I have some interest in Philosophy (taking one course in this), as well, but have not found any excellent philosophers in the literature who actually live it.

Being long-divorced, I have two grown children.  My daughter, Jill, is married and has two young sons, while my son, Jason, is unmarried,

Personally, I am noncompetitive, but do my best under whatever the circumstances may be.

My reading interests have been mainly in Science and Technology - nonfiction.  In the past, I followed the relevant literature while working (such as in Combustion), read countless magazines (articles) and books.  My reading is now reduced, as it is an eye strain and I don't have time for this much.

I have literally written thousands of papers, with seven articles in the literature and one presentation at the Combustion Symposium in Tokyo (see Academic Page), and seven or eight not submitted for publication (with three of these presented on the Academic Page).  [The wolf paper there was for a course term paper and was not a consideration for publishing.]

My best school subject would have to be English, although I was outstanding in Math and Science.  With this, Chemical Engineering was the best fit as a major in college (all three degrees).

My hobbies consist of computers and stamp collecting.

I have unusual taste when it comes to art, preferring some Impressionistic, certain portraits, very little Modern, and no Religious works.  The same is true for architecture, liking some Modern and disliking a lot of older structures.

I have considered myself to be an intellectual in the best sense of the word - interested and, hopefully, conversant on a wide variety of topics, such as that demonstrated at this web site.

In terms of organizations joined, I was formerly in the AICHE, the ACS, MENSA, PACS (the Philadelphia Area Computer Society), PETA, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Sierra Club, and PCRM (a Physicians group).  I have previously joined the Pioneer Valley PC Users Group, AARP, and two online vegan/vegetarian groups on MSN.

These organizations reflect my activities in professional employment, community service, and personal concerns for the Earth and its people, plants, and animals. 

Unfortunately, I have found out that almost all charities use up an inordinate percentage of the their donations for sustaining themselves and not contributing to whatever they should be supporting.  Therefore, I have stopped contributing to all of them.

I have traveled a lot over the decades.  This includes overseas trips to Europe, Italy to go skiing in the Alps, and Japan, where I presented a paper at the 1974 Combustion Symposium.  The only other trips outside of the country were to Canada.

In America, I have been in Florida a few times and as far as San Francisco to visit my daughter, Jill, and her family.  There was also one super-trip across the country with my then wife, Linda, and Jill, ending up in Colorado, where I did some work in a coal mine while employed by the Bureau of Mines.

I have resided in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and outskirts [Phoenixville and Royersford] and Pittsburgh) and New England (Connecticut and now Massachusetts) over the years.

My life has experienced inordinate amounts of movies, television, and radio (mainly music, my three favorite types being rock and roll, classical, and progressive jazz). 

I am currently watching freebie movies from Comcast On Demand.  Unfortunately, the caliber of these movies is mostly quite terrible.  I have trouble with some violence and ugliness in movies.

In terms of television, my favorites are movies, sitcoms (often reruns), sports (including golf, and tennis lately), the news, the weather, and some talk shows.

And I am on the Internet every day, reading my MSN home page and checking my Email and this web site.  Other 'Net activities include browsing and shopping, checking definitions (mostly on Wikipedia), and banking (for convenience and to save paper), but not socializing.

I am still "reading" during a variety of activities, including, radio, television, movies, and in person.  Some of this can be painful.

Obviously, with the above, I have absorbed Civilization, with museums, libraries, college campuses, churches, and weddings and funerals as well.  This has definitely helped to keep me from getting bored.

Sports that I have participated in actively as an adult have been basketball, softball, touch football, horseshoes, bowling, skiing, and tennis.

Games played include checkers, parchesi, monopoly, chess, bridge, hearts, and whist.  I have also done some mild gambling playing penny-ante, poker and blackjack.