Ryan L. Kopf
Welcome to the official website of Ryan Kopf, owner of the moon. I built OwlReply, to automate your emails. I created Defendium to help you fight against spam. I built the Word Sponge to help you learn new languages. My company plans anime conventions, which is where we make the money to keep the lights on.
My goal is to build robots. Like "robot robots". The kind of science-fiction robots you think of immediately when someone says the word "robots". Robots that take out the trash, do your laundry, and work on your garden.
Ten years ago I predicted the robots will rise up and take over the world around 2024. We'll see if I was right, and how much I can contribute myself.
I founded a web design agency, the world's oldest anime dating website, a listing service for all anime conventions, and my main company AnimeCon.org.
I have my Bachelor's in Computer Science from Iowa and help maintain geokit in addition to other open source contributions. I have a fondness for Rust and Ruby on Rails.
Ryan Kopf's Anime
Growing up poor in the rural Iowa countryside, I did not have many opportunities for many friends and good hobbies, so anime has always been a significant part of my life. I founded AnimeCon.org in 2010, and as its CEO, I focus on bringing people together through the dynamic and captivating world of anime. My love for these stories isn't just about entertainment; it's about building communities and connecting people. I believe that anime conventions are more than just events; they are platforms for friendship, understanding, and expanding our world views. My goal is to make these experiences as accessible as possible to everyone.Other Interests
Beyond anime, I have a wide array of interests, from programming to photography to scuba diving. I love programming things that save people time and make life easier. Thanks to my hobbies I happen to have skills in a number of "random" areas, like the intricacies of lighting, aperture, and ISO settings, to the reasons your code might segfault in a C program. In high school I founded and led numerous clubs including the history club, honor society, and a writer's magazine. In my university I even had 10 episodes of a TV show on television, and had another show on the radio. I'm also licensed to do real-world electrical work and I've installed over 1,000 solar panels.Ryan's Story
Growing up in a small town in rural Iowa in the 1990s, I grew up doing little more than reading lengthy novels until I finally got access to anime and video games. Occasionally I climbed trees and built things with sticks in the woods, but after enough insect bites I started to prefer the indoors. As my family never had much money, I grew up reading every book I could get my hands on at the school library, starting in elementary school with books on basic engineering and electricity, and then with more fun books like The Golden Compass and other books with a high-fantasy theme. I got to go to college entirely thanks to the scholarships that my reading hobby had earned me.Tech and Kopf
My fascination with technology began in middle school when I first learned computer programming with the Perl programming language and some version of "BASIC" that I can't remember, probably QBASIC. It was crazy to see what I could make computers do! I used every opportunity to be in the computer lab, diving into the internet, editing Wikipedia, creating RPG games, and honing my skills in HTML and CSS. This path led me to Ruby, which was my preferred programming language for a long time. Now I'm in love with Rust and Machine Learning.Charity Work
Ryan gives to various charities on a recurring basis, helping to support work in research, medical technology, community building, and the sciences. Ryan hopes to give back through his own work in the community, and through the generous work of the groups he supports.Harassment Prevention
Ryan's work in harassment prevention and anti-bullying takes a stand within the fan community. Developing extremely strong anti-harassment policies for his conventions, Ryan has shown the community that conventions can be the most respectful, inclusive places on Earth.Conventions
Anime conventions are unique among events as they are about more than just the three-days of the event. Before the event friends get together, decide on cosplays, form groups, and plan out their weekend. After the event newfound friends reconnect, chat on social media, and build meaningful relationships.Click here for the harassment center.
If we work together, we may one day be able to show bullies that they can't get the best of us. By being strong in the face of difficulties, we can hopefully build a better world together, and prevent bullying, prevent assault, prevent sexual assault, and stop harassment. We can imagine a better world.
Often the first tip many non-experts give when it comes to bullies is to stand up for yourself. This can work great in a situation where you are empowered by supportive adults, co-workers, classmates, or friends. If people have your back, standing up for yourself can work against a lone, occasional bully. But that's not always the best answer. Often, a perfectly fine response to getting hurt is to remove yourself from the situation. Imagine if the person hurting you is a friend or someone close to you; it may be fine to remove them from your life. You don't have to allow someone to hurt you, regardless of who they are.
About my Ryan Kopf videos.
My website features a large number of videos from all over. Many of these videos were taken at conventions, while traveling, or while with my friends. Or they can include anime references as well. The majority of these videos I shot myself. Sometimes the featured homepage video includes a lot of video from Tokyo, which we visited and explored places like Tokyo Tower, Owl Cafes, Ueno Zoo, and a whole host of other fun places.
A few of my videos are from Ryan Kopf World Takeover, a brief TV show which aired in Iowa. I developed these videos with the production equipment of our student video club organization, which was a fun learning experience. I hope one day to create more, funnier, better videos, as I realize these were quite amateur productions.
I would like to take video of everything interesting I encounter in the future, because I think it would be quite nice to have many fond memories captured in video to look back on when I reach an old age. Being an already very forgetful person, video I think would greatly help jog my memory and help me remember some of the most fun experiences I have had. Most of these experiences are in exotic, fun places like Tokyo or the Bahamas, or they are with some of my best friends and really great company. Being able to cherish these memories through video would be great, and is a reason I recommend everyone try to take more video - or at least photos - everywhere they go.
Even the boring, day-to-day seeming stuff can be quite fun and interesting to look back on. Such as a trip to your favorite noodle restaurant or Thai place that you visit every day, might be nice to look back on when you move away, and could inspire you to find something new in the future.
