Computers

I spent more than three decades in enterprise information technology, including a long run as Director of Computer Operations. This category is where that part of my life shows up: the work, the field, and the stories from a career spent keeping complex systems running.

Technology was my profession long before writing was, and it shaped how I think about almost everything. Troubleshooting a failing system teaches you to reason from evidence, to eliminate the impossible, and to stay calm when everything is on fire. Those habits turned out to be useful far beyond the data center.

The posts here look back at the computer field as I lived it, how I got into it, what it was actually like, and what a long technical career teaches a person about problem-solving, pressure, and people.