I was born an Air Force brat in West Palm Beach Florida at 11:56p on Friday the 13th I have lived in a variety of places: Florida,  Georgia, Texas, Japan, Alaska, and now Texas again. I started climbing while in high school at Anchorage, and still consider myself a displaced Alaskan.

I have been  married since 1979 to the same beautiful chick, Maggie. Sadly, my beloved Maggie died on September 1, 2023. We have one kid, Miss Julie, born in 1994.

I love to travel by car just to see the miles go by - I love the outdoors, rock climbing in particular, but also hiking, boating, biking or anything that can be done without a roof over one's head. I enjoyed skiing before I wrecked my knee at Sierra Blanca in ‘74, and until I started paragliding I  still mountain-biked and skated a bit. The doctors rebuilt my knee fairly well, although they had to go back in for some repair in 1996.

I became interested in flying at a young age, and finally started flying Ultralights in the mid-80's, then went on to get my (single-engine land) private pilot license. In 2015 I started flying paragliders and am now a sky-crack addict - no longer climb, just fly!
youtube.com/@nelsonswings

Paragliding is the perfect sport for old men - or people of any age or sex. If you are willing to accept the risk, and put in the time to study and learn, go somewhere and pay for proper PG instruction. San Bernadino CA is a good place to start.

I have always been a space nut and an insatiable reader. We have over  2000 volumes in the library here at the Aerie above the  El Paso squalor. Science-fiction, science, history and philosophy are the featured selections. I obtained a BsCs in Comp Sci from UTEP in 1985, and have attended grad school on and off. My money comes from my job as mid-level network geek with large local school district. I occasionally paint (slowly but with great detail) in acrylic, mostly space landscapes. I have been an Amateur astronomer since I was a pup, and have several scopes including a big 13" Dobsonian. Mostly, I enjoy binocular  observation out in the middle of nowhere in the southwestern desert. Photography is fun.

I have always believed that an understanding of cosmology and physics is essential - we just have to learn everything there is to know about everything! I have recently started studying complexity theory and Artificial Life, having been turned on to the work of Ilya Prigigone by Cap'n Electron in 1997.

I am quite anti-superstitious. I am saddened that at in 21st century, the majority of the world's populace still believes in ghosts, witches, magic crystals, Aliens, Elvis, Atlantis, the literal Biblical Flood, magnetic healing, homeopathy, etc. I am an atheist, of the “Skeptical Epicurean” variety. This means that I know I must live in a religious world and do my best to get along with The Faithful - but I become vocal when someone tries to "convert me" or tell me that I am somehow evil or "lacking a moral compass". I was raised as a Methodist and then as a Jehovah's Witness, and I often know more about the Bible than does the person lecturing me about my atheism.

Freedom is important to me, as is having a consistent personal philosophy. I guess this comes from my training in science, math and axiomatic systems. My philosophy is pretty much Objectivisim, with some qualifications.

Politics is a source of extreme frustration for me, since Objectivists tend to be in the Libertarian minority. When Libertarians ran for office I used to vote for them, even though I differed with them on some issues. I have, for the most part, lost faith in representative democracy as a viable paradigm for government. I am member of the Fully Informed Jury Association.

Periodically, I refuse to think about, look at , or answer e-mail for weeks.

I am still terribly homesick for Alaska in general, and Anchorage in particular, even after being away from home since 1974...