Welcome to the GAC way a collection of my thoughts!  This site is a reflection on my thought process, whether creating, analyzing or recalling thoughts which have left a lasting impression.  With this in mind, I believe having some knowledge my self identity can provide context to my thoughts as we all are shaped by our environment.  I’m a Canadian born, married, father of two, technology executive working in the San Fransisco Bay area.  I’ve always been a high-energy, active person with a long list of interests from hockey to kite-surfing, many of which are adrenaline fueled.  I’m naturally competitive by nature; but, I have learned to harness my competitive spirit and other emotions into productive habits.  My thought process is highly analytical with a degree of randomness for creativity. I’m almost always curiously trying to understand the reasoning behind the world around me, not surprisingly, leading me to a degree in Electrical Engineering and a subsequent career in the fields of hardware, software and integrated circuit design.  A third minor, but significant, element of my though process is a create instinct.  Lacking any tangible artistic skills (at least any of the more typical artistic forms) my creative mind sits quietly in the back seat while the other through processes drive, occasionally blurting out directions the others can’t seem to ignore.   Whether making a play as a hockey player which goes against all of my training or looking at a business objective in a non-traditional light, my creative side finds a way to make an impact while playing a secondary role.  Despite my affection for adrenaline producing activities, I’m fiscally conservative; more likely than not, due to my Scottish ancestry.  I’m principled by nature and like to believe I make decisions based upon those principles ahead of self gratification.   

I believe traveled the world is often overused.  I have the benefit of having traveled for as long as four months in a single location while I have also made trips for part of a day, holed up in a conference room for most of the time.  From personal experience the conference rooms in Palo Alto, Boston, Paris and Tokyo don’t vary that much and business trips only allow one a very limited view into a culture.  With this in mind, I believe I have an appreciation for the breadth of cultures in this world, while being aware of the limitations of my knowledge.   

Hopefully this background provides some insight into the thoughts I have shared here and enables greater appreciation for the curated content