I've been a programmer since I scraped together $499 for a Level 1 TRS-80  Model I with 4K of RAM in 1978.

I've published numerous articles in computer magazines... mostly back in the Golden Age of Personal Computing :)  and I am the author of a published  book (Macmillan) on Intel assembly language programming.
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Life is a journey.  
Along the way, we see things that are bright and  beautiful, things that strike us with wonder and awe, things that excite the imagination, things that inspire pride, things that astonish, electrify, and  thrill.  

That moment when you step up to the rim of Grand Canyon and time stands still.  The strange lump in your throat when one hot summer day in 1969 you watch a man step onto the moon.  Witnessing the miracle of the birth of your firstborn child.  The delight in seeing a rare double rainbow spanning the mountains somewhere in Northern Wyoming.

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In April of 2000, my travels took me to this place -- Experts Exchange -- and  I was enthralled.  Here is a Community of technical people sharing their expertise in a friendly competitive environment.  I recall feeling a great epiphany -- this was something new and exciting; I wanted to be a part of this phenomenon.  Over the years since then, I spent countless hours contributing my time and expertise to helping this site grow and mature.  I participated in the EAB, an early attempt to give the Expert/Volunteers a voice in policy decisions.  I worked on site-wide problems such as how to handle abandoned questions -- it was I who coined the term "Cleanup Volunteer" as I worked on the "impossible" task of clearing the enormous backlog of unclosed questions.

Late in 2003, I was chosen to be the first Page Editor -- a new position designed to help keep EE running smoothly and to enhance the experience of the deluge of new paying customers who were suddenly upon us.  I took part in the evolution of this new position.  I have taken pride in my position as PE (and, now, Zone Administrator) in much the same way that I take pride in my Expert Certificates and my position in the Hall of Fame.  As one of the long-time Community members, I have occasionally used my position to voice opinions on certain policies and administrative actions.  When I saw injustice -- or, worse, callous stupidity -- I have raised my voice against it.  This has occasionally gotten me into hot water, as described here:
   
   Admin Code of Ethics
   http://www.experts-exchange.com/Q_21447086.html#a17161620

...but that's water under the bridge.   EE started out as a great place to be, and for over a decade it has gotten better and better.  I'm proud to be part of this Community and I'll continue to do whatever I can to make it even better (and if not that, at least more interesting :-)  

The road ahead looks bright and beautiful.

-- Dan Rollins / March 2009

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For questions related to EE Page Editing, I can be contacted at
    DanRollins (at) Experts-Exchange (dot) Com  
In the body of the email text, please include the URL of the EE Question to which your email relates.  Thanks!