I live in Phoenix, Arizona USA with my wife, my two incredible kids, my wife's father (in an attached guest house), two cats and a highly energetic black labrador.  Spending time with my family is my first love.  Some other interests are described below.

I'm an obsessive fiction reader, primarily focused on sci fi (Neil Stephenson, Vernor Vinge and Rudy Rucker are favorite authors) and quirky modern novelists (e.g., David Foster Wallace, Chuck Palahniuk).  On the non-fiction side, I tend to like books on big math/science concepts that are dumbed-down for non-experts.  

I enjoy films (I studied film for a short period at NYU) but the only two films I've ever been compelled to purchase on DVD are Waking Life and I Heart Huckabees.  I think The Wire is the best TV show ever.

I like gaming with my kids.  I've had mad obsessions over several Wii games (Zelda, Chibi Robo, Paper Mario), but I've been increasingly left behind as we've moved to more fast-twitch Ps3 games.  I can beat every 12 year old in the neighborhood at Guitar Hero, though. 

I have an all-time favorite playwright.

My musical tastes run the standard alt-rock route: e.g., the Weakerthans, Guster, Radiohead, Wilco, Modest Mouse, the Decemberists, the Flaming Lips.  I'm sad that my kids have outgrown Raffi.  Really. I have a couple of guitars, but don't play well.

I used to run regularly, mostly 10Ks and 1/2 marathons, plus one marathon in 2006.  Because of an injury I'm not running now but I'm swimming (semi-)regularly.  When I find time to get in decent swimming shape I can flirt with national-level times: back in 2002 I had a top-ten national time for my then 30-34 year old age group in the 1500 meter freestyle, and I was on a relay in 2009 that was seventh in the country. 

Over the years I've done a fair amount of volunteer and pro bono work with different organizations, but for the past several years past my non-profit Desert Biofuels Initiative project has consumed much of my free time.  Recently I've also been putting energy into a project called Brownfields and the Arts.

I enjoy traveling, although much of my recent travel has been business-related.  Over the past few years I've been to Brazil, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, France and the U.K..

Prior to moving to Phoenix in 2000, I lived in San Diego for 11 years; I've also lived and worked for short periods in the Bahamas, Mexico, Colorado and Tahiti. I lived in New York City for a short spell as a college student. I grew up in the Philadelphia area (went to high school at Malvern Prep and swam for Malvern Swimming Association), and spent many summers on Long Beach Island, New Jersey.