Bill is a semi-retired artist and photographer who is known to many as “Oil Painter Bill.” He is certified to teach wildlife and landscape painting, although he rarely teaches. So far, he's done over 50 paintings in various styles and techniques. He is also a trained photographer who has won honors for his wildlife photography. He is currently learning to edit high definition video using Adobe CS4 Production Premium and produced a video which is being sold to raise funds for a non-profit. He has had a few poems published and sometimes writes short stories as a hobby.
Bill has a Masters in Project Management and a Bachelors in Computer Science. In his previous life, he programmed computer games for nearly a decade. Before that, he ran a computer store for about 5 years. He builds his own computers, runs several web sites, explores new operating systems, and spends far too much time keeping current with new technologies. Another of his hobbies is exploring quantum physics, philosophy, world religions, and the myriad theories on consciousness while looking for common threads which connect them all.
Bill currently uses Windows Vista as his primary working OS, but admits he has a chip on his shoulder regarding Microsoft’s poor treatment of their customers. So he is exploring just about every OS at this point. His latest installation is Ubuntu Hardy Heron. You will also see him talk about the benefits of OSX more and more. He often talks about future technology directions and the environment. Other sore spots for him include DRM, the RIAA, the MPAA, and any hardware purchase he makes which doesn’t live up to the hype. He doesn’t pull punches when expressing his opinions but acknowledges that everyone should form their own opinions.