Home ~ About me ~ Journal ~ Family ~ Tech

lists about me

In case you're curious.

My rules

  1. Distrust all claims for the one true way; there isn't one.
  2. Practice the Prime Directive; don't pry, judge, or imitate.
  3. Keep it simple; it's cheaper and easier to carry.
  4. Do one thing well; multitasking is a lie.
  5. Network; you were born to connect.
  6. Say what you mean; nothing is truer than the truth.
  7. Be who you are; even a bent wire can carry a great light.
  8. Release early, release often; the Next Big Thing often isn’t.
  9. Use what you have; don’t dig for diamonds with a bar of gold.
  10. Hack; we learn best by trial and error, but keep a voltmeter handy, so you don't become a memorable lesson in failure.
  11. Leverage everything but people (and their money); bigger hammers aren't usually the answer.
  12. Think ahead, but don’t worship your plans; remember, today is the first day of your learning experience.

Layin' it down (same rules, 60's version)

  1. Groove on this, y'all: Don't buy into any jive about the "one righteous path." That's just not where it's at, you dig?
  2. Spread good vibes and keep it real. Respect the Prime Directive: no prying, judging, or copying, you know what I'm saying?
  3. Stay groovy, man, and keep it simple. It's lighter on the wallet and easier to lug around.
  4. Flow with the cosmic energy and focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking is a straight-up illusion.
  5. Spread the love and connect with your fellow beings. You were born to groove with others.
  6. Speak your truth and be real. Nothing more righteous, y'all.
  7. Let your soul speak always. You can't get more far out than that.
  8. Spread your creativity, y'all, and let it flow. The Next Big Thing is usually just a buzz, you know? Release early and often, and let the good vibes roll.
  9. Chill, man, and use what's already in your stash. You don't need no shiny stones to groove on life.
  10. Let your creativity flow, y'all, and learn by doing. But don't forget to keep it real and check your vibe. Always keep a voltmeter handy, so you don't get zapped by a groovy lesson in failure, know what I'm saying?"
  11. Spread love and positivity, y'all, and make the most of everything at your disposal. But don't dig on using people (or their bread) for your own gain. Remember, bigger hammers don't always groove on the scene.
  12. Be mindful and keep a stash for the future; after all, turn, turn, turn, y'all. But don't get too hung up on your schemes. Keep it real and remember that every day is a new chance to learn and groove.

My credo (same rules, "seven habits" format)

  • Authenticity Be who you are. A bent wire can still carry a great light.
  • Connection Network. We were born to connect.
  • Curiosity Trial and error is the only way we learn. Keep a voltmeter handy, so you don't become a memorable lesson in failure.
  • Ecology Use what you have, and patch it as you can. The Next Big Thing will be expensive, and what will you do with the old one?
  • Focus Do one thing well at a time. Multitasking is a lie.
  • Honesty Say what you mean. Nothing is truer than the truth.
  • Foresight Think ahead, but never worship your plans. Motivation comes from getting started, not the other way round.
  • Leverage Leverage time, resources, technology, and expertise (but not people). A bigger hammer is rarely the right answer.
  • Simplicity Keep it simple. Better yet, keep it in a kit you can take with you.
  • Tolerance Live the Prime Directive, and distrust all claims for the One True Way. Keep your nose out of other people's business; never judge or imitate others.

My goals thru the end of 2024

  • hustle but don't sell out
    • lay down some doc with soul
    • spread good juju and manifesting real impact that can't be denied
  • keep the vibe high
    • get lighter in body and spirit
    • find more natural healing
    • clear the airways
  • dig a cozy pad
    • make a sustainable and soulful nest
  • dig on groovy pastimes
    • geek out with electronics, radio, and code
    • groove on classic sci-fi
    • toke on cyberpunk, fantasy, and dystopia
  • hold onto those soul connections
    • grow a groovy and supportive union
    • connect with my nestlings who've flown the coop
    • spread love and good vibes with my kitten
    • spread the light of geekdom far and wide
  • stash righteous bread
    • live a self-sufficient, self-reliant life
  • green commuting
    • cruise in style
  • send out positive vibes
    • spread good vibes and positive impact far and wide

My careers

  1. Technical author
  2. Software developer
  3. Ghostwriter
  4. Programming instructor
  5. Product manager
  6. Copywriter
  7. IT administrator
  8. Blogger
  9. Systems Engineering Director
  10. Butcher
  11. Delivery-person
  12. Grocery store cashier1
  13. Biochemist2

Core skills

  • Explaining complex things in simple terms.
  • Organising.
  • Writing.
  • Creating analogies.
  • Teaching.
  • Storytelling.
  • Profiling.3
  • Mind-mapping.
  • Languages.
  • Charm and charisma.
  • Cheerleading and clowning.

