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It's currently January 2024, and my name is Nick Valenzuela. I'm known in computer realms as ArrayPointer. I've created this page for anyone who actually might be curious about me, though I suspect my life isn't any more or less interesting than the reader's.
I became deeply involved with computer technologies in 1993 when I bought my first computer, a used IBM XT 286 that came out in 1986 (5.25 and 3.5 floppy drives, 20MB hard drive), so it was seven years old when I acquired it. The brand new 2400 baud modem I bought for it cost the same as the entire computer at the time. The technology was already obsolete, as the XT originally ran MS-DOS 3.2 (I eventually upgraded the OS to MS-DOS 5.0 and then later 6.22) and it had a monochromatic green text monitor. Nevertheless, I loved that machine and learned a great deal about computers before moving on to my first custom built rig in 1995, a Pentium P6 (75MHz FSB). I initially installed a copy of Windows 3.11 for Workgroups I copied from work until I eventually bought an OEM version of Windows 95 OSR2 from the store that sold me the rig's parts. Ha! Back in those days you still needed a 3.5" floppy even if Windows was on a CD-ROM. In 2011 I finally moved to Linux as my daily driver after years of tinkering with different distributions. Yes, I'm aware of Stallman's insistence that it's "GNU/Linux," but hey, if he had managed to create a usable kernel like Torvalds did, perhaps I'd care more. Since 1995 I've built my own computers rather than purchasing brand name fiascos, and after dual booting for years I made the final full migration away from Windows to Linux in 2014. I no longer fruitlessly extol the advantages of Linux to deaf ears, I simply bask in the perks of superior computing, free of charge and free of proprietary nonsense. An abridged history of my Linux journey, starting around 2005 or so:
Okay, the computer section is done. ;) I retired from an insurance company called Safeco at the end of December 2000. My last position was as the network and system admin for their Corporate Security department. Although the only language I've spent time coding in is C, I did use the proprietary Plain English language when I worked with the security side of Andover Controls, the HVAC system that Safeco utilized in both its home office (where I worked) and all (at that time) 43 branch offices. That was back in the prehistoric days of NT 3.51. I built and have maintained a 24/7 Internet gaming server for family and friends since 2017 (running Linux, of course). For a while we abandoned Minecraft because Microsoft and Mojang were becoming so woke I couldn't tolerate it. We played Vintage Story instead for about two years, and enjoyed all the features it has that are better than Minecraft. But in the end, it's not Notch's fault that his sale of Mojang to Microsoft tainted Minecraft with unnecessary virtue signaling and 1984-ish content control. So we returned to Minecraft on the server simply because Minecraft allows me to do all kinds of cool things with functions I can write in their native syntax. Back in 2020 when my wife started working from home due to COVID restrictions, I put together an office for her in one of our bedrooms. But the fun thing was I also took a month and sifted through all of my stored computer parts, finding enough to also piece together a three-computer LAN in her new office with all nodes running Windows XP. Why would I do that? Because we're a gaming family and through the years I collected hundreds of games that play best on that OS. Good times! I've written, recorded, sung and occasionally played bass in the following Seattle-based rock bands: Leadfoot, Exit, Blackstone and Axis. I wrote and recorded a solo project finished in 1990 called "Persona Non Grata." I was in a writing and performing duo with Bill D'luhosh called "Red and Black" from 1993 to 1997, that saw the release of one self-titled CD. After finishing the project with Bill, I decided I was done with music so I retired from my 16-year stint in Corporate America, sold my house in Sea-Tac and moved from Washington State to Columbus, Ohio in an effort to broaden my life experience. During this extended odyssey I rented a room, worked part time now and then, visited the Columbus Metropolitan Library almost daily, read books about artificial intelligence, philosophy, consciousness and the structure of reality. I played video games into the wee hours, created custom scenarios in AOE II The Conquerors, and even designed a formidable computer opponent using Ensemble Studio's own scripting language. Why Columbus? My brother had relocated there from Minnesota in 2000, and I decided if I were ever going to commit to a Razor's Edge adventure, it was now or never. After five years of bohemian loafing in Columbus I returned west and stopped in Minnesota to hang out with my brother again, who had returned from Columbus after only one year. I never made it back to Washington because in Minnesota I met the woman who became my wife. I took up music again with two other former members of the band Axis in 2009 and worked with them until December 2020, completing seven songs in the