Due to popular demand, I am starting a biography and lore site. Partly biographical and mostly true, at least relating to science and tech experiences. Lore will involve math, science, outdoors, and fly fishing. There will be some Boy Scouts and work associates you probably already know. I have been influenced by Dave Barry, Groucho Marx, and W.C. Fields, Mr. Wizard, and Richard Feynman. Whenever fortune presents the opportunity, I can not help but take a bull by the tail and face the situation.

So, it all starts at the beginning. I was born in 1951, as a baby I might add, to a man and woman, both Cougars, in Tacoma, Washington, U.S.A. Tacoma is famous for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and for the Aroma of Tacoma. Washington State is young enough to have not been involved in most of U.S. history, for which we Washingtonians are constantly punished, to pay for the crimes we didn’t commit. But that is a different story. Washington is also famous for its fleet of dock destroyers operated by the Washington Marine Highways. These destroyers (also called Ferries) have names like the Issaquah, the Kaleetan, and the Klahowya.

My parents noticed early on that when other children asked “Why?” I was asking “For what purpose?” This was rather frightening and in counsel with their Bible Presbyterian minister they decided that sufficient blows to the head would cure the problem. I think it worked!

Lets hit some highlights that I will move to a catagory of boring personal stories.

Around 6 to 9 years old: Chemistry set and various science/electronics educational kits. Basically light bulbs and switches. Home made buzzer and a great book on making very sensitive carbon rod microphones. My father’s crystal set and headphones from the 1930’s were essential.

6th grade grade school home made rocket launch. Discovered the Scientific American book of Projects for the Amateur Scientist in the school library and studied it till it was practically memorized. Really good stuff, and a lot would simply be never allowed today. The home made electrophoresis setup could give you a serious case of death. Then there is the home made X-Ray machine and the basement atom smasher. Loved it!

7th grade. Ron Ruhl tries to explain oscilloscopes to me. I make a single tube (dual triode 12AU7) circuit to detect being touched, and it works! Lafayette Explore-Air 4 tube regenerative shortwave receiver for Christmas and assemble it in one night. Hear Radio Moscow. Radio Peking. The BBC World. Radio Netherlands broadcast from the Netherlands Antilles. Setting my watch to the second by WWV!

8th grade science class bomb making contest. My, times have changed.

The Fish Listener.

10th grade grow beans in Martian atmosphere.

12th grade Mr. Sherwood’s physics class – the light dawns! I should have paid attention in math classes!

1971 WSU Physics, the papers of Robert F. Forward, and I invent the Rotating Graviometer to measure the speed of gravity.

Univ. of Puget Sound.

Boeing

Mann-Russell Electronics.

Univ. of Puget Sound and Redshift – FFPF and Apple II coprocessor.

Mountain View Press

Information Appliance, Palo Alto

Boeing and Redshift – ImageWorks and ImageMaster for Apple IIe with Paul Baker

Information Appliance

1989, Apple and Loma Prieta

Epyx/Atari Lynx, and ARM (VLSI)

O’Connor-Springer CradleNet patent.

Elliott Bay Industries and ARMWorld/ARMWorks

Green Point Products –

Teaching high school physics, chemistry, math.

Industrial ARMWorks

ARMWorks, LLC