Greg Allen, Online Editor
For some reason, most don't consider me the average 29-year-old. Before I even managed to accumulate a decade of experience in this earth, technology had always amazed and interested me in a fashion that kept me poking, prodding, and learning. You know the kid who could program a VHS recorder before he ever learned to tie his shoelaces? That was me.
My first computer (read: my father's business investment not intended for little fingers) was a Commodore 64. Before he ever learned to load his word processing program, I was invading alien strongholds, casting destructive magic, and saving the princess inside the beige, bulky box.
Not much later my family invested in a personal computer running Windows. It was an "educational" investment to my folks. To me, it was an open door of possibilities.
A dial-up Internet connection brought the wonderful world of on-line surfing to my doorstep and with it a new fascination: custom built Web pages. I diligently learned, practiced, and created online code.
Born with an eye for the artistic, I quickly became aware of the process to create my own online worlds with shareware graphics programs. Nothing could stop me; I was turning into something else. Flash animation came. I conquered it. Animated web images bowed at my feet. Increasingly complex design programs challenged me, and I drove them to complete obedience with more complex designs. It wasn't until I attended Okaloosa-Walton College that I decided to become a graphic designer professionally.
I've had the privilege to work for on-line web firms, restaurants, and even a magazine. Today, I work for one of the largest newspaper industries in the nation as the Online Editor at your favorite local paper.
I am a full-fledged geek. Geek, for those working with a limited understanding of the term, means I am cooler than a nerd; have more people skills than a dork; and better dress sense than a spaz. Geek simply means I am an ordinary guy with a hunger for the things of modern technology. The frontier of technology is an ever changing landscape and I task myself and my inner geek to find it, learn it, and use it to better my life and the lives of others.
