Randal's Life Memories

23-and-me

23-and-me is a company in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Aarhus

Aarhus is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Abandoned at Bananarama in Roatan

A high-stakes personal Travel anecdote about being abandoned at a beach club during a cruise excursion.

Acquisition of First Canon DSLR

In September 2004, I took my very first digital snapshots with my brand-new Canon EOS 20D Digital SLR during a trip to Boston for Software Developm...

Adam West

Adam West (born William West Anderson, 1928–2017) was an iconic American actor, widely celebrated for his portrayal of Batman in the 1960s ABC seri...

AI-Generated Obituary Grins

A humorous look at a highly flattering obituary written for me by Google's Bard (now Gemini) AI assistant.

Airplane Balance Upgrade

A short Travel anecdote about receiving a first-class upgrade for weight and balance reasons.

Airport Gate Change Exhaustion

While recovering from my recent major medical incident (my 2016 ICU stay and subsequent rehabilitation), I traveled through the airport without req...

Alaska

Alaska is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Alaska Inside Passage

Alaska Inside Passage is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Alpaca book

The "Alpaca Book," originally titled "Learning Perl Objects, References & Modules" and later updated/renamed to "Intermediate Perl," is a follow-up...

Alpaca Book Release Party with a Live Alpaca

During OSCON 2003 in Portland (the release year of the Alpaca book), we threw a legendary book release party that featured a live, real-life alpaca...

Anchorage

Anchorage is the largest city in the state of Alaska, USA.

Andy Lopez

A Culver City construction worker and early advocate for low-carb high-fat (LCHF) eating.

Antarctica

Antarctica is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Antarctica Excursion Cancellation

During one of the tech-themed Geek Cruises, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak signed up for a highly anticipated excursion to step foot on the frozen ...

Apple

Apple Inc. is a multinational Technology company known for consumer electronics, software, and services.

Arctic Exposure Photo Cruise and Chris Campbell

The Arctic Exposure Geek Cruise (June 2003) to the Alaska Inside Passage on the MS Ryndam was one of the first dedicated digital photography cruises.

Arecibo Observatory

Arecibo Observatory is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

At Sea

At Sea is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Atlanta

Atlanta is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Atlantis Submarine Deep Dive

Excursion in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, embarking on the Atlantis submarine for a deep dive exploring the vibrant coral reefs and abundant marine life.

Atrial Ablation Surgery

A major personal Health milestone where I underwent cardiac ablation surgery to treat atrial flutter.

Australia

Australia is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands.

Aviation

Aviation is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Backwards Hotel Shower Knob

A humorous and relatable Travel anecdote about a confusing hotel bathroom fixture.

Bahamas

Bahamas is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Baltic Sea Geek Cruise

In July 2005, I embarked on Geek Cruise #28 (aptly named the Baltic Blast) aboard the m.s. Westerdam for a 10-day voyage across the Baltic Sea. Thi...

Barcelona

Barcelona is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Beaverton

Beaverton Skate World

A roller skating rink in Beaverton that operated as a sister facility to Hillsboro Skate World.

Bebo White

Bebo White is a distinguished computer scientist and physicist who worked at the SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) and is widely recognized...

Becoming a Dart and Flutter Google Developer Expert

After actively promoting Dart as a replacement for JavaScript and working with Polymer Dart and AngularDart, I wanted to pitch an AngularDart book ...

Belize

Belize is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Bert Monroy

Bert Monroy is an internationally acclaimed digital artist, illustrator, author, and teacher. Widely considered one of the "founding fathers" of di...

Bill Durrence

Bill Durrence is a person in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Bill Harp

Met at Hillsboro Skate World in the 1980s during the roller disco era.

Bill Harp and the Stonehenge Parties

A personal recollection of my buddy Bill Harp and the legendary Stonehenge parties.

Bill Harps Passing and Funeral Message

On February 22, 2013, my dear friend and business partner Bill Harp passed away prematurely at the age of 45.

Birth of Perl

Larry Wall released Perl 1.0 on December 18, 1987.

Birth of Randal Schwartz

I was born on November 22, 1961.

Blue Pixel

Blue Pixel was an elite digital photography consulting, training, and workflow design firm composed of a premier team of professional photojournali...

Boston

Boston is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Brazil

Brazil is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Brendan Eich

Creator of JavaScript and co-founder of the Mozilla project.

Brendan Eich Semicolon Apology

A tech history anecdote featuring the creator of JavaScript.

British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Bruce Perens

Bruce Perens is a person in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Buffalo

Buffalo is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas is a beautiful coastal resort city located at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.

Cadbury Factory Tour in Hobart

In August 2003, during my third trip to Australia to attend and speak at the SAGE-AU conference, I visited Hobart, Tasmania, and took a public tour...

