About your author
Background.
I grew up in Duluth, Georgia (USA), and studied electrical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. With an interest in Europe (and a Spanish girlfriend), I did my graduate work at Georgia Tech’s European campus in Metz, France.
After graduating in 1992, I went to work at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Darmstadt, Germany, as an engineer in the ground-station department. During those years, I had the opportunity to travel to ESA stations all over the world — from the frozen polar north in Kiruna, Sweden, to the balmy jungles of the French Guyana, in South America. The highlight was conducting a deep-space tracking campaign of the Ulysses satellite, as it swept around the Sun.
Today I live on the southern coast of Spain, in a city called Marbella, enjoying the climate, wonderful food, friendly people and amazing geographical diversity of Andalucia.
Business.
In 1997, I founded an aerospace company in Germany called Makalu Aerospace, which develops software systems and provides consultancy services.
In 2000, I started a second company called Makalu Interactive, which has designed and built web and mobile products for brands like Google, Virgin America, Catalog Choice and O’Reilly.
In late 2010, Makalu Interactive began transitioning from a services to a product company, designing and developing its first iPhone product, RaceSplitter.
Interests.
I love learning about what makes great products great, and the businesses that have built them. I love living off the beaten path, questioning assumptions. I love exploring the diverse experiences and cultures that the world has to offer. I enjoy trying to articulate my experiences and opinions, through writing. I like simplicity and authenticity.
I’m a black-belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, from the lineage of Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães. I’ve practiced and competed since 2000 — in fact, I managed to win gold medal three times at the European Championships.
I’m a fan of the Paleo diet and P90x for health and fitness.
Elsewhere.
Twitter is my social hub. I try to maintain a professional profil at LinkedIn, and sometimes goof off at Facebook (but not often).
I’ve got a lot of photos on Flickr. I upload videos to Vimeo and YouTube.
Philosophy.
A farmer had only one horse. One day, his horse ran away.
All the neighbors came by saying, “I’m so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We’ll see.”
A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses. The man and his son corraled all 21 horses.
All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “We’ll see.”
One of the wild horses kicked the man’s only son, breaking both his legs.
All the neighbors came by saying, “I’m so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We’ll see.”
The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer’s son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted.
All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “We’ll see.”
(Thanks, Derek Sivers.)
Get in touch!
I love to hear from readers of my blog, so please feel free to write and say hello.
