Yoohoo from the Meecro Hyperion ;-)

Hi there,

Thanks tacey for the cool BB

I'm Matt, I live in Canberra, Australia and stupidly clicked a link at a sci-fi blog ('cause there was a picture of Jess on it, I think ) leading to evony...

I've studied electronics, computer science and psychology(mostly social psych), and am extremely grateful not to be studying any more. finished my last degree end of 1997.
Have you seen the movie 'top secret' where Val Kilmer has been captured as a spy and imprisoned? Well he's hanging from the ceiling from a chain - hands cuffed behind his back - and tortured with a 12 Volt car battery. He passes out from the pain and suddenly:
He's dreaming that he's walking down the corridor of high school. This geeky guy with inch-thick glasses comes up: "have you studied for mid-terms?". "Oh no!" he says, "I'm back in school - I have a test - I haven't studied!!!!! Nooooooooooooo". Then he wakes up and he's just being physically tortured. "THANK GOD!!" he screams. That's how much I like being a student...... But I _have_ put my name down for Flash programming for the organisation I volunteer for.

I used to work on mobile phone software builds in Chicago for Motorola (don't buy a Motorola phone!!!!), specialising in Configuration Management. Quit in disgust, moved back to Canberra to have a baby (she's 8 now and I love her to bits) with a girl and buy a house, got a job with a company owned by the Comp Sci head of department at the uni where I studied and wound up lead engineer on the implementation of a world-first computer voting project. Lots of fun but scary as hell! No wriggle-room on functionality, cost or time (sorry - you're just going to reschedule that election....). Had a major psychosis in 2004, lost the job and the girl - gave her the house, though, and was diagnosed with Bipolar Mood Disorder. What fun!

Now work volunteer with a community-based organisation going into schools and talking to senior high schoolers about Mental Illness with the aim of reducing stigma and encouraging early help-seeking behaviour. I've told my personal story to over 2000 complete strangers! Used to deliver IT Industry training to boffins no probs but nearly shat myself when confronted with a room full of 15 year olds for the first time....

Also contribute to a weekly radio show interviewing people who live with, care for people who live with, or professionals who work with or study - Mental Illness. Undoubtedly the most useful thing I've ever done in my life!!! Like the world needs another bloody mobile phone. Also the work has been instrumental in my own recovery as it has helped me to accept my illness and it's consequences. I'm lucky to be alive. 20% of people with my condition die in the first 3 years after their first episode....

But life has honestly never been better

Love reading Sci-Fi (C.J. Cherryh fucking ROCKS - she is a genius!!! - and it was her blog - , Neal Stephenson and Iain M. Banks come close equal second). It's like a mixture of history, politics and high-philosophy wrapped up in gripping entertainment....
Love listening to music (anything with intelligent, especially subversive, lyrics and talented, emotionally charged lyrics - oh accompanied by original, gets into your toes music). I like songs from AC/DC and Cold Chisel (Hard Rock and R&B) to Kate Bush and the hauntingy Celtic Clannad.
Love hanging out with my daughter who stays over most weekends and we play scrabble, cricket, cards, tickling, go shopping or just a walk.
Play indoor cricket every week and ride my bike around the lake (when I can get motivated).

Haven't played computer games for years (even though that's why I got into electronics in the first place - I wanted to be a sorcerror when I was a kid, and that's the closest I could get), but the new batch of MM online games have started to eat into my time. Evony looks like a blast, even though I've only been playing for 6 hours. Also got into virtual pinball last year (www.pinballnirvana.com is where I hang out these days).

Jeez if you're still here you've done well - thanks for reading this far!!!!
As a reward here's my Favourite quote (even though I don't agree with it) "If at first you don't succeed, destroy any evidence you ever tried!".

Keep smiling and 'bye for now,
Matt (Meecro Hyperion)

Cool my fiance is getting her MA in Marriage and Family Counseling she know alot about psychology some rubbs off on me because of this. It is tough to have a battle of witts if you are unarmed so i read up on it a lil. It's nice ta meet you. ^_^

Thanks man, good to meet you you too!
Psych is just so bloody fascinating. I found it hard because the concepts are sometimes really hard to get my head around. Like the theory of paired co-distinctivenss with in prejudice theory where (in a nutshell) we mentally amplify the prevalence of a minority behavior by a minority group waaaaay beyond what the stats actually show.
We're hard-wired to see the world the way we are, not he way it is!

Well met,
Matt (Meecro Hyp)

There is much I still do not know about Psychology. Like you said I also sometimes find it hard to wrap my head around the way they word things in these books. The fact that my courses are online does not help that fact either. I also find much of it fascinating and crucial to learn as I am a student of war. (By hobby not career) I believe that everyone should at least learn intercommunication (I believe the theory you speak of is taught in that branch of Psych.) skills it would help the world become a better and more understanding place to live. You seem very well versed in Psych. I on the other hand have much to learn to keep with my fiance lol.