Languages & Core
MADE FOR A HUMAN
shadrackovsky
AI/ML & Software Engineer from Tanzania
Building intelligent systems with LLMs, RAG, fine-tuning, and modern web technologies. Self-taught, late-night coder, obsessed with Chinese open-source AI.
About
Hello 👋 I'm shadrackovsky timothy john, an aspiring AI/ML and Software Engineer from Tanzania 🇹🇿.
I build web applications, machine learning systems, RAG pipelines, and fine-tune models. My journey started with a second-hand laptop from my grandmother, fueled by curiosity and late nights.
Obsessed with: Karpathy, Ilya, LeCun, Andrew Ng, Bengio, and the Chinese open-source AI ecosystem (DeepSeek, Qwen, Zhipu, MiniMax).
Roadmap
| Field | What I'm Mastering Right Now |
|---|---|
| GenAI & LLMs | fine-tuning (LoRA/QLoRA), RAG systems, Chroma vector DB, Hugging Face |
| Python & Data | FastAPI, pandas, NumPy, PyTorch, AI models and large dataset trainings |
| Data Engineering | SQL, data cleaning, pipelining, API integration |
| Cloud & DevOps | Docker, Kubernetes, Git |
| Frontend | React, Next.js, Vite, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui |
| Backend | Supabase, Django, Spring Boot |
| Desktop Applications | Tauri, Electron, PyQt, Tkinter, Rust |
| Computational Finance | Quantitative modeling, algorithmic trading, risk analysis, portfolio optimization |
Personality, Culture & Creative Workflow
I'm shadrackovsky, calm, deliberate, and quietly obsessive. I think in systems, I work in silence, and I let the work speak. I resonate very deeply with Chinese culture in that: the discipline, the patience, the 书香 (shūxiāng) tradition of mastering your craft before announcing it, and the idea of 匠心 (jiàngxīn), an artisan's heart, building things with full attention and no shortcuts.
My creative workflow follows that spirit. I observe first, prototype fast, iterate relentlessly, and polish until it feels right. I keep a small desk, a rubber duck, a chessboard for strategic breaks, and long late-night sessions where ideas compound quietly. 巧者劳而智者忧. Deep work over noise. Finish over talk.
And yes, I am genuinely obsessed with Chinese AI, Chinese models, Chinese tools and Chinese open source. This is not a phase, it's a conviction:
- DeepSeek (深度求索) : my main API. Open weights, brutal efficiency, honest research. My Swahili-LM and Malaika are bootstrapped on it. DeepSeek-V3 and R1 proved that open source can stand at the frontier.
- Qwen (通义千问) : the most complete open model family on the planet, and qwencode is my daily terminal coding agent.
- Xiaomi Mimo : small, sharp, free. Proof that focus beats bloat.
- Zhipu GLM, MiniMax, Yi, BGE embeddings, ChatGLM : the Chinese open-source ecosystem is where I keep finding models that respect my GPU and my wallet.
- Hugging Face Chinese orgs (OpenGVLab, OpenBMB, ModelScope) : open weights, open architecture reports, open philosophy.
Why China? Because they ship. They publish the weights, publish the tech reports, and undercut the closed labs. For a self-taught engineer in Tanzania bootstrapping everything from scratch, Chinese open source AI is the great equalizer. 智者顺时而谋. It let me pre-train Swahili-GPT from scratch, fine-tune LoRA/QLoRA models, and build real systems without permission or a big budget.
My stack of preference: DeepSeek models + opencode / qwen code / kilocode / mimo code agents + Linux. If there's a Chinese open-source alternative for something, I'm trying it first. 「工欲善其事，必先利其器」 : to do the work well, first sharpen the tools.
Projects & Showcase
My Learning Framework
I'm a self taught software engineer, I watch tons of youtube or pirated tutorials and practise, practise to build new skills.
Building Software
I love to craft, build, develop fast software and clean, with unique taste interfaces that actually work. This is how I love to approach software development.
AI Mind Map : Tanzania
This is artificial intelligence mind map in Tanzania that I created.
Implementing Data & AI in Tanzania
An ode to implementing data and AI solutions in Tanzania.
Rubber Duck Debugging
This is my rubber duck for rubber duck debugging.
Malaika : My AI Companion
See Malaika, my AI companion.
Swahili-GPT
A Swahili language model I pre-trained from scratch.
SWAHIBA
We're bootstrapping Swahili-LM with DeepSeek API by wrapping with prompt engineering tuned for Tanzanian context.
Bruno : Chat Agents Component Library
If you wanna build chat agents, you don't need to start from scratch. Try Bruno and re-use the component in your app.
Smarbo Digital
Shadrackovsky is also a co-creator of Smarbo Digital : a web application that helps you track invitations, contributions and attendance for your event, in one simple dashboard.
Know Who's Coming
See What's Happening Days Before Your Event
Know Who Has Paid
Talk to BongeGPT
Set Up in No Time
You can set it up in no time or talk to our team.
Login & Create Account
Login and create your Smarbo Digital account today.
macOS Tahoe 26
macOS Tahoe 26 is my favorite OS. The hardware integration is genuinely absurd.
Garuda Linux Dragonized Gaming Edition
Garuda Linux Dragonized Gaming Edition is my first favorite Linux distro. I use Arch by the way.
Aggressive Performance Tuning
The aggressive performance tuning is unmatched, instant access to any software that I want and Btrfs has saved me from a lot of trouble.
Kubuntu
Kubuntu is my second favorite Linux distro. It just works with KDE.
Favorite Country Artists
Logitech G213 Prodigy : First Favorite Keyboard
Epomaker x Aula F75 : Second Favorite Keyboard
Antera : My Business
Ajira Connect
Ajira Connect is a Next.js-based talent management platform empowering Tanzanian career seekers and transforming businesses.
Sauti Connect
Sauti Connect is a team of customer service agents who manage inbound and outbound calls in a central location or remotely.
PimaFarm
PimaFarm is a smart farming platform. Think of PimaFarm like a helper that watches your farm for you. It sees how your tractors and machines are working, and tells you simple things you can do to make things better.
AfyaOS
Coffee & Chess
Shadrackovsky loves coffee and chess.
Chinese AI Tools I Use
Black Sand Adventures
Desk Setup
Desk Setup Gadgets
 M3 MacBook Pro 14" · 1TB |
 Monitor Lightbar Lymax L1 Plus |
 Vertical Stand Vaydeer Dock |
 360° Stand Multi-angle |
 Anti-Blue Ray Eye Protection |
 Neckband Lenovo HE05X |
Chessboard Focus & Strategic Breaks |
|
 Microfiber Screen Cleaning |
 Desk Organizer Mesh Holder |
 Logitech G213 Keyboard |
 34" Curved UHD Monitor |
 Wooden Shelf Desk Shelf |
The Broken Wings Kahlil Gibran |
 Island Aldous Huxley |
Rubber Duck Debugging |
View All on GitHub
Email Me