• Tag Archives ssbn_742

  • How To Be An Undercover Geek

    Posted on by Tim

    As a kid growing up in rural, central California, my Dad took me to the International Farm Equipment Show. It was a highlight for me because I spent the entire day with my Dad. As well, it was the first place where totally “geeked out!” I also discovered the I’m an undercover geek.

    Yeah, I know, this reads a bit silly, and I’m OK with that.

    Let me break down what, for me, being an undercover geek is about. Firstly, it’s about seeing new technology on display, before it hits the market. Secondly, it’s about getting beta or preview access to new software. Finally, it’s about (or used to be about) getting the hottest, newest tech before anyone else.

    Most important, its about NOT shouting about all this new stuff from the roof tops!

    I can’t emphasize this point enough. DO NOT TELL ANYONE you have access to new tech or go to events where new tech is on display!

    Crew standing topside on the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742)
    Commissioning crew photo from the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742)

    For me, being a geek was not what I wanted as an identity when I was younger. Now, I’m mostly OK with the label. Please don’t ask me to come over and fix your computer at home!

    Back then, I was embarrassed about how my peers would see me. It was not cool to be a geek where I grew up. Times are different now.

    I choose to geek differently as an adult than when I was a kid and teenager. I had a beta GMail account, before it went mainstream. I’m blogging on a laptop with a preview release of Windows 11.

    I still struggle with the stigma of being an undercover geek. It’s not easy to outgrow the pain that came with the label. Although, I’m on complaining about the pay days as an adult!

    Find your undercover geek and be OK

    I want to encourage you. It’s OK to be an undercover geek. Don’t worry about what people might say if they found out that you have a passion for technology.

    From a fellow undercover geek, I have your back. I figured out a way to make being an undercover geek pay off. Believe me, I never would have imagined that I could be part of a nuclear submarine crew when I was five!

    Be cool, stay calm, and geek on!


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  • My Autograph Is In The USS WYOMING

    Posted on by Tim

    Let me tell you a secret, my autograph is in the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742). My signature resides in a classified space on board the ship.

    Not only is my name written in the ship, my name is forever cast in on a brass plaque hanging on a bulkhead (wall) outside the Crew’s Mess (cafeteria) onboard the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742). Mic drop, I’m out of here.

    Sea trials PCU WYOMING
    PCU WYOMING SSBN 742 performing sea trials prior to commissioning

    I am and will always be a part of U.S. naval history.  As a result, it is a story written in a book and it will outlive me. Heck, that brass plaque will certainly outlive me in a nautical museum somewhere at some time in the future!

    Commissioning crew plaque
    Commissioning crew plaque on board the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742)

    Is your name written in history?

    There are very few businesses today that have a place in history.  IBM is one of those companies, for instance. As well, Carnival Cruise Line has earned a spot in the books. Because I am an alumnus of both IBM and Carnival, I am a part of their history.

    As humans being, we desire to be part of something big. In some cases, we want to be a part of history!  The only way that can happen is if we show up, if we accept the challenge, if we have the courage, and can endure the setbacks that come with being part of the bigger picture.

    If you know your business can write history, what will you choose; to be or to do?

    I enjoy this quote from the book, Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Change The Art Of War by Robert Coran because it answers the question; to be or to do. –

    “Tiger, one day you will come to a fork in the road and you’re going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go.

    He raised his hand and pointed. “If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments.”

    Then Boyd raised his other hand and pointed in another direction. “Or you can go that way and you can do something- something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won’t have to compromise yourself.

    You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?”

    Boyd pages 285-286, 340

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