Mike Campbell
Somewhere in Occupied Northern Virginia
At first I thought i'd just copy and past my resume header here and be done with that; but, who I am is hopefully more than where I have worked. No, who anyone is defined by what they have done. In that respect, my resume header is probably appropriate to place here. So here it is:
Twenty five years experience in programming tending toward specialization in development, design, and testing expertise in embedded systems applications. I have continuing specific experience in design, development, and testing in real-time Linux/embedded environments.
Humm, all that really says is that I am programmer, albeit a fantastically talented and lucky one, but still just a programmer. So who am I really? I am afraid I can't really say, as I fear I don't really know that myself. This blog is a discovery to find just that - one damn day at a time...
P.S.
For those of you that don't know me (or do, but have forgotten / missed something), here's a more detailed description of who I am:
I was born in the early 60's. You can do the math to figure out how old I am, I choose not to anymore as it is not helpful. I (mostly) grew up in Memphis, TN (is there any other Memphis - I mean that is not populated by dead people?). I joined the Army (yes - the United States Army) before I finished high school, and entered in boot camp the fall after I graduated. After two years in I earned my 'B&Cs' (that's badge and credentials) as a fully qualified Counter-Intelligence Agent. While that sounds interesting, it really just consisted mostly of boring security inspections and giving even more boring security briefings. I suspect most jobs in the Army were like that then; it was the cold war after all. After four years, I decided that was not a career path for me, and did not renew my enlistment. I drifted in and out of college, and eventually landed my first programming gig. In the process of doing that, somehow I got married, started a family, and moved to Northern Virginia, where I now live.
I read a great deal (always have), I hike almost daily, and kayak as much as the weather & the dog will let me. When the mood hits me I dig out the mountain bike and go for a ride. More often than not that means pushing the bike up the hills so I can get the adrenaline rush of flying down them.