You’ve found me...

Who am I? Short answer: Nobody. Long answer: A middle-aged, married American who grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts and now lives in Maryland. My maiden name is Alciere, a mangling of Arcieri, which means “archers” in Italian. I majored in English at UMass Boston and have worked as a technical writer and programmer, among other things. I’ve published four computer books (shudder), two books of poems, and a novel.

I’ve scaled down this site in recent years. Those of you who have included it in lists of useful resources for Lotus Notes or Java developers should remove it.

Favorite quotes...

• “No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up.” Lily Tomlin
• “Heaven for climate, Hell for society.” Mark Twain
• “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Benjamin Franklin
• “Master the stuff, and words will freely follow.” Horace
• “Excellence can be attained if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible.” A Coffee Mug (but a most excellent coffee mug)