Brave Humans

Hello everyone. My name is Rick, and I am a new contributor to Brave Humans. I have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a PMI certification in project management, and just about two decades of systems design and development experience.

I play electric bass in a band, play piano at home and try to sing. Some call it singing; I hope that one day, I can earn the title of “singer” that some people have bestowed upon me.

I am a confessional Lutheran. If you don’t know what that means, don’t go to the Lutheran denominations’ web sites, because most of them don’t know, either. They are all trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up, usually Reformed or Baptist. Nine times out of ten, someone is proselytizing me, not vice versa.

I’ve worked with bigots of all types, but primarily those of the Microsoft, IBM, Linux and Java variety. Some strive to design the most elegant technical solution, but waste so much time and money in the concept stages that they are not permitted to finish the prototype. Others couldn’t architect an exceptional technical solution to save their life, but they always get their projects done – on time, within budget and fulfilling all of the customer’s requirements.

I’ve had cussing matches with technical architects who speak around the world about stuff they’ve done. I’ve learned that they have groupies, too. When I’ve asked them when they would deliver a product to me, though, they could only offer more conditions, not answers.

I live in a deadline-driven, budget-conscious, results-oriented arena.

If I could, I would…

• spend my whole day studying music.
• spend my whole day dissecting sports strategy for my beloved pro sports teams.
• learn all the theology and philosophy I desire.
• spend all my days investigating the politics du jour, so that I could have learned discourse with others on any topic.

But…

• I can barely make the time to fulfill my church duties as Deacon and Vice President.
• I require my band mates to explicitly agree to the next 3-4 songs we will learn. I don’t have the time to practice all the “next” songs, usually 9-12 in number, and be ready for whatever comes up in practice.
• I am blessed to get all the time I do with my wife, 10-yo daughter and 5-yo son. It is not as much as I like. Most of my other activities take place after the kids are asleep and my wife is knitting.

So…

In this right-of-center world of mine, I will contribute to Brave Humans when I believe I have something interesting to say. I am part moral libertarian, pragmatist and utilitarian – all hopefully on display here, at Brave Humans. I am also a part-time satirist, cynic and bad comedian, mostly on display at my QuipSpot blog (see below). I hope my posts, whether you agree or disagree, help lead us, as Americans, to get better results out of ourselves, our governors and our politicians.