I cut my teeth on 8080 assembly language. Since then, I've made my living brainwashing computers.

I've written applications, tools, drivers, a data warehouse, language variants, and a language or two.

I have a passion for information management - more particularly KNOWLEDGE management. To this end, I have invented a transmission, storage, and retrieval model which I call "TNF" (Tagged Narrative Format) as one of its working names. And, no, I'm not going to try to describe it here. I've been working on this concept since I taught computer languages at the local college some 15 years ago. Life (what happens to you while you're making other plans) has a way of providing a significant amount of distraction for one's "Great Ideas" so that things that are not really all that hard nonetheless drag on forever.

I live in the Southwest United States (currently Las Vegas, Nevada).

I have kids - some grown, some teens.

I've travelled a bit and lived in Europe and the UK for a while.

I've done work in rehab, remedial and advanced educational techniques, business analysis and troubleshooting, communications, electronics, and publishing.

I enjoy chess, Scrabble, Abalone, Othello, and other board games. I fenced for a few years, but I haven't picked up a blade in two decades. I ran the long distance races in school. I ride bikes when I can, but not at the "everywhere, every day" level that I did while I was in Europe. I miss that.

I think I have something to contribute.

Surely true.

I hope you find my sense of humor ... acceptable.

So far, absolutely. How and where to apply the precious commodity seems to be the key challenge around here. But thanks for the personal info and we hope your humor is never too badly impacted as you edit and perhaps even learn bits and pieces here. -- Richard Drake

I can be reached at kidrhino(at)wizard(dot)com.