I'm a Southern California native but not your typical LA type, besides loving the ocean and perpetual sunshine. Between stints of diving deep underwater in the Caribbean without a tank, whipping up homemade pesto from scratch, playing Gershwin rhapsodies on the piano, or inventing new mathematics for my creative visual software, I'm always keeping myself busy, one way or another.

I am liberal, both in politics and in my use of sea salt. I have the qualifications for Mensa, but the dignity not to join. My one-year-old niece can't look at me without dissolving into giggles. I can keep up with anyone, and I am rarely out-punned.

But then... running my hands through my own hair just isn't quite the same. And my passenger-side seat-heater feels neglected every now and then. So here's to all you fascinating good-hearted intelligent romantic adventurous individuals out there!

My life goals are threefold: to enjoy the very best experiences life has to offer, to create something beneficial to humanity that might not otherwise be created, and to share the journey with those closest to me. (Including a family someday.)

Career-wise: I run a speculative startup developing visual creative apps, while also moonlighting as a software developer for a larger well-known software company. This combination gives me great freedom and flexibility; I can work from almost anywhere, and set my own schedule.

Leisure-wise: My passion for the past few years has been Freediving, a sport which has taken me around the world to train and compete in beautiful and exotic places. (Recently, the Bahamas and French Riviera; up next, Curaçao and Serbia.) The friendships and camaraderie that have come out of these experiences are unrivalled.

- Waxing philosophical (and/or surfboards).
- Playing piano without the sheet music.
- Holding my breath until YOU turn blue.
- Making cappuccinos with leaf patterns on top.
- Skiing black-diamond slopes without falling.
- Communicating complex ideas in simple ways.
- Administering nirvana-inducing shoulder-rubs.
- Grilling Indian-spiced salmon with couscous and chutney.
- Conversing late into the night over red zin and Valhrona...

Really long eyelashes. And a warm smile.

I grew up around classical music, steeped in it from an early age. (Interspersed with summer-camp 80's music.) Vladimir Horowitz, Arcadi Volodos and Yundi Li never cease to amaze. Buddha Bar is a great standby for ambiance. And I've discovered that Gangnam Style is particularly effective for intense workouts. (You laugh, but I'm burning calories!) On the radio, Alternative/Electronic/Indie on shuffle, or NPR/KCRW/Radiolab. TV: Daily Show / Colbert / Bill Maher.

Books: currently reading a biography of Nikola Tesla, an idol of mine. I recently read Nate Silver's "The Signal and the Noise," about Bayesian statistics, forecasts and predictions. (There's like a 97% chance that's not as scary as it sounds.) I'm on the TED Book Club mailing list, so every month is a deluge. Malcolm Gladwell, Lev Grossman ('The Magicians'), Daniel Gilbert ('Stumbling on Happiness'), Kathryn Schulz ('Being Wrong'), xkcd volume 0, and more... Also working my way though the massive slab of culinary wisdom that is Modernist Cuisine..

Movies: Amelie, Tampopo, Shawshank Redemption, Ferris Bueller, anything Pixar, Amadeus, LOTR, Blade Runner, Princess Bride, The Red Violin, vintage Python. And I hope that Mel Gibson one day redeems himself, so I can watch Braveheart again.*

Food: I love to cook, and I generally eat healthy, but with no particular restrictions. I source organic/humane when possible, and abhor the Monsanto/Dow monoculture machine. My homemade latte art technique is improving. Lots of favorite secret spots around LA...

*One positive personal anecdote received. I'm softening...

Maslow's Pyramid is a good place to start. But besides the obvious (family, friends, health, food, sleep, air, love), I suppose it comes down to the luxuries:

• Passport. (just renewed because the old one was completely full!)
• A good chef's knife, and proper ingredients to use it with.
• Mask, fins, and snorkel. (scuba tank optional.)
• My piano, or at least a full-range keyboard.
• Deep conversation, laughter, and inspiration.
• Peet's Arabian Mocha Sanani (Whole bean)

-Why do mirrors reverse left and right, but not up and down?
-Is it paradoxical that I avoid eating bluefin tuna because they're too tasty to eat to extinction?
-Why do fax machines still exist? Seriously.
-Visualizing large numbers. If you literally tried to mint a trillion-dollar platinum coin, it would be six feet thick and weigh 20,000 tons.
-If I had to give a TED talk, what would it be?

Out on the town, if the situation presents itself. Cooking dinner, watching Real Time or a movie. Working on my F chord. Or working late into the night on my current project to fix a bug or add a feature. Or, catching a redeye to Miami to zip down to the Bahamas. The point is, if your typical Friday night is typical, you're doing it wrong :)

I prefer not to sleep with sheets tucked in. I like to untuck them and make a little nest for my toes...

You think we might click; romantically, intellectually, or otherwise.