Preface

My name is Chris Brightwell, I’m 27 years old, and I live in Huntsville, Alabama, where I’ve lived for all of my life.  I married my high school sweetheart and I’ve known what I wanted to be when I “grow up” since I was 7 years old.

By day, I’m a software engineer. For most folks, that’s boring stuff.

While I’m not at work, there are a few “things” that I do.

I am a technologist. I really enjoy learning about new technologies or new applications for old technologies.  I first learned to use a computer with DOS 3 on an IBM XT when computer monitors were monochromatic, we never dreamed of filling a 10MB hard drive, and the BBS was as close as we got to the Internet.  Since then, I’ve become go-to geek for most of my friends and family.  I keep up with the latest technologies in fields that interest me, but that list is so vast and diverse that trying to capture it here would be futile.

I am a photographer. I picked up photography while I was in college, mostly because it was something to occupy my time that was neither mathematics nor science.  In doing so, I found a great desire to capture moments and memories, through my viewfinder, and share them with friends and family.  I’ve primarily focused on recording a wide events with a photojournalistic style (available light, minimal interference), but I’d really love to move into concert photography.  I haven’t yet been able to get my foot into that door.

I am an avid Scouter. I spend a lot of my free time working with young people (ages 13 to 21, usually), teaching them to be effective leaders and role models while teaching them what I know about technology and multimedia.  I help them learn to be creative professionals, technical problem solvers, educated thinkers, and effective leaders.  These young men, in turn, share their knowledge, passion, and skills with others.

I am a fan of music. A lot of people hear music, but most of them don’t actually listen to music.  If they did, we wouldn’t have Nickelback, Creed, Top-40 radio stations, or The Loudness War.  I spend my summers at Bonnaroo, spend my time listening to music that matters, and share my current favorite album with anyone willing to listen.  If that makes me elitist, I don’t care.

I am a gamer. I’m part of the 8-bit and 16-bit generations, meaning that I cut my teeth on a NES and lost most of my early adolescence to the SNES.  I have a soft spot for Super Mario Bros. 2 (the US version, not the Japanese version) and will argue its merits when necessary.  I’ll play Tetris until my thumbs fall off, I wish I’d skipped the “No Russian” mission in Modern Warfare 2, and I don’t understand the appeal of Grand Theft Auto.

I am a Mac, even if I hate that stupid marketing line. I live my life on a MacBook Pro, an iPhone 3G, and a 120GB iPod classic.  The Apple “ecosystem”, for me, is clean and efficient enough to let me do exactly what I want, when I want, without getting in the way of anything.  There are limits to the platform, obviously, but I’m willing to accept those so long as the things that I have (or will have) continue to just work in ways that I would reasonably expect. When Apple decides to jump the shark, I’ll be shopping around for a new, better solution.

In terms of social ideology, I identify as a secular humanist.  Politically, I tend to be mildly Libertarian, fiscally conservative, socially liberal, and cautiously globalist.

Any questions?