Although I am trained as a Mechanical Engineer I have managed to avoid a serious job in this field, mainly through not being able to find one. I believe that life should be a celebration, not a rat-race. Most of the usual, mainstream ways of doing things do not interest me at all, as they are so obviously wrong.

The things that absorb me are classic, durable technologies like bicycles, sewing machines and film cameras. I dislike obsolescence and product lifespan. Things we make that are fully developed should last as long as possible.

Invention and design is my primary interest, and function. I have a lot of ideas and never the time to carry them all out. I have huge general anxiety about time and its value. Was it Gandalf who said that we only have to decide how to use the time available to us? Some wise old sage. I love to make or restore things, and one of my favourite activities is using metalworking machines.

One of my other main interests is geometry and mathematical patterns. I can pour seemingly endless hours into drawing with ruler and compasses, computing and thinking about tessellating pentagons.

All in all I am rather over-earnest and gloomy, but have a good sense of humour.