I won't really go into too much detail about what each thing I'm interested
in is. There are plenty of pages dedicated to those things and that's what
links are for. But I will talk about what got me interested in these things
in the first place and why I like them. You'll probably find the links far
more interesting. ;)
Computers
My entry into the world of personal computers came in 3rd grade (1984), when
each classroom in our elementary school was fitted with an Apple IIe. Two years
later, after learning Apple Basic and Logo, my father brought home a
state-of-the art AST 286 with a whopping 640kB of RAM. Zoom forward 10 years
and I get exposed to the C, the Internet, the
Linux Operating System, and Web Development. 5 more years and I
learn Object-Oriented programming and 80x86
Assembly Language. And go 5 more years (to today) and I'm learning how to
apply Design Patterns to improve O-O designs.
Science Fiction / Fantasy
It seems that these two genres are often grouped together. Possibly because
works in both genres often illustrate fantastical extremes to their audiences.
Or possibly because both audiences are often stereotyped as one and the same.
Whatever the reason, I fell in love with it as a child.
In the science fiction genre, I was once a big fan of Trek
(particularly Next Generation and DS9), but then became captivated by the
compelling storylines and not-so-techy plot devices of Babylon 5. I never considered myself a fan of
Japanese Anime, but a friend of mine convinced me to watch Evangelion
and I was hooked. I did not expect something so philosophical! Thinking
nothing could top all the great scifi I had seen thus far, I was impressed by
the utter mind-frell Farscape
imparted. And when it was cancelled, I thought I could find solace in the
future-western world of
Firefly, but was let
down when that was cancelled too! Networks just don't want to make good scifi
anymore. Lately, I found yet another philosophical anime, Lain, which bordered on
psychological thriller.
Most of my exposure to fantasy has been a result of computer gaming, from
the save-the-universe plots of Final Fantasy to
the "improve thyself" chivalrous virtues of Ultima.
But my major introduction to this genre was a series of books by Lloyd Alexander
called the Prydain Chronicles.
I also read The Lord of the Rings books and absolutely loved the movies. I have yet to do the same with
Harry Potter, though the movies are excellent.
Music
Ever since I was young, my father listened to country music
and with some exceptions (such as solid gold oldies and maybe some
soft rock) this was pretty much all that my family (and thus I) ever really
listened to. I never really had an interest in what was "current" or "pop".
During college I gained an appreciation for classical music, Beethoven
being my favorite composer. There came a time I had to do alot of travelling
for business and at that time I listened to a lot of disco and
motown. I know it sounds strange, but I often associate flying with
disco music for this reason! It wasn't until after this time that I started
listening to 70's and 80's classic rock and I was suddenly hooked.
Aside from music genres, I was a part of the school choir in both middle and
high school. This eventually lead to participation in the drama program. And
although I don't consider myself a good actor, I really enjoy singing in front
of people on stage. I've only had very few opportunities since high school.
Roads
Ever since a young age, I had been drawing road maps. I would even ask my
parents to drive my around to different towns so I could follow the roads. To
my pleasent surprise, on one or two occassions, I was actually able to convince
them.
The town that I live in... actually the very development that I live in, was
built on a site that for over 30 years was supposed to be a major north-south
highway on the east coast: Interstate 95. Due to opposition from my and
neighboring townships, the highway was never built. Central Jersey continues
to suffer extremely high volumes of traffic on dangerous old roads to this day
because of that decision. My research into this problem lead me to become very
interested in the local highway systems and all other cancelled highways in the New York and Philadelphia areas.
Outdoors Sports
I never considered myself a sports person. I have great respect for those
who play sports, but I never really cared to be involved much myself. However,
I do enjoy non-competitive "outdoors" kinds of sports such as biking, skiing,
hiking, and swimming.