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I started out an anarchist by intuition, almost had my sense of joy ground down into nihilism, flirted briefly (but enjoyably) with neopaganism while in high school, spent some time in the trenches with Objectivism and emerged more or less an Epicurean. That's just my personal philosophy, though; socially, I'm an anarchocapitalist all the way, and I believe this to be the logical extension of any philosophy which recognizes that all rights are individual. After all, anarchy literally means: AN: without / ARKOS (Greek): Leader, chief. In other words, "no rulers"...not "no rules". Consequently, my intellect and passion are devoted to liberty.Likewise, I started out an optimist and like most people, succumbed to pessimism in adolescence. Despite my renewed optimism, I'm still a horrible cynic. Stories like the Bastard Operator From Hell keep me from laughing mirthlessly and squirming like an itchy bear cub (to quote Matt Groening's Life In Hell).
The first computer in my household was a DEC Rainbow 100+. I ran a BBS on it for five or six years with Fido software, and later, Opus. Since then, I've mostly lived in the IBM-compatible world, although I came to develop a healthy respect for the Macintosh family.
I'm a minimalist when it comes to computing, possibly because I'm a very impatient person (I was diagnosed as hyperactive when younger), and don't like a lot of useless junk cluttering up valuable space. I like my applications and operating systems lean and mean, but without sacrificing usability. I think Lynx is the ideal Web browser, and I'm not alone.
"Anyone who slaps a 'this page is best viewed with Browser X' label on a Web page appears to be yearning for the bad old days, before the Web, when you had very little chance of reading a document written on another computer, another word processor, or another network." [Tim Berners-Lee in Technology Review, July 1996]I enjoy stripping down systems to their strictly necessary components, and think that retrocomputing is something everyone can enjoy and benefit from. (Have a taste of history while you're at it, or you'll be doomed to an eternity of being bland and inoffensive!)
I finally took the plunge into Linux and haven't regretted it once; although I do still use many other OS's when and where they're appropriate, I am now nearly one hundred percent penguin powered.
"Some people have told me they don't think a fat penguin really embodies the grace of Linux, which just tells me they have never seen a angry penguin charging at them in excess of 100mph. They'd be a lot more careful about what they say if they had." [Linus Torvalds, announcing Linux v2.0]When it comes to games I again prefer text, so I'm partial to Multi User Adventures, but they have certain extra appeals...
"Running a MUA is not simply a case of mounting a game on a computer and inviting all-comers to play. MUAs arouse such emotions in their players that they will often resort to lying, cheating and vitriolic abuse to achieve whatever goals they have set themselves." [Dr Richard Bartle, "Interactive Multi-User Computer Games", Dec. 1990]I also enjoy interactive fiction and Rogue-like games. I still play the occasional video game, but feel that most games today sacrifice essential content for the sake of superficial appearances; but there are always the old classics, and occasionally I even find a modern game I enjoy, like the ubiquitous Quake (a game which I believe can turn even the most diehard pacifist into a gibbering, drooling maniac just like myself).
Does this make me a Luddite? Definitely not. As Ken Kesey once said, the trick is to "take what you can use, and let the rest go by." In other words, don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Accentuate the positive, and work to eliminate the negative. Mindlessly bashing technology is as bad as mindlessly promoting it: It's a tool, and tools can be used for both good and evil.
My fascination with Snow Crash got me started on my own Infocalypse stack. I try to speak in E-Prime as much as possible.
I make my domicile in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and can accept W.A.S.T.E. mail here. Good points: a great local microbrewery, a public library that's on the Web, and more interesting people than you'd imagine from a town this small. Bad points: a Reformed Dutch Calvinist entrenched government and corporate presence responsible for a number of offenses, the least of which is trodding on renters' rights. (Brian Carnell covered this attempt at rezoning the student district in the name of preserving historical landmarks... an ill-disguised attempt at further ghettoizing the student population.)
I like geek girls, strong women, and warrior women. I enjoy cooking food as much as I enjoy eating it -- the hotter the better.
If you really want more of an "insight" into me, you can read some of my preciously few original thoughts, or peruse this photo album if you're feeling really brave.
Oh, all right. Here's a little bit more.
"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth." Robert SoutheySome people near and dear to me: