One individual made the comment that growing up in the inner city, with bad schools and no access to technology, cheated him out of his rights. Another whined that her parents were not technically inclined, so she wasn't able to learn enough to get a position in this new world. The other statements were similar; it was always something out of these individuals' control which put them at a disadvantage. Then, somehow, it became the fault of the technocratic elite- which they decided I was a part of.

It was so close to the argument that appears in the opening chapters of Cryptonomicon. Randy and his girlfriend's associates had an almost identical discussion. Talk about life imitating art- sheesh!

Unfortunately for these technologically-challenged individuals, they picked the wrong technocrat to use as a punching bag. You see, I am a Self-Made Technocrat.

Let me tell you about my access to technology. I was born in southern Ohio, an area that is in the Appalachian foothills. The town I grew up in had two traffic lights, both of which got replaced with stop signs when I was young. The population of Roseville is about 1,500 people. We're talking Small Town, USA.

The school system K-8 gave us access to a few Apple II computer systems- and the most we really used them for were teaching aids for other subjects. We had a small "computer class", in 8th grade, which was a typing class in disguise.

In high school, I recall touching a computer during the Power Mechanics class. Again, it was an Apple II and we only used it to look at an aerodynamics program.

One of the arguments that were used against technocrats by my persecutors was that all technocrats come from privileged families. Parents and grandparents must have been technologically literate.

Let me tell you about my family. My mother raised my two sisters and myself. She didn't work secularly. My father works at a pottery. On the paternal side, my grandfather was a coal miner, my grandmother a housewife. On the maternal side, my grandfather worked at a pottery, my grandmother still does. Much of my mother's family, including my grandmother and assorted uncles, aunts and cousins are illiterate. In fact, they still use an outhouse; indoor plumbing is only for the kitchen sink.

Let me tell you something else about my family. My father and mother encouraged me to improve myself. They supported me in any endeavor I tried. I remember my 8th grade science project; my parents drove me all over the place so that I could conduct experiments on drinking water in our area. My father worked hard 8-10 hour days, and he still took the time to help me whenever I needed it.

My last two years of high school afforded the option of attending a vocational institute. Even though my family was rather poor, they tightened their belts so that I could get extra education. The class I attended was badly managed; we spent the first part of our junior year under an inept teacher and most of the second half with no teacher. By chance, a retired engineer came into to class, offering to take anyone who wanted, under his wing for training. Out of a class body of almost 30, only three of us accepted this offer. None of the incoming students the next year accepted the offer.

The engineer, Wayne H. Ely, had been a broadcast engineer. He trained us in many areas pertaining to engineering. Around this time I began to develop a very serious interest in computers. Again, my parents scraped the bottom of our cash flow to find money to buy me an older 8086 computer.

From there on, I have been self-taught. Wayne's tutoring helped me in learning how to think like an engineer. I don't use any of the technical training he gave me. I began working part-time so that I could buy old computer parts to improve my system. Learning TCP/IP was from secondhand or library books.

My Computer Science education came from the same place. My first job in the field was building and selling computers. I kept reading and working. Eventually, I got a job at a small ISP... from there I continued to progress.

In the world we live in today, information is more available than ever before. We are not in a world of elite technocrats ruled by some sort of force majeure. Technocrats are here by skill, desire and hard work. We're more than happy to see new people gain the skills required to become a Self-Made Technocrat.

Dedicated to my parents, Dave and Ann Williamson... and to Wayne H. Ely, who became a silent key in 1996. W8LBB will always be missed.