About Me

I’m a Newfoundlander from Kilbride, which was just outside St. John’s, Newfoundland when I grew up. I have always loved the ocean and the waves, and the weather associated with it. I’m also in love with space exploration, but being a Canadian kid with glasses in the 1970’s I soon gave up on the idea of being an astronaut.

Work: I am an Oceanographer and Meteorologist, which means I can work at my first love. I currently work with unusually long period waves generated by Hurricanes and Tropical Storms, and also storm surge. I’m interested in wind waves and fog (being a Newfoundlander and hating fog would be kind of counterproductive, don’t you think)?

Interests: A bit of everything, but most of my time is spent as follows (in no particular order)

• Physical: Swimming, Cycling, Hiking, Sailing, Canoe/Kayak
• Reading
  • Science Fiction and Fantasy: 2-3000 titles at home
    • Alphabet Favourites (I tried to keep it to one per letter): Anderson, Asimov, Bear, Brin, Bujold, Card, Clarke, Dickson, Ellison, Farmer, Gerrold, Heinlein, Hughart, Ing, Jakes, Kay, Le Guin, Martin, McDevitt, Niven, Orwell, Pohl, Quinn, Robinson, Saberhagen, Sawyer, Scarborough, Silverberg, Simak, Simmons, Stephenson, Stevenson, Sturgeon (sorry, too many good S’s), Tolkein, Updike, Verne, Vinge, Vonnegut, Wells, Willis, Yolen, Zelazny
  • Literature (I read these, but collect SF):
    • Alphabet Favourites: Atwood, Burroughs, Conrad, Dickens, Eliot, Faulkner, Grimm, Heller, Irving, Jackson, Kipling, Lewis, Maugham, Not Nietche, Orwell, Poe, Rushdie, Stevenson, Twain, Uris, Verne, Whitman, Yeats, Zane(just kidding)
  • Science: Math, Physics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Oceanography, Meteorology, Fluid Dynamics, Matlab, and general stuff
  • History:
    • Ancient Civilisations: Celts,Irish, English, Norse, Mongol, Meso-American, China, Megalith Builders and the Beaker People,
    • Recent History: Canadian, Newfoundland, Explorers (especially sailors and polar exploration), 19th Century India and the Northwest Frontier, The Great Game,
    • Military and Current Events: World Wars I&II, Holocaust and Israel, Palestine, China and Tibet
    • Technological: Space exploration, Aviation, Transportation, Nuclear Research, Astronomy, Information revolution, Sailing ships and Clippers, Schooners, Submarines and Submersibles, Acoustics, Oceanography and Meteorology
    • Arts: van Gogh, Celtic art and Kells, Lindisfarne and Durrow, flutes, tin whistles,
    • Plus eclectic choices and essays
• Photography: I’m just starting, and most of my images are on flickr. My favourite subjects are
  • landscapes, especially hiking trails and the scenery around them
  • coastlines, waves, and icebergs, especially around Newfoundland and the Maritimes
  • interesting historic sites and architecture
  • animals, when they hold still long enough!
  • occasionally people

EMAIL: Rexton