Stand back! I'm going to try science.

WARNING: Content in this journal is sometimes crass, crude, graphic, profane, pornographic, or otherwise offensive. Content may not be suitable for persons under 18. I do have filters and use them, but that is no guarantee you may not be offended or see something that your parents/state/nation may not want you to see.
This warning is in compliance with LJ's request on the matter.

What can I say, I'm a geek. I've been one since I was a kid and I'm damn proud of it now. I smile when some hip-ster accuses me of being nerdier than a polyester pocket-protector. I am, I even collect pocket-protectors and slide-rules. Like many of us geeks, I showed signs of The Nack as a child. I have also been incarnated as the Internet Oracle on several occasions.

I'm a ham radio operator, I started when I was 13, but I still have a lot more computers than I do radios. And after almost 25 years since that first license I have an Amateur Extra class license. When we know each other better, I might even tell you what my call sign is.

Computers, what can I say. My whole life seems to revolve around them. If I’m not working on them at work, I’m working on them for friends or family, or I’m using them in some other way to have fun. But yes, I am a professional geek. I was a Tier Three Support Analyst for a company called FreeI Networks back in the dot-com days. You probably would have heard of us as FreeInternet.com. Man, that was a sweet gig. After that I did some gigs as a tempslave. Then I was a Field Engineer for NCR/Permond Solutions Group. The money was pretty good at NCR, but the hours and work conditions were not always a source of joy, if you know what I mean. I was not overly sad when I was laid off. Although I do miss the brand new Pontiac Aztec that I had as a company car, but having to occasionally meet a part at the depot at 0100 and spending the night installing it was not worth it. I was recently a Queue Manager for IBM in Seattle Washington. They treated me much better than NCR did. My office was in the perfect location. Seattle’s famous Pike Place Sanitary Market was just down the street from me. I worked in the heart of downtown Seattle and had all the amenities of Seattle at hand. Then I worked in the Technical Support department of Western Wireless Corporation. Those of you in the Mid-west will know us as CellularOne. The job was ok until we were bought by a company from Littlerock, AR called Alltel. I soon learned that it really should have been called Allhell. I must be a glutton for punishment, as I stayed there far too long. I am now working as a Quality Control Analyst for a company called HyperQuality. I think I'm going to like this job. It is starting out very well, I get to work with some cool peeps, and I love where the office is.

I've been on the 'Net since '95, and I've had a web page the whole time. And yes, I have been paid before for web design work, but what geek hasn't. When I want to be really geeky I ssh into my account on a friend's Sparc20 clone and use Vi to edit the web page I have on that account. I still have my Commodore 64, and I have a couple of Macs, a Sun SPARCstation20, a bunch of PCs running a mix of Windoze flavors. Also, one of my PCs dual boots into BeOS. I have my A+ and I'm working on my MCP. I am also a dab hand at Quake and Unreal Tournament. Of course I read Slashdot on a regular basis and I buy 2600 to help the cause.

Like most Geeks, I have an appreciation of the arts. I'm a big fan of Casablanca and The African Queen, although any Bogart film is excellent in my book. I also enjoy Classical music and Jazz. On a lighter side, I love 80's music, especially 80's punk. I am also a serious fan of Gothic and Industrial music, and some of the edgier techno. And of course, I love anime and manga. They don't call me Baka Bob for nothing.

No, I'm not the good little Catholic boy my parents tried so hard to make me. I'm kinkier than a cheap garden hose, and damn proud of it. For many years, I felt ashamed by the particular nature of some of my sexual urges, but not any more. I am polyamorous, and I believe in love without limits and open relationships. What was far harder for me to accept and took a lot of work, was recognizing and accepting that I'm bisexual. I was so conditioned by society, and my parents that I kept finding ways to rationalize the simple fact that I find some men sexually attractive. So, what have I done about all of this? I'm an open and active member of the local leather community, have a leather pride banner on my car, and have introduced several of my lovers to the joys of BDSM. I've met some spiffy people, and reconnected with old friends through the Seattle poly community. I'm also one of the facilitators for Seattle BiNet's weekly support group, co-maintainer of binetseattle, and the maintainer of bisexual_world.

And if that hasn't scared you off, I'm also a bit of a goth. I prefer, however, to call myself a paleogoth, as I date from the stone-age of goth. Yea verily, I am OG, Original Goth, from back in the early eighties. I may be older than your average gothy type, but I can still move. I go dancing at least once a week. You can often find me at The Mercury, Seattle's private Gothic nightclub, especially for DIE on Tuesdays. You can also often find me at The Grind, the Thursday night gothic/Industrial dance party at The Seattle Sex-positive Community Center. Say "hi" if you see me.

Currently I am a research fellow at the Foundation for Neo-cognitive and Ontological Research and Development. I'd tell you what I'm working on, but you probably wouldn't understand it. Hell, I’m not sure I understand it half the time. What I can say is that I am hoping to get a grant to study the effects of first person shooter games on an individual's problem solving ability. I'm currently doing some limited research on the subject on the side. In light of this research, I am also a maintainer of the discord_society community.

I'm a Gryffindor!
Blogging code: B6 d- t- k+ s u- f++ i+ o x++ e+ l+ c-- -- BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK -- Version: 3.12 GIT/CC d(---) s+:+++>s+: a C++++ US+ P+ L+>+++ E--- W+++ N++ o+ K w O M+>++$ V-- PS+++ PE- Y++ PGP t+++* 5++ X+ R* tv b+ DI+++ D++ G+ e++* h r* y-->++ -- END GEEK CODE BLOCK --		My Dating Status Button says: Polyamorous, Bisexual, Involved/Available Polyamorous Interested in multiple serious relationships. Bisexual Interested in both male and female. Involved/Available Currently in a relationship, and potentially interested in more. Click here to find your own dating status button