I’m not comfortable with a public presence, hence the nom de plume … which is one of the reasons I hesitate to charge a subscription fee for this site – I’d have to go public to collect money. No real problems with that, just my nature. “Those” people know who I am; I worked for them – I have a “file” – so maybe it doesn’t make sense to stay private. It may yet happen that I do need to go public – and guess what? Y’all still wouldn’t know – or care – who I am 🙂

I’m telling a bit about me so that you get a feeling for where I may be coming from with my attitudes and biases. They’ll show up on this site.

I live in a small town in SW Idaho. I’m close enough to Boise to see the glow of the city lights in the sky but far enough away – and on the other side of a range of hills – to avoid “city life”. I’ve no intention to leave this state.

I was born and raised in the midwest longer ago than I care to think of but moved far west not long after I achieved adulthood. I’m not sure what one would call my “profession” – maybe applied physicist. I didn’t spend a career at one or two companies – I moved around as a consultant; my work has taken me to most every state in the west plus a few on the Atlantic coast. That eastern experience convinced me I’ll stay west of I-25 (if even that far east). I’ve also lived on the west coast – Santa Cruz comes to mind (very long ago) – so there is such a thing as too far west. Seattle/Portland these days for example; most anywhere in California, mostly west of the Sierra.

I was considered a far-right wing extremest when I lived back east – particularly in the DC area. Hereabouts, I’m considered a bit right of center.

I’ve built spacecraft. I’ve designed integrated circuits. I’ve been a wildland fire-fighter. I’ve worked EMS; it’s not the police who scrape the bodies off the pavement. I’ve prospected gold, silver, and oil. I explore ghost towns. I’m fascinated with steam locomotives. I like Death Valley in July. I’m interested in history – particularly the period between the War of Northern Aggression and The Great War – aka “The Gilded Age”. I have enough books to open a used book store – I’ve read them all … and don’t have enough life left to read them all again.

I met my wife of – that long? – and I’m convinced our marriage has worked because we never really dated. We still like each other.

Why would you care about any of this? Because my writings and opinions will have a flavor of that background and those interests about them.

I hope to keep this site as one which Gerard would approve. I’m not an essayist; writing proposals and white papers is not the best training for developing interesting essays – but I can fill pages with words. Every once in a while, I’ll re-post some of Gerard’s essays; I hope those who also followed Gerard can contribute as well.