California

California is a state in the Western United States.

Calling Office from Police Parking Lot

A short, ironic anecdote from the "random Irony department" regarding safe driving.

Camel book

The "Camel Book," officially titled "Programming Perl," is the definitive guide to the Perl programming language, co-authored by Larry Wall and me.

Camel Book troff Macros

The backstory of how my early typesetting macros were adopted by O'Reilly Media and how I rediscovered them when writing the Camel Book.

Canada

Canada is a country in North America.

Cane Garden Bay

Cane Garden Bay is a beautiful beach and bay located on the northern coast of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

Caracas

Caracas is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Caribbean

Caribbean is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Caribbean Click 2 Cruise

In January 2005, the 26th Geek Cruises voyage sailed through the Caribbean on the magnificent, newly launched Queen Mary 2, co-branded as "Caribbea...

Catching Up with David Pogue on Land

I caught up with Technology author and columnist David Pogue at a book signing in Portland (featuring his Apple book/history).

Charlie Datin

Son of Richard Datin and friend of Randal Schwartz.

Checkbook Reconciliation Evolution

A nostalgic observation about the death of manual checkbook reconciliation in the era of smartphone banking.

Chippewa Falls

Leinekeugals

Chris Campbell

Chris Campbell was an accomplished digital photographer and digital photography workshop instructor on multiple Geek Cruises and Insight Cruises vo...

Christopher Breen

Christopher Breen is a person in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Colombia

Colombia is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Colton

contents

## How to Use This

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Cozumel

Cozumel is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

CPAN

CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network) is a vast repository of software modules and their documentation for the Perl Programming language.

Cray

Cray Research (now part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise) was a legendary supercomputer manufacturer founded by Seymour Cray, with a major research an...

Culture

Culture is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Dad Napkin Designs

A fond personal memory of my father's habit of sketching mechanical designs at the dinner table.

Damian Conway

Damian Conway is an internationally renowned Perl programmer, author, and public speaker, famous for writing Perl Best Practices and creating numer...

Dancing Barefoot

Dancing Barefoot is a 2003 book written by actor and author Wil Wheaton. It is a collection of five autobiographical short stories chronicling his ...

Darcy Carlson

Darcy is my daughter.

Darcy Carlson Meets Her Cousins

A milestone family event where my newly discovered daughter met her cousins for the first time.

Dart

## Personal Notes

Daughter

Daughter is a topic in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

David Pogue

David Pogue is a prominent Technology writer, author, television presenter, and columnist. He was a frequent high-profile speaker and entertainer o...

Deke McClelland

Deke McClelland is an award-winning author, technical trainer, Photoshop Hall of Fame inductee, and one of the most prolific educators in the histo...

Delta Air Lines

A major American airline with which I reached the 2 million mile mark.

Delta Two Million Miler

A major Travel milestone representing decades of flight Travel.

Denmark

Denmark is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Discovering Dart and Transitioning to Flutter

Shortly after Google announced the Dart Programming language in October 2011, I started using it because of my strong dislike for JavaScript, recog...

DragonCon Guest Streak

In September 2004, I attended DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia as an official guest.

Ed Tuttle

Ed Tuttle is a close friend of mine who shared a unique living arrangement with me at my apartment in Tijuana.

Eric S Raymond

Eric Steven Raymond (known as ESR) is an American software developer, author of The Cathedral and the Bazaar, and co-founder of the Open Source Ini...

Estonia

Estonia is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Everyday Photo and ScottEVest Size Drop

A personal Health milestone during my weight loss journey.

eWorld and the Clear Newton

A quick vintage tech anecdote regarding Apple's short-lived online service and a rare piece of hardware.

FAA Pilot Certificate ID Paradox

A humorous observation about the security paradox of the FAA-issued pilot certificate.

Finland

Finland is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

First Big Arena Concert Emerson Lake and Palmer

Remembering my first big arena rock concert: Emerson, Lake & Palmer at the Portland Memorial Coliseum in 1977.

First Free Software Foundation Award

Larry Wall received the first Free Software Foundation Award for the Advancement of Free Software in 1998.

First Phone Call with Darcy Carlson

I spoke to my daughter Darcy for the first time by phone on her 40th birthday.

Flickr Migration Project

Flickr Migration Project is a event in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Florence

Florence is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

FLOSS Weekly

FLOSS Weekly is a show in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Flutter

## Personal Notes

Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Founding of New York Perl Mongers

The first Perl Monger group, NY.pm, was founded in October 1997. This led to the creation of the global Perl Mongers organization.

Founding of Stonehenge Consulting Services

Since 1985, I have been the owner and operator of Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc..

