This website is a work in progress and will always be. Feel free to point out any problems.
About Me?
Born and brought up in Indore, India, I now live and work in the US. I lived in NY/NJ metro area for 4 years, about a year in Portland, OR area and now in the SF Bay area.
Work
I work with IT infrastructure for a living but my interests are with technology in general. I have done everything from managing office moving projects to hardcore systems administration to managing software projects. My main job in the past has been with design, implementation and maintenance of network and software infrastructure using a combination of Open Source and Commercial components.
I used to enjoy working with computers much more than I do now. Last few years of slogging have made me feel that it is just a means to earn a living. I recently started working at Cisco, San Jose and the change has made me believe that a job can still be interesting.
Technology in general interests me. Specifically, GPS and communication technologies like VOIP and radio systems. Open Source software in general is a major part of what I do. As for gadgets, it is always a pleasure to try the latest / bleeding edge technologies.
My job, on a daily basis, involves managing 35+ servers and also fixing other people’s code mess.
Aviation
Flying has enticed me since I was a kid. It is an expensive activity and difficult to pursue back home in India. We had aeromodelling available as an activity in school but I got into it just two years ago. Since then, I have grown my collection to 3 models and several controllers but don’t fly them much these days.
Around October 2006, I started training for a private pilot license. I earned my FAA Private Pilot certificate on November 2nd 2007. The training changed my life and was certainly one of the best things that happened to me.
I mostly fly Cessna 172SP / G1000 but plan to get a tail wheel endorsement because in the future, I wish to spend my weekends towing gliders.
Amateur Radio
Ham Radio was another activity that was available in school but I never got to work on it. I am a US FCC Licensed amateur radio operator. My call sign is W7VAI. I mostly talk on local repeaters in the SFO Bay area, particularly on the 145.230. I also frequent the Echolinknetwork and sometimes IRLP. I am currently learning Morse Code and hope to operate CW frequently in the future.
Working with morse code is like meditation.
My Wife is a licensed operator too and her call sign is KE7QPX(soon to be W6VAI).
Music
One thing that I did get to do in school was playing music. I was part of the school orchestra for 7 years and was called on to play in the morning prayer routine almost everyday. Since I passed out of school (Circa 1995), I haven’t played much but wish to get back into the hobby. But without the practice, even to this day I can still play over 10 Indian classical and western instruments like the Tabla, Dholak, Drums, Bongo, etc.
I believe that music is the easiest means to meditation.
Sports
I was an athlete in school and won a bunch of medals over the years. I am not particularly sporty anymore but there are those freaky and “exciting” activities that I keep trying every now and then.
Some of the things I have tried -
* SkyDiving
* Rafting
* Ice Skating
(Hope to add more here)
Geocaching
We tried Geocaching a while back and it was a lot of fun. Haven’t done much geocaching in the past few months but it is still on the list of current activities.
Public Speaking
I like teaching and talking in public. I did that a lot between 1996 and 2003 but not much recently. From corporate training sessions to individual presentations and technology demonstrations, it was all a lot of fun and still is when I get to do it.
**FIXME - Page Pending final update**