process. These days in terms of music, I prefer to occasionally play guitar and piano at home (I've never been proficient at either), sing while I'm at work and write lyrics for new songs that may or may not ever see the light of day. I also wrote two books. One was a paperback called Absolute Infinity, and is no longer in stock on Amazon as I eventually had all the remaining copies in the warehouse disposed of in order to save the money it took to store them. The other is called The Mantis. The Mantis is currently available on Amazon, and free if you have Kindle Unlimited. The three accomplishments in my life I cherish the most are accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior at the age of 15, marrying my wife at the age of 46 and becoming a father at the age of 50. All my previous aspirations and efforts toward personal grandeur are nothing compared to those three crucial events. For the remainder of this text I'll revert to the high school format of listing favorites. Food: a spicy chicken sandwich and fries at Popeyes. Hobbies: I used to collect video games and books but now I just collect dust. I love to spend time with my wife and son. I like to sing, write, read and watch movies. I like to construct code; script-based game modding, small C projects, and one larger scale game written in C that will likely remain vaporware. I like to tinker with x86 computers and Linux. I like 3D brain teasers and logic puzzles. My family's favorite table top game is Carcassonne. Music: classic rock, 70's and 80's pop, and classical (Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin and Haydn mostly, although I enjoy a few selections from composers such as Debussy). Modern bands and artists I love are Queen, Jethro Tull, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Foreigner, Styx, Judas Priest, Kansas, Blue Oyster Cult, Scorpions, Boston, Eatliz (their first album, Violently Delicate, is genius), Kate Bush (she's the genuine article - no attitude required), Battle Beast (there hasn't been a voice like Louhimo's since Dio was still alive), Billy Joel, Elton John (Taupin collaborations only), Gavin DeGraw, Muse, Imagine Dragons, Evanescence (only the album "Fallen" - successive albums were devoid of Ben Moody, reducing Amy Lee to an amazing voice crippled by mundanity), Becky G (she's a homie, what can I say), Wagakki Band, Anna Graceman (a great vocal talent in need of commensurate songwriting), Skilyr Hicks (may she rest in peace), Anika Nilles, Greta Van Fleet (hey, it's free new Zeppelin!), Sir Mix-A-Lot, and Tom MacDonald. Books: The Bible (The Hebrew and Greek scriptures, King James Version), the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (the most beautiful prose and verse I've ever read), Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, Thought As A System by David Bohm, The Last Superstition by Edward Feser, The Devil's Delusion by David Berlinski, Reason Faith and Revolution by Terry Eagleton, The Science of God by Gerald L. Schroeder, Darwin's Black Box by Michael J. Behe, Icons of Evolution by Jonathan Wells, Signature In The Cell by Stephen C. Meyer, Evolution A Theory In Crisis by Michael Denton, The User Illusion by Tor Norretranders, The Privileged Planet by Gonzalez and Richards, Rapture For The Geeks by Richard Dooling, Darwin Among The Machines by George B. Dyson, The Masters of Doom by David Kushner, Code by Charles Petzold, C Primer Plus by Stephen Prata, Peter Norton's Inside the PC, and Peter Norton's Programmer's Guide To The IBM PC. Very few fiction books make my all time favorite list, though I read almost exclusively fiction until I was about 25 years old. Fiction titles that stood out to me through the years were Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, The Stand by Stephen King, The LaNague Chronicles by F. Paul Wilson, and the Destroyer series, originally written by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy. TV shows: Rectify (my absolute favorite), The Chosen (the single best treatment of the Gospels I have ever seen on TV), Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones (except for the writers' bizarre and unforgivable subversion of Daenerys Targaryen's story arc in the final season), The Mentalist, Mr. Robot, Luther (the Alice Morgan character steals every scene), Person Of Interest (the fourth season's finale was brilliant, then the fifth season devolved into politically correct writing, which likely caused the show to tank), Twilight Zone (1959-1964, 1985-1989, 2002-2003), The Outer Limits (1995-2002), Highway To Heaven, Kyle XY, The Punisher, Dexter, Joan Of Arcadia, Cobra Kai, Wayne, Continuum (2012-2015), Sons Of Anarchy, Seinfeld, The Office (U.S. version), Trailer Park Boys. I also loved "The 100," but you have to ignore the writers' inclusion of irrelevant sexuality if you wish to truly enjoy the show. The audience is not stupid. Movies: my absolute favorite movie is The Frame (2014) by Jamin Winans. I've watched it so many times I've lost count; I don't throw the words genius and visionary around easily, but The Frame definitely qualifies for both. Jamin and Kiowa are the only independent filmmakers I've ever financially supported. All Winan's films