WHO IS HAPPYGEEK?
Up until the mid 80s my life had been pretty normal: wife, kids, decent job (managing a golf club and snooker hall), couple of cars, suburban home. Then everything changed when viral encephalitis came to visit. A year in hospital, 8 years to follow in a wheelchair, a divorce, no job, no nice home. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I discovered cyberspace, first via FidoNet BBS's in the UK, then early online communities such as MicroNet and Cix, and ultimately the Internet.
I discovered that I could make a living doing something I had always treated as a hobby previously. Writing. I found that people actually wanted to hear me talk about the Internet on radio, watch me talk about it on the TV and read my books about it.
Through volunteer work on the Board of Directors of a London based disability transport group I fell in love with and ultimately married the most beautiful woman - and went on to have a couple more kids to add to my brood.
But above all else I realised early on that the Internet isn't just a technology, a service, a functioning thing but it's a growing, living, exciting community of souls. I've made more friends in my 20 years online than I ever did in my 20 years BN (Before Net). what's more, those friendships are real, they are strong and they have lasted.
I look forward to adding you, fellow members of the DaniWeb family, to those friends...
