchise may have noticed that the more recent versions of my site have been codenamed after various locations in the series. That's right: I'm a fan too! In fact, I'm planning to start a Ratchet & Clank fansite of my own, so watch this space!¹

You may know me elsewhere online as BoltClock, and you may be wondering how I came up with that name. That's a good question that comes up a lot; it comes from my roots in an Internet community known as the Clock Crew. I hope to elaborate on it with my Origins series of Flash animations, which you can find on my Newgrounds profile.