Personal

My Dad and I drove to Ohio to pick up the Tesla Model 3, which I had traded for my beloved BMW Z4MC. At the time, buying a Tesla in Michigan was illegal due to the franchise rules. It was bittersweet as we took the road trip to, sight unseen, pick up the vehicle I had purchased online. Alicia and I knew with the impending arrival of our child, the 2 seater would only get a little use in our household. We had batted around getting another BMW, Audi, or Volvo. Still, in the end, I did the math and figured an electric car would be suitable. My transition from aerospace & defence to renewable energy sealed the deal. I already took the risk of changing career fields, so why not take another and switch to an EV in rural Michigan? ...

During interviews for podcasts or panels, I’m often asked what I’d do if I weren’t in tech. While I playfully consider taking up farming, the true answer is writing. This passion for writing has been a constant in my life, deeply rooted and contrasting with my professional journey in technology. My fascination with technology began as a child with a Commodore 64 and GEOS, gifted by my supportive parents. This early exposure to tech didn’t overshadow my growing interest in writing, partly fueled by my voracious reading habits. Discovering my old attempts at journalism and editing, tucked away in basement boxes, brought back vivid memories of those formative years. ...

The 1990s was when small computers began their march towards becoming the sleek tech companions we know today. Picture this: A young military brat Eyes wide with wonder Flipping through the colossal pages of Computer Shopper magazine Amidst the bulky desktops, the little palmtops sparkled like gems of possibility. Imagine taking your computer wherever you go! Enter my first tech flirtation: the Casio JD-5000. A business organiser in the hands of a kid who had, let’s be honest, absolutely no business to organise. It’s like a penguin at a salsa dance – charmingly out of its element, yet undeniably cool. ...

Alicia Schmidt and I are proud to announce the “Measure Twice, Cut Once Trades Scholarship,” which is two $2,500 awards to those in Arenac County pursuing vocational or trade schools post-graduation. Please share within the community! Teachers like Fran Laakman and Ann Holland (among many others) saw something I often overlooked in myself. While acknowledging my academic challenges, they celebrated my strengths and interests in computers, sports, and exploration. It took missed opportunities and honest conversations about my potential and lack of drive to realise I was more than the ‘intellectual old soul’ stereotype. My true passion lay in technology, a field I have embraced since the days of the Commodore 64. ...

I was on the road longer than I had hoped this trip, flipping through old photos alone in a hotel. As one does when you are lonely and philosophical, you think about German philosophers, right? Schopenhauer eloquently outlined that “aesthetic pleasure in the beautiful consists, to a large extent, in the fact that, when we enter the state of pure contemplation, we are raised for the moment above all willing, above all desires and cares; we are, so to speak, rid of ourselves.” ...