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We are all human beings, being human.

Philosophy

Yes, and…
Name things once.
Assume good intentions.
Only ask for permission once.
Simplicity is hard but essential.
Use one file until you need another.
Use one folder until you need another.
Submit to defaults first; customize intentionally.

Think deeply, learn continuously, reveal connections, articulate clearly—all with strategic vision.

Who I Am

A former US Army paratrooper and Ranger. I have worked in large corporations, small startups, and middling scale-ups where I specialize in learning new skills. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University at Albany, focusing on international economics. Since graduation, I’ve cultivated an autodidactic approach to knowledge, broadening my awareness across diverse fields and then delving deep where connections emerge. This systematic learning transforms daily experiences into an integrated web of applicable expertise.

• Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth by Christian Moore & Owen Seyler, 1994
• Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey, 2021
• Outlive by Peter Attia, 2023
• The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, 2024

incomplete: This list began in late 2022

Recent

• Tiamat’s Wrath by James S.A. Corey, 2019
• Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey, 2017

Sorted by publication date

• Tarnsman of Gor by John Norman, 1966
• The Winds of Gath by E.C. Tubb, 1968
• The Florians by Brian Stableford, 1976
• Hyperion by Dan Simmons, 1989
• The Anatomy of a Golf Course by Tom Doak, 1992
• Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon, 2009
• Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel, 2009
• The Singer’s Gun by Emily St. John Mandel, 2009
• The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch, 2011
• The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel, 2012
• Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell, 2012
• Captain’s Share by Nathan Lowell, 2013
• Double Share by Nathan Lowell, 2013
• Fire with Fire by Charles E. Gannon, 2013
• Full Share by Nathan Lowell, 2013
• Half Share by Nathan Lowell, 2013
• Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey, 2013
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, 2014
• Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey, 2014
• Owner’s Share by Nathan Lowell, 2014
• South Coast by Nathan Lowell, 2014
• Rogues by George R.R. Martin et al., 2014
• Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey, 2015
• In Ashes Born by Nathan Lowell, 2015
• Rising Strong by Brené Brown, 2015
• Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey, 2016
• To Fire Called by Nathan Lowell, 2017
• Her Body and Other Parties by Amy Landon, 2017
• In Darkness Forged by Nathan Lowell, 2018
• Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz, 2018
• Home Run by Nathan Lowell, 2018
• Milk Run by Nathan Lowell, 2016
• Suicide Run by Nathan Lowell, 2018
• The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, 2020
• Finwell Bay by Nathan Lowell, 2020
• Cape Grace by Nathan Lowell, 2020
• The Case Against Reality by Donald Hoffman, 2019
• In Praise of Walking by Shane O’Mara, 2019
• Fortuna by Kristyn Merbeth, 2019
• Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, 2022
• Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej, 2022
• The Four Foundations of Golf by Jon Sherman, 2022
• Hard Knocks by Nathan Lowell, 2023
• Working Class by Nathan Lowell, 2023
• School Days by Nathan Lowell, 2023

Recent additions

• Williams’ “Memory, Sorrow and Thorn” series: 1988-1993
• Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series: 1990-2013
• Hobb’s “Realm of the Elderlings” cycle: 1995-2017
• Erikson’s “Malazan Book of the Fallen” series: 1999-2011
• Carey’s “Kushiel’s Legacy” series: 2001-2008
• Bujold’s “World of the Five Gods” series: 2001-2016
• Clarke’s “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell”: 2004
• Abercrombie’s “The First Law” series: 2006-2008
• Sanderson’s “Stormlight Archive” series: 2010-present
• Lawrence’s “Broken Empire” series: 2011-2013
• Jemisin’s “Broken Earth” trilogy: 2015-2017
• Shannon’s “The Priory of the Orange Tree”: 2019

