Hey, I'm no graphics artist, so if this page seems rather dull and unimaginative, that's why.
At least it's not full of big, fat graphics that take an eon to download.
Who I am... Well, my name is John D. James, and no, I'm not gonna tell you what the "D" stands for. So there.
Briefly, I'm a computer geek.
My computer geekness is probably best described by my resume, which you can take a look at by clicking here. Like almost anyone in the Information Technology industry, I am always looking for a better job. Of course, as résumé's tend to do, it only talks about my career and other boring stuff. To really know me, you really have to . . . umm . . . well . . know me.
The rest of the page makes an attempt to spread the wealth of my interests (yeah, right, "wealth". *chuckle*) to the world.
Like it says above, my surname is "James". I have been able to trace my family history back to the mid 1700's, in Virginia. A guy named "Henry James", born in 1751, in that state I just mentioned. If ya wanna see my family tree from my paternal grandpa (George Frederick James) on back, do what you do with a link, and press here.
Although the James line that includes the infamous Frank and Jessie James is from Virginia and Kentucky, I haven't found a connection to that line
. . . yet?
Computers and playing games go together like Jell-O and water -- take one of them away, and the result is kinda dull.
I play a variety of computer games, from the old (15 years old?) "Empire Deluxe", to the fairly recent game, "Diablo", and "Ultima Online"
Did I say, "I play a variety..."? I should have said, "I spend far to much time playing a variety...".
I'm also the Chief Technology Officer and a partner in a company that is developing a Massively Multi-player Online Game. The name of the company is "Shadowpool Studios", and the name of the game is "Trials of Ascension".
I first played D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) back in high school in the late 70's -- and wipe that smirk off your face, it's not that geeky of a game. Since then, I've gone on to AD&D (a more complex version of the original D&D game), Gamma World a post apocalyptic game with mutant killer bunny rabbits), Shadowrun (a game set in the near future, with magic and technology thrown together), Traveler (similar to the "Aliens" movie series) and a couple of other game systems.
If it's a branch of science, I'm interested in it:
Geology, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Electronics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Computers (duh), Cosmology, Archeology, Ancient History and . . . hmm . . . I know there's more . . . . .
Oh yeah . . It may not be considered a real science, but also Astrology.
My grandfather was a musician all his life. He crafted his own instruments (guitars, violins, etc.) and performed in the Fresno, California area for many years.
I would like to think that some of his talent was passed on to me and his other grand kids. He passed away a few years ago, and left me a few of his violins. I have been taking lessons since then. I enjoy playing but finding time to practice has proven to be a bit of a challenge.
My taste in music runs from classical to hard rock, and most things in between. The main exceptions are modern country/western, "easy listening/elevator music", and rap. (is rap really even music?). I should probably emphasize hat modern country part. I actually kinda like old country. To me, modern country music is pretty much rock/pop with nasal singing and a twang.
I have always liked classical music -- you know, like Beethoven, Mozart, and such, but I've never liked operatic-style music. Until a couple of years ago . . . . . well .. since some time in March of 1999 when I was channel-hopping and blundered into a PBS station doing a pledge drive. Since then, I've become a big fan of Charlotte Church.
I live in the Pacific Northwest (USA). It's one of the major diving areas of the world -- despite the average temperature of the water being around 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, the friends I used to dive with have either moved out of the area, or just don't dive any more.
I'm looking forward to taking another vacation in Hawaii, and enjoying the much warmer water there.