10 April 2004
Welcome to your life; there's no turning back. - Tears for Fears
For those interested here is a quick bio of planet Dan.
Name: Dan Wright Date of Birth: Q1 1970 Job/Career: Something technical/engineering related Location: Beaverton, Oregon Relocated from Fort Lauderdale, Florida in August of 1997. Birth Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida I was born and raised in the surrounding suburbs of Fort Lauderdale which is in Broward County, Florida. Somewhere around 1.3 million people live in the county area. It is a pretty big county with much of it being part of the Everglades (i.e. Swamp land). Many of the people who live in South Florida migrated from the north (many from New York/New Jersey). However, even though it is about as far south as you can go in the US it is not consider part of "The South." Thus, very few people speak with a deep southern accent and you can forget about southern hospitality. The Winters are nice--around 76 in the day-- while the summers get pretty hot and muggy--around 92 during the day with lots of humidity (80%+). Work: Oregon I currently work in the high tech industry as an applications engineer and trainer. I help customers using our SW/HW, in getting their products to mass production. I often travel several times a year for the job including trips to Asia. I have traveld to the following places for work: Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Finland, Netherlands, New York, Massachutes, Texas, and California. Survival Drink: Lightly sweetened Green Tea. Amazing Junk Food: I'm a sucker for good Chocolate Chip cookies (Selma's, Cookies by Design) but BJ's famous Pizookie takes the prize at the moment. Describe yourself: The "I Know You" piece by Henry Rollins probably describes me best. Or, maybe I should say I can relate to the story as if YOU were ME. Describe yourself (part 2): I'm an ISTJ. You can find out about this personality test by going to the Typelogic webpage. You can take this personality test to find out your own personality in case you do not know what it is. It is always good to know and also good for people who know you so they understand you better. Not that they ever fully can but... My Weakness: I ask way to many questions (this annoys a lot of people), I am very critical, can be a perfectionist, and often complain too much. I Tend to lack tact. And finally sometimes I feel like I am an alien--I very rarely "fit in." My Strengths: I grow strong from every question answered, and because I am critical I can usually spot defects quicker than others. I guess I'm a continuous improvement machine. I tend to make and follow my own road. Education: The University of Florida--BSEE with Honors! My first semester I got three C+'s and one C (Sociology) for a total GPA of 2.38. I ended up graduating with something like a 3.31. I was very dedicated in my studies. Not the best studier, or smartest student but definitly one of the hardest workers--turning in all or nearly all homework assignments. After 5 years and 3 summers I burnt out. My brain has almost recovered (5 years later). I never had bloody noses until I reached my 3rd year of college. The placement of 3 test in one week cause so much stress my nose started bleeding out of both nostrils. Because of that I still get nose bleeds every so often--but only out of one nostril. College was a lot of stress for me. Softball, the 5 zines I published, and weightlifting help reduce some of that stress. Hobbies: Computers (demos), lifting weights, in-line skating, mountain bike riding, some watching of TV (Sports: Marlins/Dolphins) shows, but not many sitcoms or series these days. Maybe financial/news related. Always up for a good movie/documentary. I also do a bit of reading usually non-fiction, self help, financial, or similar topics. Every now and then you'll find me writing or keeping a travel journal. I use to do a little zine called "Fathoms Below" from 1990-1992 (which I have since converted to "PDF" and have included on line--seek and you shall find). I am also working on a non-fiction book called "Swimming in the Hate Pool" which I expect to finish eventually. These days much of my time is spend on the DemoDVD project. Visit DemoDVD for full details. Favorite book(s): Sabotage in the American Workplace and Henry Rollins book "Get in the Van." I also enjoy short stories by Ray Bradbury and Stephen King. I really don't read many Novels--I'm a slow reader. I mostly read non-fiction these days. Self help books are also cool but those never seem to work for me. I also like to read financial books related to investing. Favorite TV show(s): Older stuff like: Twilight Zone, Tales from the Darksize, Amazing Stories, Ray Bradbury Theater, Monsters, One Step Beyond, and the Outer Limits I can watch for days. New stuff I have enjoyed include: The new Outer Limits, and Sliders (first couple of years). Sometimes I've been known to watch and enjoy shows like Dr. Katz, Beavis and Butthead, Married with Children, Saturday Night Live, Mad TV, South Park, and the Simposons. Does you remember Whiz Kids? I also enjoyed that show which came out sometime after the movie Wargames. I guess I'm a little bit stuck in the past. Cool movie(s): Some of my favorites (not in any order): First Blood, Die Hard, Terminator 1&2, The Goonies, The Fisher King, Awakenings, Natural Born Killers, Wargames, Office Space, The Matrix, and Pump Up the Volume. Some other great movies I've really enjoyed include: Night on Earth, Into the Mouth of Madness, Motorama, Slackers, Josh and S.A.M., Where the Day Takes You, Bladerunner, Running Man, THX1138, Twelve