Hi There
This is bit I always struggle with, how to introduce myself to a group full of fellow trainees or conference delegates, what witty anecdote should I tell? what 'interests' should I reveal? it's always tricky to judge.
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Anyway, first things first, I am Alain and I live on the south coast with my partner Dani and our son Logan in a town called Shoreham-by-Sea. Yes, I know it's not very exciting to live in ones hometown but then how many places can claim the following?:
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On a river
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By the sea
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Next to the south downs
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Has an airport (arguably in the next town to the West)
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Has a seaport (arguably in the next town to the East)
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Birthplace of Leo Sayer..
What else could you want?
An Engineering Mind?
Well, let's see.. how to put this? I'm a geek, a nerd, one of those techy IT guys people seem to think can fix any hardware problem they have when in fact I just blag it like everyone else.
I've always been a tinkerer, taking stuff apart, putting it back together, fixing things, more often than not finding they are more faulty than before.. this kinda thing.
So of course I went into the world of IT after graduating and have been living the high life of a software/system tester ever since. I have built up ten years of experience in the field, continue to learn new things and regularly ask myself what I want to be when I grow up.
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In my personal life I try to be as creative as I can, getting involved with various madcap projects with my friends. I enjoy film making and messing around with video effects and post processing techniques. I've also created many a poster, either my takes on known designs or custom prints for special occasions.
I am currently working on a motorized astro-photography mount made up out of various hardware, a simple hand made circuit and a brass rod with a specific thread. I'll be lucky if the camera doesn't wind up taking a three minute exposure of the grass!
Sci Fi
A big interest of mind is science fictions one look at my Kindle library is all you need to figure that out. I've always loved how sci-fi is an unlimited canvas for the imagination.
Books are my primary medium for a sci-fi fix. The detail and scale possible in literature is unlimited along with how the mind expands what is on the page to make every persons experience truly unique.
Films and TV also produce some wonderful science fiction and there are many great examples over the years from '2001: A Space Odyssey' to 'Wall.e'.
Music
Music is also a massively important part of my life, I love finding a new band or album which I just can't stop listening to. So many memories I have are inextricably linked to a particular track or sound.
I try to fir in a few gigs each year although travelling in and out of London for them does get to be a chore after a while. Anything curious or different in Brighton is always of interest.