This is an old revision of this page, as edited by LessHeard vanU (talk | contribs) at 17:03, 9 March 2006 (→Brief History: amend Chartered Accountatnt link). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 17:03, 9 March 2006 by LessHeard vanU (talk | contribs) (→Brief History: amend Chartered Accountatnt link)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)My name is Mark James Slater and this is who I am.
Brief History
I was born in Hanwell, West London,UK on the 30th October 1959. Other than the arrival of a brother my pre-school life was as uneventful as most peoples. By the time I had started education my family had moved house twice, but never more than a few miles, as the family grew. At school I was described as a daydreamer who contributed in matters of interest, but who did not make much of an effort in other areas; notably homework.
I left school, after one years further education and a smattering of exam pass grades, and was one of the last generation to experience "full employment". Thus started a (continuing) sequence of office/administration jobs punctuated by periods of unemployment. I started using computers at work in the early 1980's, when "luggable" personal computers had two 5.1/4 inch drives - one of which took the Boot Disk! From then on my computer experience grew as did the technology, but only ever as a user. For some reason I found myself very adept at administering office systems and procedures, and found computers an excellent tool.
To my shock I found myself, in the mid to late 1980's, having the beginnings of a career in Insolvency, working for a major City of London firm of Chartered Accountants. Upon this realisation I resigned and moved to West Cornwall, with my live in girlfriend.
Finding myself in the perfect environment I started doing all those things I had been avoiding prior to coming to Cornwall. I (that is we, the girlfriend and I, since she was the major wage earner) bought a house, got married (the first mortgage was in her name, but subsequent ones are joint, so that was not the reason for the sequence of events) and started a family. My son was born in 1999 and my daughter in 2003.
Two Notable Events
In 2002 I took the MENSA IQ test, and scored 144. My wife took the same test, at the same time, and scored 143. Our marriage survived. We plan to retake the tests again, soon.
In 2004 my son was diagnosed as having a moderate to severe Autistic Spectrum Disorder, with communication and socialising skill deficiencies. His behaviour patterns appeared very familiar with my parents, who commented that I exhibited less severe variants of the same behaviour as a child.
Interests
Amongst others; Aeroplanes, Electric Guitars, Clockwork Cine Camera's, Science Fiction (book and film), Science fact, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Autism, Poetry, The DiscWorld books, photography, books of quotations, David Bowie, the Internet, Table Tennis, Cornwall.
Miscellanea
I have a self designed tattoo, professionally applied, on my left hip. I am a Chelsea Football Club follower (since 1969). I have large collections of;
- Clockwork Cine Cameras.
- Vinyl Records - particulary 1977 to 1984 vintage (punk/New Wave).
I own a rare Japanese Electric Guitar.
Identities
I belong to a selection of sites where my username is a variation of "LessH... vanU". If you know me by any of these identities, then you know what to expect!
Comments
I am not certain what I can bring to this place, but that is why I am here. I have no problem with anyone editing my contributions, but I prefer to know why - that way I can learn and be a better contributor. I think that the premise behind this project is commendable, and is exactly what the internet should be.
This page is something of a testing ground, to be amended as I learn how to use the tools. Bear with me!