Fr. Robert Ballecer

Catholic priest (Jesuit) and Technology podcaster.

From Aztec Ruins to Buffalo Snowstorms

In late February 2005, I experienced one of the most extreme weather, cultural, and environmental swings of my entire life—traveling directly from ...

Geek Cruises

Geek Cruises was a pioneering travel company founded by Neil Bauman that organized educational, Technology-themed cruise vacations (such as MacMani...

George Takei

George Takei is a legendary American actor, author, and activist, internationally renowned for his iconic portrayal of Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...

Germany

Germany is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Git

Git is a distributed version control system designed by Linus Torvalds in 2005 for tracking changes in source code during software development.

Gladstone

Gladstone and Colton School Days

Personal childhood memories of attending grade school in Gladstone and completing high school in Colton, Oregon.

Glee Stole Baby Got Back Arrangement

The story behind my performance of "Baby Got Back" at Karaoke and the TV show Glee's unauthorized use of the arrangement.

Google

Google is a company in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Google Tech Talk on Git

Six months after Linus Torvalds gave his famous May 2007 Google Tech Talk on the origins of Git (which focused heavily on what Git is not and roast...

Gotland

Gotland is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Great Step Grandpa Milestone

A personal milestone marking the rapid expansion of my family generations.

Guatemala

Guatemala is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Guesting on Coding 101 Episode 10

Guested on Episode 10 of Coding 101, titled "Randal Schwartz's 'Perls of Wisdom'".

Guido van Rossum

Guido van Rossum is a Dutch programmer best known as the creator of the Python Programming language. He served as the "Benevolent Dictator for Life...

Half Moon Cay

Half Moon Cay (known officially as Little San Salvador Island in the Bahamas) is Holland America Line's private island resort, famous for its two-m...

Haptic Feedback and Pinball Knockers

A nostalgic comparison between modern haptic feedback and the physical sensation of classic pinball matching.

Hawaii

Hawaii is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Health

Health is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Helsinki

Helsinki is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Hillsboro Skate World

A roller skating rink in Hillsboro, Oregon, where I spent double-sessions nearly every Friday and Saturday night for many years, spanning the entir...

Hip Replacement and Chronic Pain Relief

A personal medical story about my hip replacement surgery and its unexpected positive effect on my blood pressure.

History of Owned Vehicles

A chronological list of the motorcycles and cars I have owned throughout my life.

Hobart

Hobart is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania.

Hosting FLOSS Weekly

During the MacMania cruise in 2004, I met Leo Laporte. At first, he didn't recognize me and assumed I was just a dude helping Neil Bauman out with ...

HSV colorspace

A color model that represents colors in terms of Hue, Saturation, and Value.

Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Hubbard Glacier Excursion

In June 2004, during the Arctic Exposure Geek Cruise inside-passage voyage through Alaska, we traveled to the majestic Hubbard Glacier to photograp...

Humor

Humor is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Iditarod and Shuttle Launch Travel Near-Misses

A Travel anecdote about missing major events by just hours due to tight scheduling.

Illiads Oddysea and Caribbean Click Cruise

In October 2003, the 19th Geek Cruises voyage sailed through the Caribbean, co-branded as "Illiad's Oddysea" and "Caribbean Click".

Improv Comedy at the Clinic

A short anecdote showing my improv comedy skills during a medical appointment.

Insight Cruises

Insight Cruises (formerly known as Geek Cruises) is an educational travel company founded by Neil Bauman and Charlie Datin.

Instinctive Pilot Phonetic Alphabet

A humorous personal anecdote about using the Aviation phonetic alphabet at a drive-through.

Intel

Multination technology corporation and Randal's former consulting client.

Intel Job Recommendation Irony

I received an automated job recommendation email from ZipRecruiter for a system assembly and configuration role at Intel in Oregon.

Irony

Irony is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Jack Davis

Jack Davis is a person in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Janet Hill

Janet Hill is an Apple executive and spouse of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Janina Lamb

Janina Lamb was a key contractor for Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc..

JAPH

JAPH is an acronym for "Just another Perl hacker," a phrase I created and popularized. It originated as a signature in Usenet posts and evolved int...

JD Frazer

JD Frazer, widely known by his pen name Illiad, is a Canadian cartoonist and writer best known as the creator of the webcomic User Friendly.

JoCo Cruise

JoCo Cruise (originally called JoCo Cruise Crazy) is an annual cruise vacation and music festival chartered by independent musician Jonathan Coulto...

John Stevenson

John Stevenson is a person in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Jon Hall

Jon "maddog" Hall is the Executive Director of Linux International and a foundational open-source community leader.

