Greetings Steemians my name is Tom. I go by tcblack almost everywhere on the internet.... Though I have seen a few websites where others who took my name before I got there.
I’ve been playing with technology since my dad came home with a Commodore 64.
When I tore open the package and asked him how to use it, he handed me a manual and walked away. That was the greatest gift he could have given me when it comes to computer knowledge.
I learned to program BASIC (and then forgot it all). I spent so much time geeking out with computers that I formed a startup business in the 80’s and 90’s building and repairing computers named “Component Connections.” Ah those were the days.
Back then - before the Internet was a thing- I ran a Bulletin Board system called “Midnight Run” on a tricked out 16Mhz computer and a 300 baud modem don’t laugh, that was big stuff back then. I connected with a few other BBS every night on a schedule to upload and download mail/newsgroups long before everyone had an email address.
Later, I even taught myself Linux by faithfully following Gerard Beekmans’ instructions on building Linux from Scratch (#12818 to complete and register).
Today I am a Pastor in Central Illinois. And I still get my tech on by working with a company called Logos Bible Software as an MVP in their forums. (Though I’m on a bit of a overlong hiatus).
Way back before BOINC existed I was part of the United Devices (UD) experiment in Distributed Computing with a ton of Work units under my belt. When BOINC sprang into being I remember lobbying for UD and World Community Grid (WCG) to shift over to it. When it finally did... well I had to quit running BOINC because I couldn't afford it.
Cost and cash is what it comes down to. I hate to say it but science costs money. Running BOINC back then raised my electric bill to a point where I had to shut it down in order to feed my family. When it got doable again I had forgotten it.
There was a brief time when I first heard about Gridcoin at the beginning that I tried to get involved, but once again I lacked the time to invest and let it go as a fad. Whoops.
It wasn’t until Gridcoin resurfaced in my memory that I determined I might be able to make boinc pay for itself. Thus the dream of Gridcoin making it “profitable” to run boinc worked for me. Once I started plugging into BOINC and Gridcoin again I started reading about Steem.
So here I am on Steem, ready to do my part to contribute to the community of Gridcoin... for science! (And GRC).
Right now I’m working on several posts and an experiment for Gridcoin.
I can’t wait.