lists about me

1. Live the Prime Directive. Keep your nose out of other people's business.
   
2. Keep it simple. Better yet, keep it in a kit-- it's easier to carry around.
   
3. Do one thing well (at a time); multitasking is a lie.
   
4. Network; we were born to connect.
   
5. Say what you mean; nothing is truer than the truth.
   
6. Be who you are; even a bent wire can carry a great light.
   
7. Use what you have. Never dig for gold with a diamond in your hand.
   
8. Use leverage: A bigger hammer is rarely the right answer.
   
9. Think ahead, but never worship your plans.
   
10. Patch it now. The Next Big Thing usually isn't.
    
11. Hack. Trial and error-- with a voltmeter in hand-- is the only way we learn.
    
12. Distrust all claims for the one true way; kool-aid isn't good for you.
    

• Empathy
  
• Peace & social justice
  
• Critical thinking
  
• Ethical development
  
• Altruism
  
• Responsibility
  
• Humility
  
• Service & participation
  
• Environmentalism
  
• Global awareness
  

I try to begin all my "to do" items with one of these phrases:

• I want to...
  
• I'd like to...
  
• I need to...
  
• I should...
  
• I must...
  
• I might...
  

• Write business literature
  
• Write technical documents, tutorials, and reference guides
  
• Write code in C, C++, Python, PHP, Perl, and bash
  
• Deliver pianos
  
• Research new cancer drugs
  
• Butcher meat
  
• Manage a data acquisition system
  
• Write and teach training classes about C and X-Windows coding
  
• Prepare proposals, articles, and brochures
  
• Blog
  
• Run a cash register in a small grocery store
  
• Ghostwrite books
  
• Manage engineering programs and departments
  
• Manage really big IT products for really big banks
  

• Organic Chemistry
  
• Inorganic Chemistry
  
• Advanced English Composition
  
• Intro to Engineering
  

• Shortwave listening (Callsign WA5149-SWL)
  
• Emacs and org-mode
  
• Personal organization and efficiency
  
• Sewing
  
• Electronics
  
• Reading
  
• Spy/thriller shows on TV
  

• Dusty, a Labrador Retriever
  
• Blue, a Russian Blue tomcat (died after fighting with a snake)
  
• Amy, a Black Labador (given away after Katrina)
  
• Baby (current), a Bombay black cat, who is also a ham:
  

Get out of my glamour shot, human!

• AMC Gremlin
  
• Chevy Impala
  
• Buick Riveria
  
• VW Beetle
  
• Dodge Caravan
  
• Honda Accord
  
• Honda Odyssey
  
• Suzuki Forenza
  
• Toyota Highlander
  
• Chevy Suburban
  

• THX1138
  
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
  
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 version)
  
• Forbidden Planet
  

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
  
• Walden
  
• Civil Disobedience
  
• The Past Through Tomorrow
  
• Rendezvous with Rama
  
• The Foundation series
  
• The City and the Stars
  
• Any science book by Asimov
  

• Person of Interest
  
• The Blacklist
  
• Mission: Impossible
  
• Star Trek (TOS, TNG)
  
• Anything with Neil Degrasse Tyson
  

• Hot dogs
  
• Hamburgers
  
• Crawfish nachos
  
• Prime rib
  
• Sausage, egg, and cheese croissants (but split up, like a breakfast)
  
• Everything bagels and cream cheese
  
• Any kind of dessert
  
• Diet coke
  

• The Linux Command Line
  
• Ham Radio Guide
  
• Electronics
  
• The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System
  
• Absolute BSD
  
• Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment
  
• TCP/IP Illustrated, Vols. 1, 2, and 3
  
• Cloud Native Data Center Networking
  
• Clean Code, and The Clean Coder
  
• Linux Core Kernel
  
• Lions' Commentary on UNIX 6th Edition with Source Code
  
• One or more issues of 2600 Magazine
  
• One or more bulletins of the Free Software Foundation
  

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