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An introduction (biography?)



I'd be curious to see more people's biographies, since otherwise 
my notions of who other people are will be very vague.

Because it seems appropriate, I'll do my own:

I just graduated from College last December, with a degree in Math 
and Computer Science.  I was feeling pretty unsure about what I 
wanted to do -- thought about graduate school, a programming job, 
maybe volunteering abroad, and finally decided I wanted to go into 
education.  I've thought about it many times in the past, but then 
other interests have distracted me... I guess that's why I don't have 
a teaching degree or certificate :-/

I've been using Linux for a couple years now and love it, but it's 
definately the idealism behind free software which most appeals to 
me, ever since I stumbled upon the GNU Manifesto while I was 
using Emacs back in high school.  And education, both monolithic 
and noncompetitive, seems like the most potentially successful 
area for free software.  Potentially -- but it hasn't even really started 
yet.

Right now I have what is mostly a transitional job in the public 
schools.  "Computer Lab Para III" -- I think it's the III that really 
gives it a spiffy ring.  I hang out with a lot of kids, who use ever-so-
fragile Macs.  The job is more about the kids than the computers, 
and I don't even really have the authority to do anything about the 
computers even if I wanted to... but I understand the computers, it's 
the kids that I'm learning about -- especially how they act in 
numbers...

In the fall I plan to move somewhere else with my girlfriend -- 
Chicago or Boston, I think (opinions welcome :) -- and find a better 
job, stop living with my parents, and all that "independant" stuff :P  
The public schools grow increasingly frustrating, so I might look 
elsewhere.

So how about you?



--
Ian Bicking <bickiia@earlham.edu>