A Little About Myself

I live in a small community only a short distance from the San Andreas fault, and I am especially grateful to the internet, as it has made it possible for me to enjoy a rich and varied career  while enjoying an incredibly beautiful part of the world.

In between working on a variety of interesting projects, I’ve written an occasional column in local papers such as the Point Reyes Light and Russian River Times, which are the source of many of the posts and the name of this site.

For instance, I’ve worked extensively in the wind industry, mostly involved with aerodynamics and structures, but that gave me a real insight into the way the electricity grid really works and the interface between technology and policy.

Many of the columns are inspired by a lively, eclectic interest in the sciences, including some areas that are pretty far afield from my main interest.  I’m also very interested in the philosophy of science.  I  suffer from an English schoolboy’s education, and had a real respect for history drilled into me, which lead to some of the columns on government and policy.

I’ve also developed a real interest in economic modeling, which has its own page on this blog.  If you’re really interested in the debate between econophysics and the neoclassical general equilibrium model, you might want to take a look.  You’ve been warned.

I try not to take myself or my work too seriously, and share Kurt Vonnegut’s comment about progress, which is why the picture of the M13 nebula that heads this page; “Every passing hour brings the Solar System forty-three thousand miles closer to Globular Cluster M13 in Hercules — and still there are some misfits who insist that there is no such thing as progress.”