Andy Wheeler
What can be said about me that hasn't been said already? Well, anything good, probably. I'm a computer scientist (well, I write programs and do system integration and stuff like that). I suppose I could start out with the obligatory list of interests:
Gaming
Fandom
Computing
Sports
Miscellaneous stuff
My wife is a wump. She is quite possibly the last of her kind, the sole survivor of an ancient race of beings. Want to know more? Click here.
I do enjoy gaming! I tried to get started a couple years ago on Warhammer Fantasy, but I never found the time to paint those little miniatures. When I have time to game, I mostly partake in board or card games, but occasionally find myself running or playing in a role-playing game of some sort. Here are some of my favorites:
I also am usually involved one way or another with Gamicon, Iowa City's oldest gaming convention. This year I'm (again) on the concom.
For those in the know, fandom is the odd society founded around the enjoyment of science fiction and fantasy literature. Out of this society arose animals known as conventions, or "cons". Click here for a starting place to find out more about fandom. ICON is Iowa City's own local con. It attracts about 450-500 people each year and is a total blast. I always have something to do with ICON, usually as a knave of liquor, director for the TICC East, or even concom. Here are some of the other cons I know something of:
I also serve on the Board of Directors for Mindbridge Foundation, a non-profit corporation formed to promote science fiction and fantasy in all of its genres and media.
I'm a software developer by trade. I mostly write PC-based applications, but have been known to dabble in Macintosh and other arcane systems. My language of choice currently is Delphi. If you'd like to see my resume, it is here for perusal. I also do freelance consulting, mail me if you need something!
What kind of sports do I like? Well, the NFL is a perennial favorite. And, of course, NCAA basketball and football are at the top of my list. Did I mention that I'm an Iowa Hawkeye fan? Baseball is OK when I have a nice tall glass of Guinness in my hand, but the word "cubs" is a dirty four letter word. Also, I've started a small page that displyas my "I hate Michigan" tendencies.
I was born and raised in a rural area south of Muscatine, Iowa. My dad was a commercial fisherman on the Mississippi, and practically everything in my life was influenced by that. All of the hard work and effort required to bring in such little money, and the effect it had on my dad, convinced me to strive for a better way of living. I grew up in near poverty, and was determined not to let my kids do that.
After all that, I still have a close conection to the Mississippi River. I try to get back as often as I can, and am waiting for the day when I can buy that boat. My brother, Mike, is a pilot on a towboat based in Muscatine. Check out this site, where the Army Corps of Engineers maintains tons of information on Mississippi navigation.
Here are some links to other items of interest:
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