Jon Irwin

Jon Irwin is a person in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Jonathan Coulton

Jonathan Coulton (widely known as JoCo) is a highly popular American independent singer-songwriter and internet celebrity, famous for his clever, h...

Juneau

Juneau is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Just a Geek

Just a Geek is a 2004 memoir written by actor and author Wil Wheaton.

Karaoke

Karaoke has been a major social and performative outlet throughout my life.

Karaoke with Jonathan Coulton on JoCo Cruise 2

On the second JoCo Cruise in February 2012 (which was produced by my good friend Neil Bauman), I managed to pull off a legendary coup: I tricked Jo...

Keith Packard

Keith Packard is a legendary software developer best known for his foundational work on the X Window System (X11), including fontconfig, Xft, cairo...

Keto Health Journey

The story of my life-saving transition to a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) ketogenic lifestyle in 2012.

Kevin Gilbert

Kevin Gilbert is an award-winning photojournalist, television still photographer, and pioneer of the professional digital photography transition. H...

Key West

Key West is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

La Grande, Oregon

La Grande is a city in Union County, Oregon, located in the Grande Ronde Valley east of the Blue Mountains.

Larry Christiansen

Larry Christiansen is a person in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Larry Wall

Larry Wall is a computer programmer, linguist, and author, best known as the creator of the Perl Programming language.

Learning Perl Anchors Away Joke

A favorite classroom teaching joke I used to tell during regular expressions training.

Leinekeugals

Represents the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company (commonly known as "Leine's"), a historic brewery based in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Leo Laporte

Leo Laporte is a Technology broadcaster, author, and founder of the TWiT (This Week in Tech) podcast network.

License Plate Database Keys

A funny technical anecdote about how vanity license plates caused database errors at a car maintenance shop, linking to my history of vehicle owner...

Life Timeline

Linus Torvalds

Linus Torvalds is a Finnish-American software engineer who is the creator and principal developer of the Linux kernel and the creator of the distri...

Linux

Linux is a topic in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Linux Lunacy III Cruise

In September 2003, I participated as a featured Perl speaker on Linux Lunacy III, the 18th Technology-themed voyage organized by Geek Cruises.

LISA 2001 and the Hot Wings Promotion

In December 2001, I attended the Large Installation System Administration (LISA) conference in San Diego, California.

Llama book

The "Llama Book," officially titled "Learning Perl," is the classic introductory tutorial for the Perl Programming language, co-authored by me, Tom...

Llama Release and My Conviction Day

November 1st, 1993, is a date I will remember for the rest of my life. It was the official release day of my book Llama book (Learning Perl).

Loreto Dockside Translation

During the Geek Cruises Oracle Odyssey 2002 Voyage, I visited Loreto, Mexico, located along the east coast of the Baja California Peninsula inside ...

Loreto, Mexico

Loreto, Mexico is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California, known as the center of the nation's film and television industry.

MacBook Pro USB-C Port Discovery

After upgrading to my 2021 Apple MacBook Pro, I spent three months juggling cables (for my media hub, backup disk, and iPhone) between only two USB...

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Machu Picchu Adventure with Woz

One of the most unforgettable highlights of my global travels was exploring the breathtaking 15th-century Inca citadel of Machu Picchu alongside Ap...

MacMania 4 Cruise

MacMania 4 Cruise is a event in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

MacMania 4.5 Cruise

In June of 2006, the Geek Cruises voyage "MacMania 4.5" set sail through the beautiful Western Mediterranean.

Magic Act Stooge on a Cruise

A humorous cruise story involving stage magic and a misunderstanding.

Mariel Hemingway

Mariel Hemingway is an American actress, author, and mental Health advocate. She is known for her roles in films such as Manhattan, Lipstick, and S...

Marta Kirsten

Marta Kirsten is a person in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Maturin Venezuela Conference and Learning Perl

In October 2006, I traveled to Maturín, Venezuela to present at a week-long open-source conference.

Maturín

Maturín is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Maturín, Venezuela

Maturín, Venezuela is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Meeting a Costa Concordia Survivor

In 2012, on a cruise shortly after the infamous Costa Concordia grounding off Isola del Giglio (which occurred in January 2012), I had an unforgett...

Meeting George Takei on a Geek Cruise

The story of meeting legendary actor George Takei on a cruise.

Meeting Mariel Hemingway

A heartwarming personal milestone where I met actress Mariel Hemingway, whom I jokingly refer to as my celebrity "twin" sister.

Meeting Marta Kirsten at DragonCon

During one of my guest years at DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia, I heard that Marta Kirsten (who played Judy Robinson in the original Lost in Space s...

Meeting Powell's Employee at Karaoke

A fun local anecdote highlighting Portland's small-world tech connections.

Meeting Steve and Jon

Accidentally picked up HP2000 IO Processor manual at Byte Shop

Meeting Thomas Dolby

A brief record of the time I met musician and composer Thomas Dolby.

Meeting Wil Wheaton on PerlWhirl Cruise

During the March 2003 PerlWhirl / MacMania cruise on the Norwegian Star through the Hawaiian Islands, I met actor and writer Wil Wheaton.

MemPalace

MemPalace is a high-fidelity semantic memory-vault and graph-traversal personal knowledge base.

Mexico

Mexico is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Mexico City

Mexico City is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Michael Widenius

Michael "Monty" Widenius is the main creator of the open-source MySQL and MariaDB databases.

Mill Valley, California

Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, located about 14 miles north of San Francisco.

Milla Jovovich

Milla Jovovich (born 1975) is a world-renowned Ukrainian-born American actress, model, and musician, famous for starring roles in The Fifth Element...

Monaco

Monaco is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Morning flight

A humorous personal Travel anecdote involving me on an Alaska Airlines morning flight flying out of Portland (PDX) bound for Silicon Valley or Los ...

Mount St Helens Ash Jar

A nostalgic recollection of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption and a tangible piece of ash kept as a souvenir.

Mount St. Helens

An active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

Mountain View

Mountain View is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Muscat and Oman Flag Art Project

A childhood story demonstrating my practical "work smarter, not harder" philosophy.

My Brazil Adventures and Christ the Redeemer

Across 2005 and 2006, I made three unforgettable journeys to Brazil to speak at major open-source conferences, explore the breathtaking sights of R...

My Childhood Computing and the IMSAI 8080

At age 9, I made the conscious decision to choose computer Programming as my lifelong career.

My Mesoamerican Archaeological Adventures

Over my years of cruising through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, I took full advantage of the shore excursions to fulfill a deep personal passio...

My Pilot Training and Aviation Days

One of the most challenging and deeply rewarding chapters of my life was taking to the skies as a licensed pilot.

My Summer Temp Job at Tektronix and Learning to Write

At age 15, I was already doing professional contract coding, making $30 an hour (equivalent to roughly $120/hr today).

MySQL

MySQL is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Naples

Naples is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Neil Bauman

Neil Bauman is the founder of Geek Cruises (later rebranded as Insight Cruises), an innovative Travel education company that pioneered tech-themed ...

New Orleans

New Orleans is a major United States port-city and the largest city in the state of Louisiana, known for its unique music, Creole cuisine, and annu...

New Orleans Bourbon Street Musician

A classic personal anecdote illustrating my "Forrest Gump of Tech" encounters.

New York

New York is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

O'Reilly Media

A major technical publisher founded by Tim O'Reilly.

OLCC

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (formerly the Oregon Liquor Control Commission) is the state government agency responsible for regulating...

Oracle Odyssey 2002 Voyage

Oracle Odyssey 2002 Voyage is a event in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Oregon

Born in Oregon City

Oregon City

Oregon Coast

The Oregon Coast is a geographical region of the U.S. state of Oregon, stretching along the Pacific Ocean.

Oregon Flag State Form Blunder

A humorous anecdote about a poorly designed web form that split Oregon into two separate states.

Oregon State Fair

Oregon State Fair is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Origin of Geek Cruises and Karaoke with Neil

The entire phenomenon of Geek Cruises—which eventually brought together thousands of developers and tech pioneers on legendary global voyages—actua...

OSCON

OSCON (O'Reilly Open Source Convention) was a significant event in the open-source community that ran from 1999 to 2019. It grew out of The Perl Co...

OSCON 2013

OSCON 2013 is a event in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

OSCON Laptop Battery Scare

A funny personal anecdote about a laptop battery panic during a major tech conference.

Palermo

Palermo is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Panama

Panama is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a historic and world-renowned 82 km artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.

Parents 64th Anniversary and Sixty Four at Karaoke

A personal milestone connecting my parents' wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day to a classic Beatles song performance.

Passing of Russ Schwartz

The passing of my brother, Russ Schwartz (Russell "Shady Fox" Schwartz), at age 53.

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Pearl Harbor Tour

In June 2003, as part of the Perl Whirl / MacMania Geek Cruise, we went on a comprehensive tour of the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Bowfin submari...

People

Bill Harp

Perl

## Personal Notes

Perl Mongers

Perl Mongers is a global, grassroots organization of user groups for people who use the Perl Programming language. The groups provide a space for P...

Perplexity AI

Perplexity AI is an AI-powered conversational search engine.

Perplexity Oregon Bar Food Confusion

I tested the AI search assistant Perplexity AI by asking: "Does a bar in Oregon need to serve food?"

