Josh On Design

Some of you may have seen the five things you don't know about me meme going around. The idea is that someone tags you, you post to your blog five interesting things that people don't know about you, and then you tag five more people who must do the same. Romain Guy got it a few days ago and linked to me, so now it's my turn.

Where I live, my job, and my recent marriage are all things that you do know about it because I blog obsessively, so here are a few things that you hopefully don't know. If you already do know these things then please send a stamped self-addressed envelope to "I already knew that" Springfield NT, 956789", for a full and complete refund.

I have driven across the US continent an average of once a year since I was 18, including 4 trips driving by myself and two trips on a Greyhound bus. The longest was a two and a half month trip in 2001. The shortest was a bit less than three days, including a 27 hour stretch from Amarillo, TX to Atlanta, Ga when I narrowly made it through a blizzard in western Texas. Later that same year I suffered through a '95 degrees at midnight heat wave', also in western Texas.

Due to my driving travels I have been through almost every state. The only one's I'm missing are Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine. (actually, I may have hit Maine. Andy?) I have also traveled outside the US to Italy, Japan, and the Czech Republic, all in the last three years.

I'm talented visually in a family of performers. My parents met while training to be ballroom dance instructors, one of my sister's was a dancer for several years and the other was an actress in Hollywood (ever see Road Trip?). Any everyone sings. I, on the other hand, am horrible at singing, dancing, and acting. I've always been more attracted to painting, photography, and origami. That probably explains why I care so much about visual design and desktop Java.

I don't like to watch sports on TV, but I love to attend a game in person. Especially hockey, which is fortunate because Jen is a huge fan. I don't really care about who wins or loses over a season, I just enjoy a good game. The food, the crowd, the sound of the puck on the ice. It can't be beat! Oh, and thanks to my new home I do have to root for the Oregon Ducks. Go Ducks!

I hate class action lawsuits with a passion. I feel the benefit only the class action lawyers (on both sides), provide little to the plantiff class, and raise prices for everyone. Whenever I win a settlement I give the money away. Fortunately Sun is very generous and matches my charitable donations dollar for dollar so I was able to donate almost a thousand dollars last year to the Katrina Victims on Allstate's behalf. :)

I'm a libertarian and a huge proponent of nuclear power. The only magazines I subscribe to are Wired, MacWorld, and The Economist. I voted predominantly Republican in every election since I was 18 except for this past November. I am pro-choice, pro-capital punishment, pro-gay-rights, pro-gun-rights, pro-drug legalization, and anti-farm subsidies. In general I believe free trade of capital and labor is good, and that people should do what they want as well as take responsibility for their own actions. Or in the words of the great ones: Be excellent to each other.. and party on dudes!

So who's next? David Herron, Chris Adamson, Kirill Grouchnikov , Robert Cooper, and for you non-Java folks, my actor/geek sister Rachel Hill.