About

about me (tldr;)

Late stage BBSer. Very early web adopter. Pre-Content Creator creator of content. Burned out web developer turned semi-luddite.

Preserver of things, mostly unimportant.

Genealogist and family historian.

Former music journalist. Former emcee and producer. Former college radio DJ and director.

Music nerd. Movie geek. Reader.

Vegan. Tea obsessive. Coffee drinker.

Runner. Husband. Dad. Pet dad.

Aphantasia. Misophonia. Exploding Head Syndrome.

about me

I’m a middle-aged guy in Virginia who’s been online for too long and burned out as a developer, but still finds some magic in publishing on the web.

I started out on dial-up BBSes using a 300 baud modem in my middle school’s computer lab and graduated to running a BBS on custom software from that same computer lab (except on a 1200 baud modem!). The first online service I joined was GEnie and my first interaction with the internet was through a service called Portal. I published online magazines as a teenager in the early 90s and, of course, gravitated to the web when I started college in 1994. My passion for being online was supported along the by great teachers like Mr. Henkel and Professor Ackermann. (More on the about the site page.)

Beyond the web, I have a deep interest in genealogy and family history. Over the last 20 years, I’ve done research that’s uncovered vast amounts of previously unknown family history going back hundreds of years. I’ve written several books outlining this history and am always looking for new ways to share what I’ve learned with my family, whether aunts and uncles or ninth cousins twice removed.

Along similar lines, I’m a strong believer in digital preservation, with a particular focus on born analog artifacts like radio recordings, interviews, print catalogs, newsletters, and other “unimportant” things. It’s also imperative for us to act as our own archivist, not only for our sake while we’re here, but for folks that live on beyond us. I’m experimenting with the idea of a tiny personal archive as a means of personal preservation.

I’m also a geek for all forms of media, which isn’t exactly unique. In an earlier stage of life, I was a music journalist, hip-hop producer, and emcee. These days, I listen to a ton of music across the spectrum, particularly jazz, hip-hop, funk, reggae, electronica, and experimental music. Streaming is mighty convenient, but curated mixes, college and community radio, and specialty music podcasts bring the heat like the algorithm never could.

Moviewise, I was all about horror in high school but thanks to Professor Koos in college, I was able to branch out into nerdier film-school type cinema. These days, I love it all from 80s Italian horror knock-offs to experimental international cinema to current indie films. I also really love gentle cinema. I don’t much care for Hollywood blockbusters (particularly comic adaptations).

I read a good bit, more non-fiction than fiction and a nice dash of poetry. I enjoy deep dives on niche subjects and subcultures (I guess these are called microhistories now?), Polish and Japanese fiction (in translation), and whatever else tends to catch my attention at a given moment.

While I’m very happy spending quiet time inside, the outdoors is one of those things that is essential for my mental health. Long dog walks, running five times a week, the occasional hike, and (because I’m a middle-aged dad) just sitting on the porch are some of my favorite things.

I’ve been vegan for over 20 years (and was vegetarian for four years before that) and believe in the rights of sentient beings to live without fear and without being used. I also understand that even if others feel the same way, their life circumstances may not let them show that in the same way I do, but I’m here to help people in their journeys in whatever way I can. (To be clear, I am a hardliner when it comes to my own veganism but I remember what it was like before and don’t judge others for where they are.)

In closing, I like the smell of vanilla extract, can’t see images in my head but can lucid dream, and remember watching Robin’s “R” change colors between shots in old episodes of Scooby Doo with Batman & Robin.