About

Who am I?

Hi, my name is Chris and I’m an unabashed technology/sci-fi nerd living in Kent, UK with my partner Wen. We have two cats (Itchy & Scratchy) and more recently a dog (Archer) who features in far too many of the posts on this blog.

My passion for technology started way back when my parent’s bought me a ZX Spectrum. Which turned out to be the best investment they ever made as it fueled my passion for technology.

A bit of background

I spent almost two decades working in the City of London, initially as a technical support engineer, then a developer, lead developer and finally a system architect specialising in post-trade notification platforms. Which is a very roundabout way of saying I was a digital plumber.

I started my career in an award-winning small startup that ultimately got bought by an award-wining global financial service provider. So I’ve experienced the benefits and challenges of working in both small and big businesses.

Before working in the city, I spent a decade as a systems administrator at a college, which is where I also did a large part of my higher education.

What now?

Now I’m semi-retired or having a midlife crisis, I’ve got plenty of time on my hands to do all the things I would dream about when staring out an office window watching countless sunny days go by.

If you are expecting a drug-fuelled, world tour that would go down in history, I’m afraid you’re on the wrong blog, This is a very British midlife crisis, so it’ll be more about the potting shed than gun-running in Central America.

Blogging

I started keeping a journal before this blog to record a number of events in my life so that I could review them. Partly as an experiment and partly because of … what was I saying … oh yes the old memory going.

I shared the journal with friends and family who feigned interest and suggested blogging might be an interesting past time.

Coincidentally, I was doing a lot of WordPress work for charity & family so it also allowed me to dabble with a lot of technical bits & pieces.

Writing

I’ve been writing fiction for many years. Usually in the guise of technical or business documents. Now I’ve discovered it’s possible to write without having to actually deliver on the ideas the shackles are truly off and you’ll find a wide range of flights of fancy on the site.

I’m currently finding my feet given this new freedom by writing short stories across a broad range of genres. If I was being pretentious I’d say “I’m trying to find my voice”, but the reality is I’m actually familiarising myself with the basic syntax and grammar of the English language.

So, here are my random musings. Feel free to take them, or leave them.