Skills my parents pushed, but I didn't want to develop

  1. Academic and scientific prowess.
  2. Operatic singing.
  3. Mathematics.
  4. Making up words, languages, and scripts.

Courses I aced in college

  1. Advanced English Composition4
  2. Intro to Engineering5
  3. Inorganic Chemistry
  4. Organic Chemistry6

Hobbies

  1. Personal organisation and efficiency
  2. Emacs and org-mode
  3. Ham radio and shortwave listening (SWL callsign WA5149-SWL)
  4. Electronics
  5. Reading

Pets

  • Amy, a Black Labrador (given away after Katrina)
  • Baby (current), a Bombay black cat who was a walk-up
  • Blue, a Russian Blue tomcat (died after fighting with a snake)
  • Dusty, a Golden Labrador Retriever

baby.png
Get out of my glamour shot, human!

Cars I have/had

  1. VW Beetle7
  2. Chevy Suburban
  3. Chevy Impala
  4. Buick Riviera
  5. Toyota Highlander
  6. Honda Accord
  7. Honda Odyssey
  8. Dodge Caravan
  9. Suzuki Forenza
  10. AMC Gremlin

Favourite movies

  1. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 version)8
  2. Forbidden Planet9
  3. THX113810
  4. 2001: A Space Odyssey

Favourite books

  1. Walden11
  2. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance12
  3. Civil Disobedience
  4. The City and the Stars13
  5. The Past Through Tomorrow
  6. Rendezvous with Rama
  7. The Foundation series
  8. Any science book by Asimov14

Favourite foods

  1. Non-sugared Coca-Cola products
  2. Hamburgers
  3. Crawfish (nachos)15
  4. Prime rib
  5. Any kind of dessert
  6. Hot dogs
  7. Everything bagels and cream cheese

More

See also my biographical sketch and a talk I once gave at Frankfurt for more about me.

Footnotes:

1

The grocery store and butcher shop belonged to my Dad, and I was a pre-teen most of that time, but all the money that I had at that age, I made working there.

2

In high school, I was the king of Chemistry, and I actually earned Chemistry scholarships to college. But it was boring and, TBH, felt a little dangerous to me. At the start of my junior year, I found my advisor struggling over his tax returns. He explained that although this was his fifth year teaching, it was the first time he'd made enough money to file a tax return. I excused myself and changed my major to EE/CS, and never looked back.

3

For awhile, I thought this skill meant I should be an actor, but a few outings in community theatre in college showed me there's so much more to acting than just this skill, and I don't have the others.

4

The final exam in this class was a critical essay, written in the two-hour final period in the classroom. We were allowed to bring drafts and notes. I didn't. I just read the play I had chosen and wrote a critical essay about it, from scratch. The next day, the professor -- who was a famous literary critic and a good friend of several famous Southern writers, including Eudora Welty -- let me know that my essay was amazing. She encouraged me to publish it in the Southern Literary Journal. I mumbled something and never got around to it. Should have known then.

5

This was the class where I knew I'd kinda found my place. The instructor, Willie Prasthofer, was a retired NASA (German) rocket scientist. I spent hours at the drawing board for this class, and hours more doing ballpark calculations, and all that work netted me an enthusiastic A+. It was the first time I realised my penchant for eloquently setting far more than 1000 words in simple diagram.

6

At my college, the professor who always taught organic chemistry had a 30-year reputation to uphold: nobody had ever made 100% on one of his examinations. I was not impressed, and proceeded to make 100% on my first test -- but I forgot to put my name on it. Being a gentleman, the professor nevertheless gave me an opportunity to prove that it was my exam, and allowed the 100% to stand.

7

Volkswagens have always been my favourites, especially Campmobiles, even though the air-cooled engine carries a higher-than-average fire risk. I still dream of having an electric VW camping bus, though I haven't worked out exactly how you'd recharge it in the campsite.

8

I watched this one well over 100 times, and even ordered a copy of the shooting script. This movie has a very tight motif (anti-war/anti-nuke) that resonates with me. I was disappointed that Klaatu's alien language isn't scripted, but just made up on the spot by the actor.

9

The tour through the planetary wish machine is incredible, especially for the late 50's.

10

I have a thing for dystopian fiction.

11

"The sun is but a morning star."

12

"The quality which can be defined is not the true quality."

13

"Stand where the statue gazes, and remember: Diaspar was not always thus."

14

Where I first learned how to compute Pi (4/1-4/3+4/5-4/7+....)

15

Really, anything with crawfish is good, if I don't have to peel them. I hate that part.

Copyright (C) 2020-2023 by Bill Wear.
All rights reserved.