I started out in Physics with a B.S. degree from Wheaton College in 1971. I discovered computers late and switched over via an M.S. degree in 1976 from SIU.  I then did my Ph.D. at CMU under Bob Sproull.  My thesis was titled "All the Right Moves" (thanks for the name Notkin!) and described a VLSI architecture for computing complex chess evaluation functions quickly.  HITECH was the chess machine I built with Hans Berliner, Murray Campbell, and Gordon Goetch.  HITECH had the distinction of being the highest ranked computer for a couple years, and then getting whomped by DeepBlue.

I've lived in a number of fascinating places (besides Seattle).  I met my wife Lynne in Liberia while in the Peace Corps.  We also spent two years in Solomon Islands working for the government and the SI museum.  During my first sabbatical, we took the family to Mauritius for the year where I taught at the University of Mauritius under a Fulbright Fellowship.

My wife Lynne is a writer and photographer.  My daughter Amara attends the University of Michigan and takes ballroom dance quite seriously.  My daughter Elan is at Roosevelt School and loves music and sports.  Here is some of their early work:

Amara's Gallery
Elan's Gallery