Monkeys, Contact, Gattaca, Glenngary Glen Ross, Pulpfiction, and The Mosquito Coast. I'll list more as I remember or see them. I can't recommend seeing the above movies enough; they are all extremely worth your time. What motivates you: I wrote part of a page in my zine called GET MOTIVATED! Here is what I had to say back in late 1991 which still applies to me today... Sometimes, and I'm not sure why, it is very hard for me to get out and get thins done. Like making copies of this zine or going out to get something I need. I need to be motivated much of the time. Luckily I have my music (ROLLINS) and quotes to get me going. It is really a big plus. I often need to reassure myself that the apocalypse is not going to result because of me doing or saying something stupid. Perhaps that is why I am not that out going. Whatever the reason when I do go out, especially when doing something I've never done before I have to feed myself positive affirmations. As before, music, thoughts, quotes, and realizing that it won't be the end of the world usually get me out of the house. And if it is (the end of the world) then I have nothing to worry about--RIGHT? If you could have THREE wishes, they would be: Most people would wish for MONEY but that is near the bottom of my list. Yes, money helps but... Like a quote I saw in a cartoon said: "Money can't buy me HAPPINESS but it can buy me a boat big enough to sail close!" So, being very reasonable and realistic (i.e. goals maybe) my wishes are as follows: 1) To be less confused--to understand, comprehend, to doubt myself less 2) To increase my confidence level, and 3) to find my "soul" mate so to speak. All of these being obtainable by most peoples standards including myself. What the future holds: Additional MindCandy DVD volumes! After a successful first volume we have at least two additional DVD's planned and hopefully a few more after that. Each DVD takes 1-2 years to produce so I imagine we have enough work to keep us busy until 2010. I would also like to finish up my one book--will probably post it some day. Eventually work on the "Restaurant Horror stories" book with more intensity. Perhaps another audio CD although there is already enough good music out there so I'm not sure I want to add to to the crowded shelf without something really great to contribute. Career Plans (what do you want to do): At least a couple more years as an Engineer working with state of the art equipment on interesting products. Once the "career" unravels I haven't figured out what will be next besides maybe doing the business full time. Maybe then I can finish the books. Biggest disappointments in life: I find myself getting disappointed with people far too often. I demand quite a bit and would hope people would come through more often than they do. Most people don't understand me very well, they can't relate. Craziest/Stupidest thing you have ever done: Too many to name. Good advice for others: It is hard to be who you want to be--especially with everyone offering their opinions. Listen to others but also, listen to your GUT feelings. Had I listened to others I would have never made it to NAID, ASSEMBLY '93 or Oregon (read some of my stories online). You'll be happier if you are true to yourself--and trust me, sometimes you will be right and sometimes you will be wrong but hell, at least you tried. Something OTHERS should know: To be really good at something--coding, composing, skating, drawing, weightlifting, sports, etc.--you have to dedicate MOST of your time towards that something. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. Kind of like getting an "A" in school (college for example). It usually takes twice the effort to get an A than a B. At least that is what I have discovered. Same thing applies to life outside school. Want to be really good at something--then dedicate ALL your free time toward that something. I'm not trying to say this is what YOU should do just letting you know this is what you NEED to do to be really GOOD at something. Most the stuff I have done--drumming, construction, writing, art, softball--I have been average at. Simply because I did not want to put in the necessary time to reach that next level--remember, it is twice the effort. It is very hard to drop everything and concentrate on that ONE sole task but do it and you will see results. Weight lifting is a very GOOD example of this. It is easy to obtain a toned body but only total dedication will you achieve a muscular look. So, it is your choice...Jack of all trades...but master of NONE? I am highly impressed by truly dedicated people. Something ELSE others should know: Life IS hard...but it doesn't have to be. This world needs: More kindness, more people smiling and saying hi, more "love," more truth, less lies, less greed, less hate, less politics, less violence. Computer: Pentium 4, 1GB RAM, 190 gigs HD space, ATI Radeon 9600 Pro, Wireless Network with Cable Modem, M-Audio sound card, Canon MP730 printer, Pioneer DVD writer (4x), 8x Philips CD-RW, 1.44 Floppy, 17" Samsung 700p, and 17" Techsan SXGA monitors. I Typically upgrade my system every 2-3 years. Soundcard(s) own: Gravis Ultrasound and M-Audio. Music you like listen to: Rollins Band, Stereolab, Cocteau Twins, Cranberries, Lots of Electronic stuff (BT, Paul Oakenfold, Daft Punk, etc.), Orbital, Sundays, some SKA, punk and Polka, and techno. Fill in the rest with New Wave/Alternative bands. Favorite demo(s): The Popular demo by Farbrausch but always changing Project(s) plan: The MindCandy DVD and eventually getting back to the books. How can people contact you: Send e-mail to: dmw at fusecon.com