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Today's Featured Biography

 
Douglas Slattery

Probably not too many remember, but I was a geek and a musician. I studied classical piano for 10 years until I graduated and was also interested in computers and electronics.

After graduating, I went to KU to get a BSEE. Bad choice. I should've gone into computer science in hind sight. My father was an EE and I kinda wanted to follow in his footsteps. Well, the math and physics kicked my a$$ around the block. I left and joined the Air Force after goofing off for 6 months.

I was given a job refueling aircraft (fighters, military airlift, spy planes, Air Force One, you name it). Not a very glamorous job and far from what I wanted to do, but I was around the coolest military weaponry that by today's standards would be on Future Weapons on DSC.

After getting out of boot camp and tech school, I went to Okinawa. I joke about tech school because I was there for six weeks and all they taught me was how to watch three gauges and turn a knob -- LOL! Really though, it is dangerous being strapped to a big gas truck and driving around while fighters and other planes are taxi'ing around.

My off duty time I was in a band that played both on and off base clubs. Some of the Japanese clubs were pretty exclusive. We once had a gig at a resort in a big studio. A bunch of models from Tokyo were there. I wasn't paying too much attention to music on that gig :) .

I had orders to go to Spain, but the squadron recognized my "talents" in computers and I was offered a position by the commander of the pacific for our section at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. WooHoo! Well, as the government goes, they didn't have any computers yet when I got to Hawaii, so I finished my tour and remained here.

While stationed here, I visited many places in the far east. Tokyo, Seoul, Kwajalein, Wake Island, Guam, the Phillipines were some of the places I went at least once. I was also in a few bands as well.

I also got married here too -- go figure. I met a Filipino lady originally from the Philippines. Unfortunately, it went south, so I'll leave it at that. I'm still a born again single :) . The bestest thing that came out of it are my two kids. I know some people talk about going back and doing it again, but in my upcoming wise old ways, I wouldn't. That means I wouldn't experience the fulfilling feeling of raising them.

Prior to being discharged, I hooked up with a guy that repaired electronic music equipment. It was a dream job for me. I was able to play with top of the line gear used by the pro's. That lasted a few years until equipment got too reliable to support both of us.

After that is when I jumped in to the PC lions pit. I worked a year and a half as a tech in a sweat shop for a local distributor. I was also moonlighting on the side to get extra pay. After that, I hit the big time, sort of... I landed a job that was on the bleeding edge of technology. The job had both hardware and software departments blazing by taz (hello, the Tasmanian Devil). I started in hardware working on everything to do with hardware. In fact, the machine they gave me to train on didn't work, so I fixed it first. Everyone was amazed, no one did that before. I was like what's the big deal, this chip was burnt out, so I replaced it and it worked. That was the start of a long charged relationship with the company.

Eventually, I moved into software and worked on everything from device drivers to web apps. If I haven't done it, it hasn't been invented yet (well deserved bragging rights) :) .

The job started to take its toll on my health, so I had to leave, recuperate and find something with a better work/life balance. I'm now an independent contractor for the cable company working on their website.

Oh yeah, I'm still in a band. We don't play for money anymore, but aren't ashamed to take on something now and then. We play classic rock and blues. Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Muddy Waters, Santana, etc. The guitarist has had a steady gig at one of the lua's here for the past 20 years. If you're into that kind of music, he'll melt your soul. We are like brothers on stage and can read each other on stage like an old Playboy :) . You don't hook up with people like that much, and it's been over 20 years since I jammed with someone like that.

Well, a sad time has come, and I'm going to be leaving the islands this summer (2008). There aren't many good paying tech jobs here compared to what I'm used to and it's too expensive to live as a regular guy. I'm planning to go to the Dallas area to be closer to my parents and Wichita.

If any of you are out this way before then, look me up and I'll show you some aloha spirit.

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