Personal Homepage

My long-standing personal homepage and professional archive (known online as merlyn), hosted at http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/ since the mid-1990s.

Peru

Peru is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Photoshop Fling 3 Cruise

In February 2005, the 27th Geek Cruises voyage sailed the Caribbean on the m/s Veendam, co-branded as "Photoshop Fling 3".

Pilot Certificate Expiration Paradox

I pointed out a common media misconception regarding pilot licenses, responding to a headline about John David Duggar allowing his pilot license to...

Pisa

Pisa is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Pool and Go-Karts with Linus

During one of my famous Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc. parties at OSCON, I invited Linus Torvalds to attend.

Pool Hustler Minimal Energy Rule

A lesson in pool strategy learned from an expert table hustler about the importance of minimal energy and control.

Portland

Portland Well Drink Pricing

I shared observations on the cultural differences in how bars charge for well drinks:

Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Powell's Books

Powell's Books is a legendary bookstore in Portland, Oregon, known as the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world.

Programming

Programming is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Publication of the Camel Book

"Programming Perl" (the Camel book) was first published in 1990, co-authored by Larry Wall and me.

Randal Schwartz

I, widely known as "merlyn", am a pioneering software developer, prolific author, system administrator, and prominent member of the open-source com...

Randal Schwartz Wikipedia Page

My official public profile on Wikipedia, documenting my career, contributions to Perl, books, and legal history.

Ray Schwartz

Father of me, Ron Schwartz, and Russ Schwartz

Retha Schwartz

Mother of me, Ron Schwartz, and Russ Schwartz

Richard Datin

Model maker and builder of the original 11-foot filming model of the Star Trek Starship Enterprise.

Richard Stallman

Richard Matthew Stallman (known as RMS) is a software freedom activist and programmer who founded the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation ...

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Roatan

Roatan is an island in the Caribbean, off the coast of Honduras, known for its coral reefs, diving, and cruise ship ports.

Rob Galbraith

Rob Galbraith is a legendary Canadian photojournalist, writer, educator, and digital photography workflow pioneer. He is widely celebrated as one o...

Rob Griffiths

Rob Griffiths is a prominent Mac technologist, founder of the famous Mac OS X Hints website, and senior editor/writer for Macworld.

Rome

Rome is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Ron Schwartz

Ron Schwartz is my brother.

Rostock

Rostock is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Rube Goldberg iCal Reminders Sync

Inspired by a feature on FLOSS Weekly episode 199 about the Remind utility, I wanted to use it with my Mac laptop to import my reminders into macOS...

Russ Schwartz

Russ Schwartz was my brother, known online and in virtual communities as Shady Fox.

Russell Brown

Russell Preston Brown is the legendary Senior Creative Director at Adobe Systems and one of the original, foundational pioneers who launched Adobe ...

Russia

Russia is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

SAGE-AU Hobart Talks and the Tazzy Accent

In August 2003, during my technical presentations at the SAGE-AU conference held in Hobart, Tasmania, I experienced a hilarious language barrier.

Sal Soghoian

Sal Soghoian was Apple's Product Manager of Automation Technologies (including AppleScript, Automator, Services, and Dictation Commands) from 1997 ...

Same Day Family Birthdays

A short personal anecdote about a unique family chronological coincidence.

San Diego

San Diego is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

San Francisco

San Francisco is a major city in northern California, known for its steep hills, the Golden Gate Bridge, and its proximity to Silicon Valley.

Santa Monica

Santa Monica is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Schwartzian Transform

An efficient algorithm and Programming idiom used in Perl and other languages to optimize sorting a list of elements based on an expensive key-calc...

SEA Skyclub Lacey Coincidence

A short Travel anecdote about a bizarre and friendly coincidence at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

Seattle

Seattle is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Shannon Morse

Online media host, producer, and cybersecurity educator.

Shattered Cockpit Window Flight Diversion

A Travel anecdote about an emergency flight diversion caused by a shattered cockpit window.

Sitting Next to Adam West in First Class

During a first-class flight from Newark (EWR) to Salt Lake City (SLC) on my way home to Portland from working in Manhattan, I sat directly next to ...

Skylab Reentry

The orbital decay and reentry of the Skylab space station in July 1979.

Skylab Reentry Parody Song

A humorous songwriting memory from the 1979 Skylab reentry, written to the tune of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".

SLAC

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (originally Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) is a United States Department of Energy National Laboratory op...

South Miami Beach, Florida

South Miami Beach, Florida is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

SQL Pronunciation Rant

I expressed frustration over how technical screencasters and developers mispronounce database names:

St. Kitts

St. Kitts is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Star Trek Cruise and Insight Cruises Origin

The family connection behind the Smithsonian's Star Trek Enterprise model and the origin of thematic Geek Cruises.

State of Oregon v. Randal Schwartz

Overview: In late July 1995, Randal was convicted of three felony counts under Oregon's Computer Crime Law. The charges stemmed from security audit...

Steve Roberts

Steve Roberts is an author, designer, and pioneer of "nomadic computing" who built custom computer-integrated human-powered vehicles and vessels (l...

Steve Salta

Steve Salta is a person in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Steve Wozniak

Steve Wozniak is a legendary computer engineer, co-founder of Apple, and tech philanthropist.

Steve Wozniak Meets Janet Hill

During one of the tech-themed Geek Cruises (specifically a MacMania voyage), Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak met his future wife, Janet Hill.

Stockholm

Stockholm is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Stonehenge Booth LISA 2004 Cash Swag

During the Large Installation System Administration (LISA) conference in Atlanta in November 2004, my company Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc. ...

Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc.

## History and Operations

Stonehenge courses

Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc. offered a range of expert-led Perl training courses, developed and taught by the authors of the corresponding ...

Stonehenge Visit and Forrest Gump Moments

During a trip to the United Kingdom in October 2001 (around the time of the 4th Linux Lunacy Geek Cruises voyage), I experienced a sequence of pure...

Stonehenge Wednesday Blowout Parties

Starting in 2000 at TPC4/OSCON2 in Monterey, Bill Harp and I launched a long-standing tradition of throwing massive Stonehenge parties during confe...

Sweden

Sweden is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Sydney

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Famous for its iconic harbor, the Sydney Opera House, and t...

Tallinn

Tallinn is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Tandem Computers

Tandem Computers was a dominant computer manufacturer known for pioneering fault-tolerant computer systems, which were widely adopted by banks, ATM...

Technology

Technology is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

The Broken Blender Bartending Rule

A short anecdote about my time operating a bar and the classic rule of bartending.

The Day I Decided Never to Learn Python

During the 3rd Alaska Geek Cruises voyage ("ScriptScape"), I attended a private, small-group one-hour OO spreadsheet design session led by Python c...

The Gecko Book and Compuserve Chat

In August 1997, O'Reilly published Learning Perl on Win32 Systems, commonly referred to as the "Gecko" book.

The GNU Linux Headlock

During a party on one of the Geek Cruises with Linus Torvalds (likely during a Linux Lunacy Cruise in the early 2000s), I walked up to Linus and pl...

The Great Shouting Match

During the 4th Linux Lunacy Geek Cruises voyage, a spontaneous, high-decibel yelling match erupted between Richard Stallman (RMS) and Eric S Raymon...

The Legendary Juneau Pub Crawls

Over the course of many Alaskan Geek Cruises (such as the Linux Lunacy and Arctic Exposure series), the annual Juneau Pub Crawl became a legendary ...

The Mint Karaoke Club Meetup

A fun Karaoke meetup with FLOSS Weekly listeners at The Mint in San Francisco.

The Perl Foundation

The Rise and Fall of The Perl Institute

Following the runaway success and royalties of my books, I wanted to take some of my "runaway money" and find a way to give back to the Perl commun...

The Speck KFC in Portland

The regional history of "The Speck," Portland's local name for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Thomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby (born Thomas Morgan Robertson) is an English musician, producer, composer, and teacher, known for his hit single "She Blinded Me with ...

Tijuana

Tijuana is a major city in Baja California, Mexico, located directly on the border with San Diego, California.

Tim O'Reilly

Tim O'Reilly is the founder of O'Reilly Media and a key promoter of the open-source and Web 2.0 movements.

Tom Bihn

Tom Bihn is an American luggage and bag design/manufacturing company founded in 1972, known for its high-quality, durable backpacks, duffels, and T...

Tom Bihn Bag Travel Companion

A testament to the luggage system that enabled my lifestyle of traveling 45 weeks out of the year.

Tom Christiansen

A major figure in the Perl community, known for co-authoring foundational books like "Programming Perl" (the Camel book) and the "Perl Cookbook."

Tom Pickett

Tom Pickett is a friend of Randal Schwartz.

Travel

Travel is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Travel Restrictions to Canada and Australia

A personal reflection on the long-term Travel impacts of my historical felony conviction, despite its official expungement.

Trip to Seattle to see Damian Conway

In July 2002, I took a trip to Seattle to attend an event featuring Perl legend Damian Conway. Before the event, I enjoyed a scenic ferry ride acro...

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is an online Travel company and platform offering user-generated reviews, comparisons, and bookings.

TripAdvisor Travel Stats

On September 16, 2023, I exported my travel history records from TripAdvisor using Bing Chat AI, obtaining a breakdown of distinct countries and U....

