Welcome to HillofBeans.org

You probably made a mistake.

You were searching for enlightenment and the answers to the most troubling and profound questions concerning the perilous state of the human condition in the early 21st century - in 30 words or less.

Wrong place - try the back of your favorite cereal packet instead.

I wrote my first book (a gruesomely complex technical work) in 2005. I was the hardest work I ever did and I enjoyed it immensely. Go figure. This admission may already be giving you some insight into the kind of aberrant thinking process that lies behind this site.

This site - truth be told it's an ego trip - is dedicated to my ramblings on a variety of topics. All of which probably amount to a hill of beans.

It is about things that interest me. If they interest you also that is good and I am happy. If they don't, well that is sad, but not terminal in either your life or mine.

And what interests me you may well ask? Or then again you probably couldn't care less and, indeed, why should you.

The State of Society: The world we have created, or for most of us non-activists, allowed to be created on our behalf. The political, economic, ecological and cultural influences on our societal life. The "me generation" of which I am one, has a lot to answer for in that, by focussing on just my needs, my wants, my pleasures has allowed the larger forces to drift out of control. The larger society, be it street, city, street, state or nation, has become, in that great catchall expression, collateral damage to the myopic view of the world brought on by a headlong rush to pure self-satisfaction.

Music, Dance and Tango: As if you were not already convinced you were in the wrong place this may provide the crucial evidence. Music plays a large part in my life. Give me Blues, Jazz, Classical, Opera, ethnic music - anything in fact that speaks to the deeper meaning in life and I'm in another place. And dance? Because if there is any rhythm in the music you have to move to it. That's my definition of dance - a compelling need to move to music - anything else is merely gymnastics. I came to tango through its music. The tremendous breadth and diversity from the most melancholic tango to the most rumbustuous milonga or candombe.

Writing: I enjoy writing. I find it painful. One of the objectives is to experiment with writing style and form to achieve various purposes. This is my chosen vehicle. I have been doing technical writing for the web for over a decade now. This site contains well over 3,000 pages that were my kindergarden. Time to move on.

For those entirely devoid of a sense of irony the site's name hillofbeans.org is meant to indicate that I do not take myself entirely seriously. If you you do find the occasional sliver of humor it was - mostly - intended. For if we cannot laugh at ourselves and the occasionally dreadful business that is called life what hope is there for sanity and the future of the species.

Come to think of it perhaps that explains the present (late 2006) insanity that is seemingly taking over the world. With, heaven help us, major political figures discussing what forms of torture are acceptable. And the dismissal of the writ of Habeous Corpus at the whim of a single human being.

Sometimes it's as if we had all fallen asleep for 800 years and on waking up in a strange place called Runnymede we hear the ghost of King John laughing his head off "And those plebs thought they could stop power hungry slimeballs like me, well we lost the battle temporarily - but we're back , man, we're back big time".