SlightlyIffy is the online alias of a cryptocurrency enthusiast and validator operator on the Radix network.
Over the past two decades, SlightlyIffy has immersed himself in various technology-related projects and communities after being forced to leave the traditional workforce due to a back injury. This journey of self-education and collaboration has equipped him with expertise in areas ranging from programming and game development to crypto mining and network validation.
SlightlyIffy first discovered Bitcoin in 2013 after reading about its significant energy consumption. Inspired by the potential of this groundbreaking digital currency, he promptly set up Bitcoin mining operations. Around the same time, he also learned about the Radix project (formerly called eMunie) and offered advice to its founder as the platform was built out over subsequent years. When Radix finally launched its mainnet in 2022, SlightlyIffy was ready to transition from mining to securing the network by running his own validator node.
In addition to validating, SlightlyIffy utilizes his breadth of knowledge to support other validators and provides general consulting around crypto projects. He also indulges his lifelong passion for gaming by developing small web games, sometimes with Radix or blockchain themes. The story of SlightlyIffy's journey from an injury-induced career shift to becoming a leader in the rising world of cryptocurrency and decentralized technology is one driven by curiosity, perseverance and a spirit of community.
SlightlyIffy suffered a significant back injury at age 13 while playing rugby, which was diagnosed as spondylolisthesis. This injury and its lingering effects would shape his career path over the following decades. In his youth and early adulthood, he worked various jobs in fields like networking, construction, driving, and computer repair. After finishing school, SlightlyIffy began his professional career in network engineering. He served on a team that maintained infrastructure and systems for an array of clients including military facilities, research labs, retailers, gas stations and government offices. This work gave him hands-on experience with practical IT and networking operations.
He later spent almost a decade in the construction industry as a tacking and dry lining specialist before worsening back problems made this line of physically demanding work unsustainable. SlightlyIffy pivoted to become a taxi driver for a year, then transitioned into a computer repair and IT support role at a local shop. However, his back issues continued to degenerate. By the early 2000s, he made the difficult decision to leave the mainstream workforce and shift his focus to self-directed education and technology projects from home.
This major life and career change due to chronic health conditions proved to be a catalyst that ultimately led SlightlyIffy into the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain. Faced with limited mobility, he dove into learning programming, software development, and other transportable skills. Before long, he would discover Bitcoin mining and validation as new opportunities perfectly suited to his situation.
Seeking an ambitious software project he could pursue from home, SlightlyIffy taught himself languages like PHP and MySQL in the early 2000s. He leveraged these web development skills to create an online virtual pet site.
The virtual pet platform allowed users to adopt portable digital pets and care for them by returning to the site. It also featured over 120,000 registered accounts at its peak. The front-end interface SlightlyIffy coded for the pets and their environments used HTML5, which was an emerging web standard at the time.
In addition to nurturing virtual pets, site visitors could enjoy playing mini games that SlightlyIffy added to the platform. Integrating small single and multiplayer titles gave fans more activities to engage with when visiting their digital companions. The games also showcased his early exploration of video game design.
Running this virtual pet community as a solo developer gave SlightlyIffy invaluable experience in operating live internet infrastructure and maintaining engagement for thousands of daily users. When Bitcoin launched shortly thereafter in 2009, he realized the platform's potential to financially sustain passionate niche projects like the one he had built. These connections would inform his growing interest in cryptocurrency as he looked to the future.
Beyond coding hobbyist websites, gaming has been a lifelong passion for SlightlyIffy spanning his youth and adult years. As early as the 2000s, he was an active member of the Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory online gaming community. This World War II-themed first-person shooter required teams to battle tactically over maps based on famous war sites.
SlightlyIffy contributed his creative talents to the fan base by designing custom character and weapon skins that would alter user appearances during matches. He also eventually rose to the rank of administrator, helping manage one of the most popular European Wolfenstein servers at the time called “B*D XP Save.” Administering this server required technical fluency, customer service skills, and discretion to resolve disputes between players. The experience paved the way for SlightlyIffy's future work in cryptography communities, which similarly blend social interaction with engineering challenges.
Game development and design would also become a minor calling card for SlightlyIffy years later. Although never a full-time pursuit, he began channeling his programming knowledge into crafting small web-based games like “Whax Keiser.” He created this simple title to demonstrate interactive cryptography principles to the Radix community in a fun and accessible way. As SlightlyIffy splits time between validating the Radix ledger and assisting other operators, building games that educate people on blockchain remains a cherished hobby.
SlightlyIffy first learned about Bitcoin in 2013 after coming across an article covering its steep energy consumption, which was already on par with entire countries like Cyprus even in the early days. Fascinated that a digital currency carried this kind of resource demand, he dove into the seminal Bitcoin whitepaper published under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.