Primary list

• Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, 1950 (second novel in the trilogy; the series began with Titus Groan, 1946)
• Growing Up Absurd: Problems of Youth in the Organized Society by Paul Goodman, 1960
• Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, 1962
• The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz, 1963 (English translation)
• Three Trapped Tigers by Guillermo Cabrera Infante, 1971 (English translation)
• Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, 1974 (English translation)
• The Box Man by Kobo Abe, 1974 (English translation)
• Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany, 1975
• Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić, 1988 (English translation)
• Eternity by Greg Bear, 1988
• The World at the End of Time by Frederik Pohl, 1990
• Permutation City by Greg Egan, 1994
• House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, 2008
• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, 2003
• This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein, 2014
• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, 2017
• Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman, 2017 (English translation)
• Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, 2017
• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari, 2018
• The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, 2019
• Courting the Wild Twin by Martin Shaw, 2020
• Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity by Paul Kingsnorth, 2025

Dumarest of Terra Series

1. Derai by E.C. Tubb, 1968
2. Toyman by E.C. Tubb, 1969
3. Kalin by E.C. Tubb, 1969
4. The Jester at Scar by E.C. Tubb, 1970
5. Lallia by E.C. Tubb, 1971
6. Technos by E.C. Tubb, 1972
7. Veruchia by E.C. Tubb, 1973
8. Mayenne by E.C. Tubb, 1973
9. Jondelle by E.C. Tubb, 1973
10. Zenya by E.C. Tubb, 1974
11. Eloise by E.C. Tubb, 1975
12. Eye of the Zodiac by E.C. Tubb, 1975
13. Jack of Swords by E.C. Tubb, 1976
14. Spectrum of the Forgotten Sun by E.C. Tubb, 1976
15. Haven of Darkness by E.C. Tubb, 1977
16. Prison of Night by E.C. Tubb, 1977
17. Incident of Ath by E.C. Tubb, 1978
18. The Quillian Sector by E.C. Tubb, 1978
19. Web of Sand by E.C. Tubb, 1979
20. Iduna’s Universe by E.C. Tubb, 1979
21. The Terra Data by E.C. Tubb, 1980
22. World of Promise by E.C. Tubb, 1980
23. Nectar of Heaven by E.C. Tubb, 1981
24. The Terridae by E.C. Tubb, 1981
25. The Coming Event by E.C. Tubb, 1982
26. Earth is Heaven by E.C. Tubb, 1982
27. Melome by E.C. Tubb, 1983
28. Angado by E.C. Tubb, 1984
29. Symbol of Terra by E.C. Tubb, 1984
30. The Temple of Truth by E.C. Tubb, 1985
31. The Return by E.C. Tubb, 1997
32. Child of Earth by E.C. Tubb, 2008

updated: 2025-04-25

Hardware

I use an iPhone 16 Pro Max, an iPad Pro (M4) with a Pencil Pro, a MacBook Air (M4), and a Mac Mini (M4 Pro). My monitor is an LG HDR Ultra-Wide Quad HD (UWQHD). Additionally, I wear an Apple Watch Series 10, use AirPods Pro 2, a Magic Mouse, Trackpad, and Keyboard with Numeric Keypad.

Software

My terminal is Ghostty with the Fish shell. I write code in the Zed editor, primarily using the Go programming language. For knowledge management, I rely on Obsidian.

updated: 2025-04-25

I am based in Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan, and work as a sales specialist for Apple retail. I am contributing to open source projects and communities. Each day, I strive to sleep, move, eat, grow, play, and share. I am constantly learning and exploring new things.

I am grateful for the gift of insatiable curiosity.

My current pastimes include:

• Building strength through deadlifts, squats, and bench press three times a week.
• Building stamina through running, rowing, and HIIT workouts three times a week.
• Experimenting with craft cocktails, particularly perfecting Old Fashioned variants.
• Reading actively (see https://philoserf.com/posts/books-i-am-reading/).

I am looking forward to:

Born on July 4, 1962, at 8:35 a.m. in Jamestown, New York.