I enjoy being different and I love that quality in others. I enjoy the company of people who can string more than three words together, (assuming they aren't just talking about themselves). I find thinking outside the sphere to be quite stimulating and I am intellectually curious.

Playing with a partner is one of the truly enjoyable things in life. Giggling while cooking, driving or hanging out the clothes triggers the hormones that keep us young and helps a relationship to endure. It's hard to OD on this stuff.

I have a GSOH. That's a good sense of horror but humour? Go beyond black, irreverent and politically incorrect, and you'll find me out there somewhere. Apparently, though, there is more to life than playing, teasing and having fun.

I've done a little bit of travelling over the years to over 40 countries - alright, a 'reasonable' amount of travelling. My current fav places are St Petersburg, Inner Mongolia and the Angkor Wat temples. Whenever I read a travel book I'm reminded of how many places I've yet to see although I'd rather do it on holiday than for business reasons.

I am intelligent, generous, happy, playful but rather starved for stimulating conversation and companionship.

(The option boxes in 'My Details' (on the right) are rather constraining - it would be so much fun and descriptive filling in text boxes.)

I've had a number of different careers and I've been in adademia for the last 8 years (boo! I hear from the audience) but I didn't wear walk shorts, knee socks, sandals and a cardy. I deny that emphatically!! However, I've just moved back to the private sector, although, not in just one area. It's far more stimulating, on balance, but meeting like minds is less common. From a career perspective, academia is like trying to play rock, paper scissors in a straight jacket that's one size too small.

Reading, writing and thinking. I guess that's why I operate in a more strategic role in my employment rather than in an operational position. I seem to excel in most things with one or two notable exceptions - not hard to guess. :-)

Quite often, and I've verified this with many people, they see my arms, legs, clothes, head and my handkerchief, if I'm blowing my nose.

Music: I love JJJ, Morcheeba, Massive Attack, Portishead, Presets, Nick Cave, Katalyst, Foo Fighters, Michael Franti, Sneaker Pimps, Pixies, Faithless, trip hop, and LOTS of others. The list changes with time but I don't mind an oldie from the 90s once every two or three years.)

Books! I admit I've been addicted to pulp sci-fi and sci-fan for a long time. Yes, I've tried crime (never got caught), comedy, drama, natural history had me for a while but I'm a recidivist... What is it about Peter Hamilton, Frank Herbert, his son Brian...?

Spew! I've never seen an episode of Seinfeld, Simpsons or Survivor and never plan to. I'll stick with a little bit of SBS and ABC2. I love Graham Norton (not that sort of love), Ideal, Extras, Mrs Brown's Boys, In the Thick of it, Peep Show, QI, Black Books and, of course, Top Gear..

Movies: Dead Man (the only good Johhy Depp film), any Tarantino, Sci-Fi (not that many good ones have been made since Blade Runner), I can't think of any good fantasy movies.

Sam Jackson, Robert Carlyle, Gary Oldman, Daniel Day Lewis, Jeremy Irons all seem to make watchable flicks. It sounds a bit man oriented. I'll reflect on this.

My belief in myself, special people, my health (the big picture and not just a sore finger, dandruff or a bung toe), my ability to see something funny in almost everything... that probably covers it.

I might not be able to do without my place in the Adelaide Hills. Half an acre of large trees and shrubs, a river going through it. I'm thinking of moving back into the city, though.

Just thought, I need to add my reading into this part. Give me a good book and I'm like a pig in a chocolate factory.

I've been all through the 'why are we here' and 'what's our purpose' stuff and its all quite straight forward. (Hint: Anita Brookner.)

A few years ago, I built a conceptual framework to enable robots to interact with small goups of people but I'm probably 15-20 years early on this one. That occupied quite a bit of upstairs processing but it's all behind me now. (Stop laughing - I'm being serious for a change.)

Need to find something new to think about that is engaging...

I occasionally have a couple of adult beverages with a couple of mates, but it's more likely I'll head home. I love my books.

There probably isn't much that I wouldn't tell my partner, but I'm not telling the world.

...you can excite the big head as well as the little head.