Hey guys I'm Snowkiwi


Like many others here Im very new to forums and I also used to be a bit of a serial Lurker. 
The first site I signed up for, a kiwi tech chat room. I thought if I didn't "talk" I would be invisible - you know just standing in the shadows in the corner - no-one can see me here if I'm nice and quiet. Until a lull in the chats and someone said to me- "whatcha kiwi" - I nearly s##t myself! Anyway i eventually got chatting - he was an truck driver on shift work - eased my mind that it a was pretty OK site. 


Geekzone has helped me quite a few times over the past few years of reading the forums. So thought if I can help anyone else with my very limited trial-and-error knowledge - great.


I exist in Auckland at present with wife and 2 great little monster kids. Im a bit of a closet geek hybrid. I used to be into snowboarding, PC RPG games, diving, Computers, windsurfing, and hand gliding, Aerobics,  dungeons & dragons, and parachuting (when I was young and keen). And now I'm a dad -- 'nuff said!  (now that gear is all stored above my garage falling apart!!)



I'm an engineer by trade (avionics in my earlier life). I think I'm getting ready to be old by the way I talk about earlier life etc, but not quite there yet (44yo).  I love all things gadget. I tend to learn computer stuff by the shotgun method. This is very similar to my wifes interesting crash-thru method of learning MS office. So between us we are dangerous! But I do like to take things apart - this all started when I was 4 and fixed my sisters plastic projector - probably just the battery but my mum preached my genius to all.


Anyway my verbal diarrhea takes over sometimes (it is 4am and my daughter woke me with a wet bed, so thats my excuse and the impetus to finally sign up here). I cant spell to save myself and I'm an expert procrastinator at home but an "on-time" freak  at work. I'm either flat-out or dead. I'm trying to learn a middle ground! 


Probably way too much info for a first post so sorry for that.


Take care, and Cheers everyone.






pps. My posts will be colon free. My colon key is non-op after my daughter spilt my coffee over it last month - so untill I get round to taking it apart, sometimes a "-" will mean a colon, OK.