About Me

1. When you're not working, what are your favorite things to do? In other words, what hobbies, activities or interests do you like to pursue in your spare or free time?

Solve logic puzzles. Solve crosswords. Play board games. Play card games. Play pinball. Play video games (especially Dance Dance Revolution). Read on-line comics.

2. If we showed up on a typical weekday evening when you were home relaxing, what kinds of things would we find you doing to relax or unwind?

On a typical weekday evening, I will not be at home relaxing. I am more likely to be at work working, or at work not working. Some nights I go play pinball,board games, video games, or the piano in the Google lobby. If you come by after midnight, you'll probably find me surfing the internet.

3. What favorite high tech gadgets would we find in your home?

None. I'm very low-tech. I don't have a TV. I don't have a stereo system. I have a three-year-old computer and a 19-inch CRT display (really heavy). That's about it.

4. Over the course of a typical week, what TV programs are your favorites to watch?

Not having a TV, I don't watch TV programs unless I borrow a DVD or something. I find watching TV programs a big timesink. The last show I watched consistently was "Ebert & Roeper At the Movies". Before that I watched Star Trek somewhat.

5. What magazines would we find in your magazine rack that are your favorites to read?

I have no magazine rack. I subscribe mostly to puzzle magazines not available in the USA. Nikoli (from Japan), Brein Brekers (from the Netherlands), Akil Oyunlari (from Turkey), and Tough Puzzles (from the UK) are magazines I subscribe to. I used to subscribe to Games Magazine (from the USA) but I let that subscription lapse. I get some periodicals because of group affiliations (Mensa, Caltech Alumni) but I don't read those often.

6. What bookmarks or favorite websites would we find on your computer?

Google is my homepage, of course. You'd also find eBay, random cool-looking sites, on-line comics, humorous sites, informational sites (snopes.com, straightdope.com), anime sites, board game sites, meta-link sites like memepool.com, and pornography (not too ashamed to admit that).

7. What kinds of games would we find in your home? Video games? Board games? Puzzles? What are your favorites?

I have around 200 or so board games in my home, around 100 or so computer and video games, and around 200 mechanical and manipulative puzzles. My total collection (I don't keep it all in my home) is around 500 board games, 1300 computer and video games, and 500 puzzles. My favorite board games tend to be German-style family strategy games. My favorite computer and video games tend to be puzzle games. My favorite puzzles tend to be innovative so there's really no correlation among those I like.

8. What radio stations or more specifically, radio programs do you listen to regularly?

The only station I listen to is KCBS, which is a 24-hour news station. I listen to it whenever I'm alone in my car.

9. What, if any, clubs or organizations do you belong to? Social? Professional?

I'm in the Bay Area Pinball Association, a competitive league that plays weekly. I'm a regular attendee of the International Puzzle Party, a gathering for mechanical puzzle collectors. I belong to Mensa (The High IQ Society), although the only reason I keep my membership is because of the yearly boardgame event "Mensa Mind Games".

10. Where did you go to earn your most recent/highest degree?

California Institute of Technology. I graduated with a B.S. in Engineering and Applied Science: Computer Science Option, which we Techers tend to abbreviate to just "Computer Science."

11. When you were there, what were your favorite places to hang out with friends on campus? Off campus? Please be as specific as possible – e.g. the Coho (Coffee House at Stanford), not at a restaurant – or the Goose or Zot's, not at a bar.

I tended to stay on campus. I'd hang out with friends at the Caltech Anime Society. Or read comics at the Caltech Coffeehouse. Or just hang in the dorm's computer lab.

12. What is your favorite __________ of all time? (Fill in below.)

Off the top of my head (I'm sure I think of better ones as they come up):

• TV Show: Doraemon
• Movie: Wings of Honneamise
• Book: The Caves of Steel
• Invention: Money
• Celebrity: Martin Gardner