Allow Myself to Introduce...Myself

[Steven]

Okay, I'll bite.

Only about a year away from a BSc in computer science with a co-op designation for good measure. And probably a geography minor assuming I ever get around to declaring it that is.

Other than that, there's also the occasional star gazing, although I haven't done that in a while.

[Lowly Uhlan]

No degrees for me. I do have an interest in cosmology and the exploration of Mars and the outer solar system.

Very cool forum BTW.

[Mark de Vries]

My scientific background and credentials are quite microscopic, but I have a healthy interest, especially in space exploration. I'm following both MER and STS, and a bit of Cassini on the side. And I can't wait for New Horizons to get to its destination.

[DragonLady]

I became interested in Star Trek back in my native Japan when I was young, watching it in the original Japanese, of course. My father moved our family moved to America when I was 14 and I got over my culture shock by bonding with my new friends over Trek.

I was the typical overachieving Asian chick that some people hated, mainly because I found American high school easier than where I came from outside the Americanized English language barriers early on.

Also, my mother died when I was 16, so I sort of threw myself into other activities, both during and after school, plus I had to take care of the house and my father like a traditional Japanese girl should. The activities helped me make friends and acclimate faster, I think, but looking back, the extra responsibilities at home made me grow up too fast and miss a lot of the joys of just being young. I never had a serious relationship until I was in college, I was too busy.

I went to THE Ohio State University after graduation and got a Bachelors in Finance, then went on to get an MBA from Harvard. I started working at the company my father (and grandfather) worked for, but being a woman at a Japanese company led nowhere (despite my prominent family name at the company). To the dismay of the family, I left (both my adopted city and the company) and joined an American company, where I shot up to the executive ranks based on merit as it should be. Along the way, I married a nice white guy who I have loved to pieces for 11 years now.

After taking a leave of absence to care for my dying grandfather (my last immediate family relative) last year, I was lured back into the corporate world where I am running an international division of a company and posting from work when I get bored, like today. So my postings come and go now days.

I have followed every Trek series since the original, also a fan of the Stargates and Doctor Who. I have always been fascinated by computers, science and space and never shy away from the political discussions, to the dismay of many in The Think Tank.

[Neopeius]

Dropped out of college after completing my junior year in Astronomy.

Went back to college, did some post-grad work in History of Science.

Currently a space historian with a special emphasis on the early American lunar program.

[Tim]

DragonLady said:
...MBA from Harvard.

The Crimson tide riseth.

[ex nihilo]

Hello, my name is Jeff. I have been doomed to carry a name in common with a famous guitar player of the 60’s and 70’s. I am mostly a lurker on this BBS, having only posted a handful of times since I started visiting back in 1999. I am 33. I have been married for seven years to an amazing woman that is currently in her medical residency after having ditched her former, very successful, career as a TV journalist in Japan. We have a daughter, Sayo, who is two. We reside in Columbia, MD.

I am currently employed in the defense industry writing manuals and creating curricula for the operation of certain weapon systems. I was formerly employed as a public high school English teacher, which I left after five years of toiling against a miserable system that claims to put the welfare of children first (funny that I should end up in the defense industry). I am very bitter about this, considering that I always listed “teacher” as my second career choice. What was my first? Husband/father, which always made my teachers roll their eyes when I had to write those, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” essays from grade school.

I am an avid reader and devour just about any written material I can get my hands on. I collect rare and first edition books, religious and philosophy texts, pulp science fiction novels, and comic books. I love music of all varieties, although I would say my tastes reside more in the “classic” punk and experimental genres. I am also quite passionate about collecting and watching films, following the catalogs of various producers and directors.

I am originally from a small town outside Buffalo, NY called East Aurora. For those of you familiar with the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century this was the location of the famous commune started by Elbert Hubbard called The Roycroft. It is also the birthplace of Fisher Price Toys (the town refers to itself as “Toy Town, USA”). I was raised in a small, extended family by my parents and grandparents (who lived in the carriage house on our property) in the same home my father was raised in. I have one older brother who in many ways is my diametric opposite, although I love him to death. My mother is an immigrant from Germany so we often engaged in traditions and ate food that many of the small town folks I grew up with thought were pretty bizarre.

Now my reason for being here (as on this BBS, not the question of the ages) -

I was a very sickly child growing up and spent a lot of time in bed, which was directly responsible for my love of literature, Sci-fi, and Trek in particular. One of my earliest memories is puking into an old pot that I carried around when I was sick while trying not to miss a minute of The Trouble with Tribbles, which I was viewing for the first time. I was hooked before I even had a chance to protest. While my most of my cohorts at school talked about peewee hockey or football, I was trying to start a conversation about an episode of the Twilight Zone or how Captain Kirk dealt with Kor. You get the picture. It was like being the boy named Sue.

