The Winter Group

Background
My education, while extensive, has largely been self-taught and in the field, where I enjoyed the opportunity of working with several notable industry leaders and scientists.  I have been passionate about science and technology since I was young; I published my first software and White Papers on computer design at the age of thirteen.  While attending high school I helped setup and implement some of the first computer technology educational programs used in public schools and also helped teach some advanced math and chemistry classes.  And by the age of sixteen, I had taught FORTRAN at the college level and attended classes at MIT.  Shortly thereafter I began my career working full time as a lead design engineer for hardware and software systems before even completing high school and since then have worked full time holding various advanced engineering positions.  My education continued with directed project research at Stanford during the early eighties.  To this day I continually endeavor to expand my knowledge and understanding of many disciplines.

Personal Interests
My secondary interests are as diverse as my professional technical experience.
Aviation
I started flying helicopters in the mid 90’s and then moved to fixed wing aircraft after I started copiloting with a friend in his Citation jet.   I owned and flew a Cessna T182T with “glass cockpit” instrumentation for a few years.  I currently hold a Private Pilot’s License with TAA (Technically Advanced Aircraft) certification.
Weather
As a pilot I became fascinated with the weather and I will forever be student of the science.  I am keenly aware and involved with the various computer models and data ingest systems which feed all our global predictions and assessments.  As the planet continues to evolve and change under pressure from both the shorter term influence of man and the longer term cyclical nature of the hydrometeorological systems it becomes a paramount concern to understand these systems, how they are changing, and the socio-economic influence that can be expected from these changes. 
I currently maintain a meteorological observation station which reports to both the weather underground (wunderground.com) and to our own site.  The station is a Davis Vantage Pro 2, NIST certified with solar radiation and UV sensors.  I am also working on adding this site as a MADIS observation site. 
Network Video
Along with my weather station I also operate a public access webcam primarily for the purpose of weather observation.  The camera is network controllable and is programmed to allow several different views to the operator.  This same camera technology has also been used in projects related to automated security and remote monitoring.  I am also working on a new iPhone interface for accessing the camera controls and optimizing function for the newer smart phone platforms.
I built an HD video server for personal use that distributes content to several viewing clients over wireless-N to each room of my home along with streaming video from IP-cameras.  During the early 1990’s I also setup, configured and did the programming for some of the first streaming video systems used over secure IP for federal agencies during my tenure with Orion Scientific Systems.  Another related product for which I headed design and development was an event ticketing Kiosk which also displayed advertising clips distributed from a central server over a multitude of different transports. 
Music
I am an avid guitarist and have worked professionally as both a live and studio Sound Engineer.  Over the course of my life I have been given the opportunity of being involved with many aspects of live performances.  I have produced and edited music and video projects utilizing Final Cut Pro & DVD Studio Pro along with Digidesgins Pro Tools under Mac OS X. 
Real Estate Development
I have completed several major building projects; including, ground up remodels, additions, and new construction projects.  And on all I acted as architect, engineer, general contractor, and general labor.
Games of Probability
I have enjoyed being a former semi-professional level backgammon player and more currently a semi-professional poker player for many years.  These activities fascinate me as a mathematical and risk analysis challenge.  I find these activities really help put into perspective the risk/reward challenges faced by business.
Mathematics
I have long been fascinated by mathematics and have relied on advanced math in many areas of my professional and personal life.  One area, in particular, that has fascinated me for many years is the computer modeling of physical systems (emulation).  One less obvious area of this is that of Random Number Generation RNG algorithms. I became interested in the idea of shuffle algorithms for online poker and how the physical properties of manual shuffling could be recreated in a computer model.  I devised a shuffling process and set of algorithms that I think are quite interesting and should guarantee a statistically neutral, non-repeating result.  I have also developed my own algorithms for property value analysis using multiple data sources as well as predictive algorithms to ascertain probable future value over time.  So far I have done quite well with these metrics and the data I qualify for inclusion in the analysis. 
Arcade Machines
Because I enjoy tinkering with hardware as much as developing software, I am also a modern (1990+) pinball machine collector, restorer, and player.  I also love the old original arcade machines from the early eighties.  I have programmed and worked on the MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulation) project since 1997 in an effort to document the hardware from these eras and to keep the history alive and available.