TurboFool (Neither, really)

I’m a washed-up actor, a know-it-all, a liberal, an atheist, a husband and father, a cyber geek, a video gamer, a technology specialist (don’t you love vague titles?), and a great deal more. This site is dedicated to everything I find interesting, and that’s a lot.

In my day-to-day work I’m usually thought of as kind of a know-it-all, but usually in a complimentary way, and so I figured if I know so much, why not start a blog and see how much anyone really cares about what I know. So that brings us here.

My main interests revolve around nearly anything technological. I build computers for fun (when I have the funds), and when I’m not building them I’m usually tinkering with them. I’m generally not content if my computer still works exactly the same way it did last week. I love experimenting and learning, and I pick up a ton of useful information in the process. So I hope to extend some of that to this site.  Video games are also a big thing in my life. I have to honestly say, my SKILLS in video games are nothing spectacular, but it’s the overall concept that I love so much, so I’m quick to absorb every bit of news I can about them, which is almost as much fun for me as playing them. I tend to like to collect the majority of the game consoles each generation, and this time around I’m what we refer to as a "Wii60" guy.

I consider myself a liberal, although there are certain aspects of my opinion system that would lead others to disagree. This complicated things for a while, as I if someone really wanted to know how I was categorized I’d have to start getting more specific than just "liberal," as there’s elements associated with liberals that aren’t always positive, and for good reason. Recently I stumbled upon a site that tied it all together, and has since earned a spot in my blogroll, called The 1585. They explain themselves better than I could in this short paragraph, and so I strongly recommend following that link to better understand the meaning of the name and why I now consider myself a 1585 liberal.

I am an atheist, and this is important to me, although I find it rather sad that it needs to be. The concept of the lack of belief in something shouldn’t be a focus in someone’s life. I have no belief that there’s a Mexican blog fairy who will grant my blog instant popularity and massive amounts of ad-generated revenue, but I have no need to make that clear or talk about it openly. But some of the groups that have taken over this country have begun to press their beliefs upon the rest of us, and as such it’s starting to become necessary that my simple lack of belief in God (I capitalize out of respect for those that believe, as I do respect them as fellow human beings) become a major talking point for me. If this offends you, I regret that, but it doesn’t stop me from expressing it publicly, and I will continue to do so. We’ve been disenfranchised, disrespected, and excommunicated from the world far too much for many centuries, and the world is finally in a state where we won’t be publicly persecuted for our standpoint, so it’s only fair that we take this opportunity to come forward. I’d like to make it clear, though, as I touched on before, that I am not disrespectful toward those who belief insomuch as I respect all fellow human beings. I respect you, and I respect your right to believe. I don’t agree with your beliefs or accept them as truth, but contrary to popular belief, atheists are not at war with you, and the vast majority of us have no interest in taking your belief away. We just want to live in a world where you offer us the same respect, and don’t force your religion’s rules on the rest of us. Fair enough?

I’m also a natural skeptic, although only recently have I begun to get more involved in that community. There are a lot of amazing blogs and podcasts devoted to this topic, and it’s really very exciting to me. My grandfather always taught me the simple phrase, “How do you know?” It wasn’t until a few years ago that this started to really mean something to me, though, and shape the way I think and do things. I try to no longer take anything for granted or at face value. Before I believe something I like to know why. I’ve even begun to go back over my own deep-seated beliefs and start re-evaluating why I think the way I do. It’s important to point out, though, that skepticism isn’t cynicism. We don’t simply deny everything, or refuse to believe for the sake of being contrary. We simply realize that a great deal of harm can come from dishonesty, and opening one’s eyes to truth and reality will usually get you a lot farther than buying whatever bull it shoveled your way.

I’ve been married to just about the most amazing, beautiful person I could imagine since July of 2001. She’s my partner, my counter-weight, my connecting puzzle piece, and my best friend. We don’t agree on everything, but we work hard to respect each other, and we manage to open each other’s eyes to views we’d probably both have managed to ignore otherwise. Together we’re raising two beautiful (I swear, I have countless unrelated, nameless witnesses who will attest to their shocking good looks) children who surprise us every day by outsmarting us. We revel in just how far we’ve managed to beat the marriage statistics so far, and both suspect that if we ever ran into trouble we’re probably too stubborn to let it damage our streak. Lots of couples are in love, have great kids and complement each other, but personally, I’m counting on that stubbornness as our ace in the hole.

This page will heavily mutate over time, hopefully, along with the rest of the site. As I mentioned in my obligatory first post, the style and layout of this site will change frequently until I’m happy with it. I went through a period of time with no updates, where the site festered, but with renewed interest came a WordPress upgrade and a brand new theme that, for now, I’m pretty happy with. Expect constant tweaks and revisions, assuming I can stay on track.

Oh, and if you’re curious about the name, well, anyone who’s known me long enough and well enough may already know the meaning behind it. For the rest of you, just use your imagination. Whatever you dream of will probably be more interesting than the real story, anyway.