Russell's Place

You never Know, until you've been There.

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A little background information

The Internet has got to be my favorite playground, considering I have had long time interests in nearly every science. This is probably due to the fact that, as a kid, I sat around reading World Book Encyclopedia from A-Z. That led me into things like Chemistry (ie. sulfur volcanos and homemade gunpowder), Biology (weed gardens), Zoology (12 cats, a dog or two, a turtle, and ants that didn't stay in their farm), etc. etc.

Actually, because of my parents wanderlust, I did get to visit just about every National Park in the United States. Besides wanting to be a forest ranger when I grew up, I did find that my interests in the outdoors far exceeded those of my high school. Fortunately, I became interested in electronics, which, thanks to Vocational Tech, and my father's GI Bill credits, I survived to finish high school, got my Advanced Amateur Radio license, and my FCC Commercial license and could fix just about any TV.

While sitting one evening, in the campground at Cades Cove in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, I said to my parents, as we watched other campers arrive, "You know, for the cost of one of those big Winnie's I could travel to places all over the World!" You'll read more about the result of that later.

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My interest in Astronomy motivated me, but my abilities in electronics and photography got me my first real job, as planetarium technician at the Alexander Brest Planetarium. Four incredible years filled with Laser Shows, water bottle fights, star parties, Cosmic Concerts, museum tours, and Duet under the Stars. (read that last item slowly, slightly slirred) ;-)

I met my wife-to-be at (uh-oh) a Star Trek club meeting, held at the planetarium every Saturday. I had to open the place up for the Trekkies er, Trekkers!, so sat and watched all the girls as usual. One day, after noticing someone new, I leaned over to my friend Patricia Rogers (Hi, Pat!), and asked "Who's that over there?" Jan Hunter and I were married a couple years later. (There were a few delays and false starts first, including a bicycle trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway,(no, not the whole thing, just a hundred miles or so.) and an Amtrak Rail trip around the U.S. (almost the whole thing, about 9,000 miles worth).

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Well, discovering that I couldn't support myself and my wife on the $11K/yr salary at the Museum, I found a "real job" at AT&T. About the same time in the late 1970's, I discovered microcomputers and my ham radio equipment was swapped for a Commodore P.E.T.. My friend of several years, Dan Knight (I know you're reading this!) and I started our "Technology Race" into the Computer Age.

Now, I'm sitting here writing this in a 10x12 room containing about nine or ten micros at the moment. Amigas, Macs, Ataris, even a lone 286, running Casa Mi Amiga BBS, among others, all stacked three shelves high around three walls of the room, along with my Rock & Fossil collection, including Jurassic Park Amber mosquito, Star Wars models, VCRs & TVs, stereo, etc....

Oh, and yes, earlier I mentioned something about World Travel...

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Where in the World are we?

Each year for the past decade, Jan and I have been traveling to a different country. With most of Western Europe covered (Switzerland is my favorite), including several Univ of North Florida offered tours to Ireland (Jan's favorite), we are now working our way westward toward Hawaii (1995), Alaska (1996), and New Zealand (199?). But this is another story...

Here's my "HELLO" list

• Hi, Dan! See, you get top billing. Dan was a volunteer at the Museum, then a English teacher, now works for Computer Power, Inc..
• George Murphy, Museum artist, now CG supervisor at yes -the- ILM.
• Pat Rogers, She lived at the Museum, now Globe Trotter based out of New Mexico.
• Phil Gross, Planetarium Director, then and now, just different Planetariums.
• Kris, another museum volunteer, now she's Director at Nashville Planetarium.
• David Sisson, Planetarium Technician, worked as stage hand, roadie, producer, director, manager, chief cook and bottle washer.
• Jon (Bo) Glass, puppeteer turned Video Toaster freak. Got your Net radio station on the MBONE, yet?
• Mary, with her look-alike daughter Amy; sure sold those tickets. Long time Postal employee now.
• Jeff Phillips, instant programmer. Worked Disney then, AT&T now.
• Guy Miller, my current boss and good friend. (He keeps me interested at work, with my own toy store of Sun Workstations and an Amiga-driven CATV network.
• And of course, Jan, my wife and best friend. Who's life-long endeavor of degree seeking is finally producing a Master's in English.

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