Hank Mishkoff (April 1995)

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 bio of 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. I have a 20-year-old son, Matt, who lives with my ex-wife in Birmingham while he attends college.

• 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.)

• 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 their ill-fated 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 cellular phone companies.

• WRITING: Since 1980, I've supplemented my earnings 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. I also create fiction (no cracks about the PCjr book, please); 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.)

• 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. My new Web service venture, WebFeats, strikes me as the natural culmination of all of the various activities I've been engaged in for the past 25 years.

• MUSIC: This has nothing to do with WebFeats (well, maybe it will, when higher bandwidth becomes more readily available and it becomes more practical to create musical accompaniments for Web pages), but I thought I'd tack it on anyway. 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 a few years ago). I played music for a living with a couple of bands for about two years in the early 70's. I've composed music and sound effects for various computer games over the years, but haven't kept up with advances in the field; my chances of actually becoming a Rock Star decline every day. (Bummer!)

Thank you for your indulgence. I'm afraid that that's all I can think of to say about myself. (Whew!) But if I think of anything else, you can be sure that I'll come back and add it to this page!

At this point, you're welcome to return to the WebFeats Webserver Setup Diary Home Page,
or you can go all the way back to the WebFeats Home Page.