In Short

A forty-something software-developing, travel-loving, picture-taking, hyphen-using guy living in the world somewhere.

Ancient History

I was born abroad to two American parents, but moved to the U.S. while I was still a baby. The earliest city I remember is Phoenix, Arizona, where I lived until moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in ’87. I stayed there for two decades going to school, university, and work before moving to New York City. And, while I♥️NY quite a bit, I eventually decided to pack up and relocate to Hong Kong — which is a wonderful place, although 我♥️香港 doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.

Schoolin’

Whenever asked about my university days, I answer with equal parts pride and shame that I attended UC Berkeley. The hardest part is not being able to tell people (without lying) that it’s not as crazy as it sounds; unfortunately, I think it’s probably crazier in reality than most people realize. I would need more than two hands to count the number of times I witnessed classes disrupted because a protest group occupied the lecture hall.

Like most college towns, there’s a strong distinction in Berkeley between the city and the campus. Of course, the people in both groups are, on average, completely nuts. Luckily, studying Computer Science is a pretty good way to insulate oneself from all that. In any case, no one who knows me well would suggest that Berkeley’s politics rubbed off on me.

The Daily Grind

I worked writing software and managing engineers in a bunch of different areas over the course of my career: technology, finance, and even horse racing. Anyone curious about the details is better off just checking on LinkedIn.

On the Side

Someone wise once said that having a family replaces the need for hobbies and side projects. That said, I still have a soft spot in my heart for travel and photography. There’s nothing quite like getting completely lost in an unfamiliar place where everyone speaks a language you don’t, and finding some way to make it all work out for the best.

And, obviously, I spend some of my time in the world of web publishing, slaving away at this web site for the amusement of my vast readership. /s