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Here's the thing: on my last birthday I got lots of postings on my wall on f-book from people I know and have known wishing me well and reaching out to me. I felt really appreciative. The fact is that I eschew f-book in particular and the commercial social networking industry in general. The reason for that is that I remain maniacal about my privacy and suspicious about the data collection aspect of f-book and the like.

Friends have reminded me of the attendant irony in all this. I certainly did not invent the internet or social networking but I played a significant role in creating the regulatory and commercial environment that allowed it to prosper. Notwithstanding that background, or maybe because of it, I am personally unwilling to permit my personal data to be collected, stored, mined, combined with that of others whether they be family, friends, professional acquaintances or whomever. My solution is to avoid it to the extent that it it possible to do so.

So I offer this site in my effort to out-f-book f-book. I've presented my friends, family, history, hobbies, and interests in a less intrusive way and in greater detail than f-book could hope to accommodate with its thousand-zillion users. (And I didn't even have to steal anyone else's technology to build it).

This site also appeals to the historian in me. Having spent many hours over many years reconstructing fragments of other people's history, I now offer my own digital fragments. Dig in is as deeply as you wish. I promise I won't sell your name or indicate your interests to anyone, with or without your permission. Write back and let me know what you think!