Trolling the Salzenberg

Chip Salzenberg was the release "pumpking" for Perl 5.004, and he was remarkably adept at fixing bugs. There was a running joke in the community ab...

Trolling Usenet to Spread Perl

During the late 1980s, I spent a lot of time "trolling" Usenet groups like comp.unix.questions and comp.unix.shell to spread the word about the bra...

Tropidera Bar

The Tropidera Bar was a major establishment located in La Grande, Oregon. It was purchased and operated by me and my close friend and business part...

TSA Pat-Down and Fertilizer

A funny Travel anecdote about getting flagged by airport security at PDX.

Tunisia

Tunisia is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Turning 50 and the Grey Beard Decision

My milestone decision to stop shaving and grow a beard for the first time in my life as I turned 50.

TV Remote Control Overengineering

A humorous story about overengineering a solution for remote control interference at a bar.

UN Bank

A prominent banking institution associated with the United Nations or international development (such as the World Bank Group) headquartered in Was...

United States

United States is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Usenet

A worldwide distributed discussion system established in 1979.

Usenet Already Seen Crosspost Sadness

A comparison between the elegant crosspost handling in Usenet and the annoying multiposting common in modern chat systems.

Vallco Fashion Mall

Vallco Fashion Mall (later known as Cupertino Square) was a major shopping mall located in Cupertino, California.

Vasquez Rocks

Vasquez Rocks is a 932-acre park located in Agua Dulce, California, famous for its spectacular, slanted sandstone rock formations formed by rapid e...

VAX VMS Emulation Job Posting

I received a job posting from a headhunter looking for a "Virtual Memory System – Senior Server Specialist" to support a legacy VMS environment.

VAX___VMS

VAX/VMS is a concept in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Venezuela

Venezuela is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Venezuela Perl Conference

In October 2006, I traveled to Venezuela to present a full-day Learning Perl course (translated into Spanish) and deliver a keynote address titled ...

Veracruz

Veracruz is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Veracruz Conference and Richard Stallman

In late November 2004, I traveled to Veracruz, Mexico, to present at a Technology conference. It was my first time flying into Mexico, and my first...

Video Editing Evolution

A look back at my history with video editing Technology, comparing late-1980s analog setups to modern digital suites.

Visby

Visby is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Visit to Arecibo Observatory

Over my years coordinating and speaking on Geek Cruises, I had the rare privilege of visiting the historic and world-renowned Arecibo Observatory i...

Wagon App and HSV Colorspace

Building a personal sobriety tracking app and the engineering challenge of creating a smooth rainbow background.

Walking the Sydney Harbour Bridge

During my second trip to Australia in August 2002 to attend and speak at the annual SAGE-AU conference, I walked across the iconic Sydney Harbour B...

Washington

Washington is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Waymo SF Ride

A personal Travel anecdote about my first experience riding in a Waymo driverless car.

Web Services Cruise of May 2004

In May 2004, the 21st Geek Cruises voyage sailed from New York City on the Carnival Legend, representing our first Geek Cruise on a Carnival ship. ...

Web2000 International and Bill Harps Clown Costume Party

In October 2000, Bill Harp and I attended the Web2000 International (Web2K) conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Weird Al Yankovic Concert

In August 1999, my family and I went to see "Weird Al" Yankovic perform at the Oregon State Fair. It was a spectacular show featuring 20 costume ch...

Welcome to Portland Lunch and the Non-Linux Portability of Git

Shortly after creating Git in April 2005 to replace BitKeeper for Linux kernel development, Linus Torvalds arrived in Portland, Oregon.

Western Mediterranean

Western Mediterranean is a place in the Randal Schwartz life graph.

Western Oregon Road Trip with Mom

A detailed 1,125-mile personal road trip taken with my mom, Retha Schwartz, to celebrate her 75th birthday.

Widmer Hefeweizen in Anchorage

A humorous Travel anecdote from the 1990s involving Portland's famous craft beer.

WikiLinks

This page is a placeholder for the concept of "WikiLinks" in Logseq.

Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton (born 1972) is an American actor, blogger, and author. He is widely known for his roles as Wesley Crusher in the television series Star...

Wil Wheaton Dancing Barefoot Booksigning

In August 2003, during O'Reilly's Open Source Convention (OSCON) in Portland, Oregon, Wil Wheaton held a milestone book signing for his self-publis...

Witnessing Parents Remarriage

A unique family milestone where I signed as the legal witness for my own parents' remarriage.

Wm Leler

Wm Leler is a computer scientist and software engineer, known for his work in computer graphics, constraint languages, and developer advocacy.

Xochicalco

Xochicalco is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in the western part of Morelos, Mexico, famous for its fortified ruins and the Temple of the Feat...