SYSTEM ONLINE · PERSONAL BLOG

Hi, I’m Kane.

I’m Yinkun Qu, a student, developer, builder, and curious observer of technology and life. This site is where I document what I learn, what I build, where I go, and how I keep improving.

> identity: ECE student + software developer

> focus: backend systems, AI agents, cloud, architecture

> side quests: travel, photography, sports, food, city life

> mission: learn deeply, build practically, live curiously

01 / About

Building a life between code, systems, and curiosity.

I’m currently studying Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago, with a background in computer science and software development. My path has moved through backend engineering, full-stack applications, research-oriented systems work, and now AI-driven tools that can support real workflows.

I use this blog as more than a portfolio. It is a public notebook for technical learning, project thinking, travel notes, photography, and everyday observations. I like seeing how ideas develop over time: from a rough concept, to a working prototype, to something clear enough to explain to other people.

Java Spring Boot AI Agents LangChain WordPress Cloud gem5 Photography Travel Sports

02 / Learning

What I’m learning now.

My current learning focuses on backend engineering, AI engineering, LLM-based agents, cloud deployment, WordPress development, and computer architecture. I’m especially interested in practical AI systems: tools that search information, organize knowledge, assist with coding, connect to personal workflows, and help people make better decisions.

I’m also studying system-level topics such as simulation, performance analysis, and how software interacts with hardware underneath the surface. I like this combination because it keeps me close to both sides of computing: the high-level products people use, and the low-level systems that make those products possible.

03 / Interests

Not only technical.

I care about technology, but I don’t want this site to feel like a static resume. Life outside the screen matters too. I enjoy traveling, walking through cities, taking photos, trying food, watching sports, visiting museums, and noticing the small details that make different places feel alive.

These interests shape how I think as a builder. Traveling teaches me to observe systems in the real world. Photography makes me pay attention to structure and composition. Sports remind me that consistency, feedback, and discipline matter. Daily life gives me problems worth solving.

Travel

Exploring cities, national parks, museums, neighborhoods, and the different rhythms of daily life in new places.

Photography

Capturing streets, landscapes, people, architecture, and ordinary moments that are easy to miss.

Sports & Life

Following games, staying active, learning routines, and using movement as a way to reset from technical work.

04 / Projects

How I think about projects.

I’ve worked on backend systems, full-stack applications, research experiments, and personal tools, but I don’t want to treat projects as just a list of technologies. For me, a good project is a process: finding a real problem, designing the structure, making tradeoffs, debugging carefully, improving the user experience, and learning what should be rebuilt better next time.

That is also how I want this blog to grow. Some posts will be polished project writeups. Some will be learning notes. Some will be experiments, failures, travel records, or small observations. Together, they form a timeline of how I develop as an engineer and as a person.

> build things that work · write things that clarify · live in a way that gives you better questions