are great but The Frame has a metaphorical depth that most filmmakers do not explore. Other movies I love are: Nefarious (2023 - the single best source of Biblical theology that has ever appeared in a contemporary well-written and well-acted work of fiction), Chasing the Rain (2020), V for Vendetta, Unbreakable (2000), Avengement (one of the best revenge movies I've ever seen), The Matrix, The Thin Red Line (1998), It's A Wonderful Life (1946), Unforgiven (1992), Greater, Joker, Unplanned, Grand Canyon (1991), Levity, First Reformed, Frailty (2001), M3GAN, The Believer (2021 - an exceptionally clever and completely misunderstood movie, with a Shan Serafin script that is as tight as a drum, that Wikipedia [as is typical] can't properly summarize), Cardboard Boxer (2016), The Sweet Life (2016), The Pirates of Silicon Valley (best depiction of Gates and Jobs I've ever seen), Freebie and the Bean (the first comedic 'cop buddy' movie, and still the best), The Case For Christ (2017), Crash (2004), Only the Animals (2021), The Book of Eli, The Ten Commandments (1956), Apocalypto, American Beauty, The Adjustment Bureau (2011), Knowing, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, The Tall Man (2012), Pay It Forward, A Beautiful Mind, After Fall Winter (dark themes, but important messaging), Cinderella Man, The Equalizer (all three), The Dark Knight, Good Will Hunting, Schindler's List, God's Not Dead, Sucker Punch (2011 - the bandwagon critics were mistakenly equating visual splendor with vacuity), Hacksaw Ridge, Se7en, Rocky III, Warrior, Gran Torino, A History of Violence, Nobody (2021), The Hunt (2020), Taken, Falling Down (1993), The Devil's Advocate (1997), Let The Right One In (Moretz is talented, but the original was best), Sicario (Del Toro, Blunt and Brolin, what else can I say), Train To Busan, The Silence Of The Lambs, Devil, Triangle (2009), The Wall (2012 - originally titled "Die Wand"), 300, The Dead Zone (1983), 12 Monkeys, The Ninth Gate, Fallen, Case 39, Orphan (2009), American Fable, Grace Unplugged, Moments From A Sidewalk, These Streets We Haunt, Everything I Am (2022), The King Of Kong A Fistful Of Quarters, Almost Mercy, The Dark (2018 - starring Nadia Alexander; an aptly named fairy tale), A Simple Favor (2018), Road House (1989), The Warriors (1979), Miss Meadows, Silver Linings Playbook, Chef, As Good As It Gets (1997), Back To School (1986), The Other Guys, Safety Not Guaranteed, Instant Family (2018), My Wife Is A Gangster 3, Grosse Pointe Blank, Liar Liar, Jerry Maguire, Rock Star (2001), Don Jon (2013), Henry Poole Is Here, The Hard Way (1991), Army Of Darkness, Prince Of Darkness (1987), The Shrine (2010), To Sir With Love (1967), Time Lapse (2014), An Invisible Sign, Proof, Whiplash (2014), Apostasy (2017), Fathers and Daughters (2016), The Machinist, Rollerball (1975), Planet of the Apes (1968), The Omega Man (1971), Kick-Ass, Robocop (1987), Edge Of Tomorrow, Starship Troopers (1997), Lonely Are The Brave (1962), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Walk Like A Dragon (1960), Manchester By The Sea (2016), The Drop, Enter The Dragon (1973), First Blood (1982), Man On Fire (2004), Wrath of Man (best Statham movie), John Wick (2014), Peppermint (2018), The Punisher (2004), The Terminator (1984), Scarface (DePalma's magnum opus), The Man From Nowhere (2010), No One Lives (2012 - an over-the-top gory, weirdly satisfying revenge film where the 'hero' is worse than the criminals who attack him), Malignant (2021). American Mary, The Buddy Holly Story, La Bamba, Great Balls of Fire, Walk the Line (2005), Dragon The Bruce Lee Story, Bohemian Rhapsody, IP Man (all four with Donnie Yen), Hero (2002), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Jet Li's Fearless, House Of Flying Daggers, Memories Of The Sword, Lady Bloodfight (low budget but a lot of fun), Red White & Blue (2010 - *way* too graphically violent near the end, but the important messages are loud and clear), 88 (Katherine Isabelle's performance is worth the low budget backdrop), V/H/S (2012 - only the first vignette, named "Amateur Night"), Dead Of Night (1977 - only the final vignette, named "Bobby"), Once I Was A Beehive, The Perfect Game (2011), Finding You (2020 - Brian Baugh and Rose Reid deserve more than the attention they're getting), The Fisher King, Do You Believe? (2015), Same Kind Of Different As Me, Mr. Church, The Cokeville Miracle (not the best production, but an amazing true story that shows the real people at the end), Cast Away (2000), Groundhog Day, Yesterday (2019), A Week Away, Notting Hill (1999), My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), Me Before You, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, I Love You Man, 13 Going On 30, Two Weeks Notice (2002), Man Up, What If (2013 - with Radcliffe and Kazan), Blind Date (the 2015 French romantic comedy originally titled "Un peu, beaucoup, aveuglément!"), Superbad, Angel-A, Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 1 and 2). The Passion Of The Christ is also a top favorite, but for edification, not entertainment, as it is extremely difficult to watch, due to Gibson's visionary decision to not dilute the ugly truth of Jesus's extreme suffering. |