Science - My most enduring interest, starting with great curiosity about the stars and our galaxy, the Milky Way. Since I was 10 years old, I wanted to know how the Universe began and evolved, how we humans arrived on Earth, and how our planet, Gaia, is going to deal with us. While many of my childhood questions have been answered, many more remain. I spent a decade working in medical research laboratories. I am still keenly interested in biological origins, Darwinian Evolution, and the ethical implications of neurobiology (brain research). I have been an off-and-on member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) since 1973.

 

Philosophy - More or less by accident, I ended up majoring in Philosophy and got a B.S. I spent some months in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, and later at San Francisco State College, but did not earn the advanced degree I still would like to have. I wrote my bachelor's thesis on Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative because I was truly puzzled about ethical matters. I wrote a book about Ethics, Ethics as Social Conscience, in which I discovered myself far from the Kantian home of my undergraduate days. Before that, I wrote The Graduate Student's Question, which is about political philosophy. In the end, Philosophy stuck to me along with Science.

 

Computing - When I got out of college, I wanted to work with computers, but in those days only PhDs in math and physics need apply. Years later, I got lucky again, and was chosen to be one of the first programmers at the City and County of San Francisco's brand new mainframe (IBM 360) installation. I was not, however, able to fulfill the City's dreams of interactive, networked computing. Of course, no one else did so, either, as that lay nearly two decades in the future. While I was never a Bill Gates, I never lost interest in computing. My major work, starting in 1981, was with interactive, networked computer systems in scientific laboratories, business offices and production lines. I was one of those who implemented the Information Revolution. I feel vindicated in my early interest, which was often derided in the early days, since now, as everyone knows, computers are ubiquitous.

 

The Arts - I used to play clarinet and the piano, managing to get to the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, Chopin's Ballades and almost to Beethoven's sonatas. I love classical music and opera. I also like the theater, but somehow I like theater more with music than not. I regret not playing an instrument any more, due to the ravages of diabetes and old age on my hands. But, I am still free to listen to those who are great artists, and I do every day.

 

Investing and Business - I started investing around 1979, but really did little with it until inexpensive online systems became available after 1990. The advent of Windows with Ethernet in 1992 made all the difference, as the Internet is a glorification of Ethernet. I made some money by trading stocks and options until the great crash in 2000. The George W. Bush (aka Bandit) Administration only made things worse right though 2003. So I lost my lifetime savings, most of which were tied up in the market. I suppose I was lucky: my significant other never trusted the markets, so didn't dump her savings in it. So, we had something left after the crash, but I had to give up my retirement dreams. My biggest mistake in 2000-2002 was paying attention to the Wall St. "experts." I don't do that anymore, as I have finally come to understand they are there to fleece the poor on behalf of the rich, collecting commissions from all comers along the way. I've done much better since I learned to rely on my own judgement. I also saved myself a bundle by not subscribing to the Wall St. Journal and all the other agents of Capitalism. It is more possible to make money without the advice of the experts than otherwise, but one has to be very careful. Investing is a full time job. It helps your investing skills, if you're a business owner or entrepreneur.

 

Writing and Publishing - In my retirement, this is what I am doing. I wrote, edited and self-published The Graduate Student's Question (2006) and then Ethics as Social Conscience (2007). I am thinking about writing another book. I enjoy writing very much. Unfortunately, my preferred genres are letters (essays) and literary analysis which are currently out of fashion. But, I really don't care about fashion. I never did. Had I cared about fashion and fads, I would have turned into a donkey and never accomplished a thing. I am most interested in writing Ethics, History, and political philosophy. So, popular or not, I'll probably continue writing.

 

Contact - I think there are more critters "out there" than just us. Our job, as the spawn of Gaia, is to govern ourselves so as to meet them, someday. In this era of History, we are at a critical turning point:  we can go forward or back. Right now, the leading societies (the so-called advanced societies) are irresponsible and mostly headed back, although they don't know it. There are ways forward to preservation of the planet and ourselves, and to go to the planets and stars, but those ways depend on rational self-government. It all comes down to personal an social choices. The way forward requires deliberate choices, not blowing with the wind.