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I've heard it said that the Web is the ultimate Vanity Press
– and if that's so, far be it from me to pass up an opportunity
like this. So without further ado, here's a quick look at Who I Am
and What I've Done.
PERSONAL: I was born in New York City (the Bronx, actually)
in 1949 and grew up in the suburbs (Yonkers). At various times,
I've lived in Hartford, Connecticut; Birmingham, Alabama; and
Lubbock, Texas. I've lived in the Dallas area since 1980.
EDUCATION: I attended undergraduate school at Cornell
(Engineering), the University of Hartford (Music, Philosophy,
Political Science, English Literature – hey, it was the 60's,
what can I say?), the University of Colorado (summer only – does
that count?), and was finally (!) graduated from Samford
University, a small private institution in Birmingham. (The main
attraction of Samford was that they actually agreed to accept
all of the various and sundry credits that I had accumulated
over the years.)
WRITING: Since 1980, I've supplemented my income by writing
about various computer-related subjects. I've had two books
published (one about the IBM PCjr, the other about Artificial
Intelligence), and I've written perhaps a dozen magazine articles
about subjects as diverse as computer conferencing, EDI, and
cellular billing systems. In 1995, I wrote a regular column for a
Dallas weekly newspaper that discussed local business-related uses
of the Internet. I also create fiction (no cracks about
the PCjr book, please); in addition to my never-ending (?) work on
a novel entitled Transition, I occasionally write
short stories. In fact, my first short story,
Dream Girl, was awarded the
Grand Prize in a contest sponsored by the Fort Worth Star Telegram. (I
haven't won an award since. Maybe I should have quit while I was ahead.)
- MUSIC: I've been an amateur
musician since high school; the most notable thing about that is
that among my classmates was Steven Tyler
of Aerosmith fame. Yes,
I knew him; yes, we occasionally jammed together; no, I was never
actually in a band with him; no, we don't keep in touch (although
he did get me a backstage pass to one of his concerts in Dallas).
I played music for a living with a couple of
bands for a couple of years in the early 70's. I've composed music
and sound effects for various computer games over the years, but
I haven't kept up with advances in the field; my chances of
actually becoming a Rock Star decline every day. (Bummer!)
COMPUTERS: My first computer-related work experience was as a
programmer on an IBM 1401 for Aetna Life and Casualty in Hartford
in 1970. My main claim to fame since then, dubious as it may be,
is that I was one of the original programmers for Texas
Instruments when they developed the ill-fated TI-99/4(A) Home
Computer in 1978. I've largely survived as a consultant and
contract programmer since early 1983; much of my work has been in
designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining reporting
and commission systems for companies in diverse businesses such as
wireless phone service, home security, convention planning, and
oil drilling data.
TELECOMMUNICATION: I've been involved in telecommunication
since about 1981. I've written magazine articles about it; I've
developed and taught courses about it; and I've used it
extensively, both for personal and business reasons.
WEB SERVICE: I launched my web service company,
WebFeats, in mid-1995. Some of my efforts include:
SAVING THE WORLD: I saved the world from a nuclear holocaust at the
dawn of the millennium. Read all about it at
http://www.WebFeats.com/EOD/.
RESUME: A current copy of my resume should always be online at
http://www.WebFeats.com/resume.html.
Thank you for your indulgence. I'm afraid that that's all I
can think of to say about myself right now. (Whew!) But if I do think of
anything else, you can be sure that I'll come back and add it to
this page!
[ Other Selected Writings ]
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