Unfortunately, this was to be the way of my childhood through teenage years – but that’s ok, I’m not bitter at all. Oh no, not at all, “Because I am smart enough, good looking enough, and darn it, people like me . . . “

Now my reason for being here in the Science and Technology area –

I have been interested in science for as long as I can remember, particularly cosmology and evolutionary biology. I think this interest really blossomed when Cosmos was first aired in the late seventies on PBS. From this interest my interests in other areas of science grew as well and, strangely enough, also fed my love of history and comparative religion (it may seem like a weird combination, but it is amazing how it is all connected).

I have enjoyed many of the threads that were up when this area was still a part of the Trek Tech area and I look forward to more lively and stimulating discussions.

Ok, see? This is why I do not post with any frequency. I have a tendency to ramble and be long winded. Sorry.

I found this strangely therapeutic. Many thanks for reading my blurb.

[RJDiogenes]

^^ I think you should post more often. Ramble on!

--------------------
Large In Time; Spoken Word; The RH Factor; Gee whiz!

[farmkid]

Well, I'll take a minute to tell you about me. I have a B.S. in Molecular Biology, a M.S. in Zoology, and I am now nearing the end of a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. My current research is trying to understand how a particular cell type makes cell fate decisions during embryonic development. I am focusing on a couple of transcription factors and trying to understand how they are regulated to turn on and off other genes responsible for making the cell adopt a particular fate.

So, I guess as far as science knowledge and experience goes, I have rather extensive experience in molecular biology and a little less in vertebrate development. I have an interest in other fields of science, but certainly not the same level of experience and knowledge.

[Alaedhros]

All right, I'll bite--being biographical could be fun! (Warning: like ex nihilo, I am known to ramble. Proceed at your own risk.)

Hmm. Being biographical is hard. There's a lot to say. Well, we'll start in the beginning. I was born in 1986 (along with my twin sister) in a hospital in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where I lived for four years. After a stint in Minnesota my family settled in Indianapolis, Indiana, when I was seven, where I resided until I left for university.

I am currently a freshman at Indiana University. It was not my first choice, but in retrospect I think it was the best one. Since I am a freshman I lack all those shiny credentials that you lot do, so you don't have to take me seriously. I am majoring in Psychology (my primary interests being cognition and neuroscience) as well as International Studies (my regional concentration will probably be the Mid East or S. Asia) and Cognitive Science. I'm also minoring in Biology and attempting to be a dilettante in all the sciences (otherwise known as a pre-med student--required to take a year each of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Organic Chemistry). It's, er, fun. I'm also trying to remain a well-rounded person by taking some literature, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and languages (esp. French, but also Hindi).

I grew up reading many books, and I loved reading a great deal; I was probably influenced to a large extent by my father's example. I read mostly fantasy and some sci-fi. I don't read as much now, what with classes and all, but I do try to fit in what I can, mostly by reading articles on the internet, browsing Wikipedia (damn that's fun!), and reading Misc. (digital crack, I tell you!).

Musically, I was a late bloomer, probably because I spent so much time reading. I was always a SW fan, though, and thus John William's score led to my interest in other film scores as well as a bit of (Western) classical. My father also got me hooked on The Beatles. Then a few years ago my sister bought me a Belle & Sebastian CD, and my life was changed forever as I was introduced to the world of modern music. Having grown up thinking that modern music was limited rap and R&B, this "other" world of modern music (mostly indie music) was quite a shock. My interest in music is quite strong, and I am currently exploring the merits of the post-punk revival.

Well, I suppose that's all I can think of to say for now. This is actually quite fun. Thank you all for listening...or reading...or not reading, as the case may be! Goodnight.

[Gryffindorian]

^^^ Same here.

I'm not really a big science & technology enthusiast, though I enjoyed a few of my science classes from elementary through college. I like reading National Geographic and Smithsonian magazines. I also have a few BBC DVD documentaries ("Walking with ..." series). Astronomy and paleontology were two of my main interests when I was younger.

[DancingEmpress]

Hi everyone! I decided to drop in here today, and it seems I may be dropping in a lot more, so I'll introduce myself. I'm not an expert in science or technology by any stretch of the word, but I am interested in a number of scientific things. I'm a college freshman, and I'll probably be reading lots of things having to do with science/technology over the next few years, and it'll be fun to be able to discuss things with all of you.

[Equinox]

I'm a baby, just out of college, working in Chicago as a graphic designer. I love making anything in Photoshop/HTML/Flash and as far as other hobbies go, I'm a 100% Dreamcast fanatic and enjoy all gadgets and gizmos.

Hmmm, what do I contribute to TrekBBS?

Biased opinions, long rants and an appetite for intense debate!

[FLATBED_SKAN]

I AM HERE MAINLY TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR WAYS AND THE FAMOUS BOARD THAT EXISTS HERE. I SNACK A LOT AND THIS FORUM MAY HELP.

THANK YOU

[Flavius]

Hey, FLATBED_SKAN, welcome. I love original usernames, and yours truly is one of them.

So, now please use proper case when writing your posts. Uppercasing everything is considered screaming and therefore not recommended Are you from Scandinavia?