Welcome to RandyLand!

Sometimes it’s nice to be able to express yourself.  And this is my little corner of the ‘net where I can do just that! So feel free to peruse my ramblings and photos, and perhaps get a glimpse of what’s going on inside my head. Yes, this time around, it is all about me!

I’m very fortunate to enjoy what I do for a job. Two jobs, actually. By day, I work in a public high school providing tech support for students, staff, and teachers: from PC hardware to networking, from application support to website maintenance. And, since 2006, I’ve owned a small (and by small, I mean just me!)  business that offers website development and related online services – Piedmont Technology* For me, designing websites is a great outlet for combining technology and creativity: a nice sluice to channel the left-brain and right-brain juices.

The blog section is intended to be a therapeutic outlet for expressing my own my thoughts about what’s going on in the world. And, it’s a safe haven away from those black holes of personal privacy: social media websites (a/k/a Facebook, Google, YouTube, etc.), browser extensions and add-on’s,  and smartphone apps.  Moreover, I need to keep a check on what can easily become a black hole of time spent: surfing the social media posts of many friends and businesses. Plus, for those who aren’t on social media, or favor sites that I don’t use, I can share pictures and posts right here. So, why else have a personal web page? Several reasons – for one, I enjoy it! (And there’s a good chance that prospective clients will “google me” to see a sample of my work.) Moreover, I need to practice what I preach about personal domain names. Lastly, it’s a good real-world forum to test out new scripts, utilities, and WordPress plugins before applying them on customers’ websites.

As a society, we’re only beginning to understand the implications of putting so much of our personal lives online. And, equally important, is the challenge posed by the sheer volume of information to digest each day. I’ve re-connected with some long lost friends via social media, and that’s a good thing. But I’ve also spent way too much time looking at pictures of meals about to be consumed, of kids I don’t know on a field trip, of cats and dogs, of political drivel, ad nauseam. Sure, this “new age” technology has afforded me some job opportunities, but at what cost in terms of lost privacy?  So, the search for balance continues..

Meanwhile, the rest of these pages are about the things I enjoy: from backpacking and bluegrass music, to online tools and gadgets. Along with a sprinkling of posts & pics about things I love and time spent with my family.  And it’s all right here in RandyLand! Feel free to poke around and, if you’re so inclined, click here to send me an email.

Happy surfing!
-Randy

*After 10 years as a business, Piedmont Technology Inc. folded in 2016. I still do some tech support, consulting, and training under the Piedmont banner – but as a sole proprietor rather than a corporation.