Who is DNAphil?

I think that its important to know something about the writer of a blog, because it adds some context to their writing, and also can create a connection if we share some common traits, beliefs, or experiences. So let me try to give you a high level summary of who DNAphil is.

I am in my mid-30’s, married, with one child, and one more on the way. I was a long time ago, a graduate student pursuing a PhD in Biochemical Pharmacology, but I left before my PhD, to take up a job in laboratory data management, focusing on Pharmacology. From there, I developed some skills in programming (VB and Perl), and left my data management job to pursue more programming at a small Pharmaceutical CRO. That job morphed from programming (VB and SAS), to clinical project management, to business analyst.

I have a number of interests outside of work, the largest is tabletop Role Playing Games. I started playing in 1980, with the Pink Box, Basic Dungeons & Dragons set. I have played all sorts of RPG’s since then, and have spent the majority of the time as the Game Master. I have playtested for a few companies; though only in a minor capacity. I have also given several talks at GenCon on various aspects of Game Mastering. I have a gaming group that has been together for over 10 years, and I am currently running an Iron Heroes campaign that is going to reach its second year in November.

I am a computer geek as well, starting in 1993, when I built my own 386 PC running Windows 3.1. Since then I have built numerous systems, and a few networks. I have tinkered with all sorts of operating systems, but have focused on Windows and Linux. I am a fan of Fedora Core, but have recently embraced Ubuntu. For fun I run a private web server and a backup server at my house, just to keep up my linux skills. I am an avid reader of a number of tech web sites, and have an unhealthy addiction to Web 2.0 AJAX applications. I am also a Google fanboy.

I am also a convert to the Getting Things Done system by David Allen. I have been a follower since 2006, and I have developed a great system that keeps me running at work and at home. I have slowly spread the word of GTD to relatives and friends. I enjoy talking about GTD theory and systems. I also enjoy the area of Lifehacking, geeky ways to make your life more productive. I love to figure out processes that are more efficient, in every area of my life.

Where did the name DNAphil come from?

The nickname DNAphil came about over 10 years ago, when I was a graduate student in Biochemical Pharmacology, and mis-labeled a box of plant DNA samples. The nickname was kind of silly, and not that funny, but as with many things, timing is everything. At about the same time as my labmates were calling me DNAphil, Yahoo! Mail was becoming the in thing, and everyone was getting an account. I was registering for one, and rather than being called phil9352, I chose to use DNAphil. After all, I was studying Molecular Biology, and I had always had a fascination with DNA; with its shape, with its ability to store and transmit genetic information, and its ability to control the flow of that information.

Well grad school did not work out the way I thought it would, and I wound up working in the area of clinical data management and programming. But I kept the Yahoo! account, and started to use DNAphil for different forums and discussion boards. Over time, DNAphil became my online persona.

Now, over 10 years out from being a grad student, and my work drifting from clinical data management into business analysis, DNAphil seemed less relevant, and yet firmly entrenched in many websites and forums. So I set out to re-think the meaning of DNAphil. What I focused on, are two traits that seem to me to be my two best tools, in the office and at home. They are: Imagination and Productivity.

Both are key elements to being successful, but often they are rarely seen in equal strength in someone, or well blended. Imagination without productivity is just day dreaming, and productivity without imagination is drudgery. Where true power lies is to blend the two together, to create and produce in one motion; when Imagination and Productivity are intertwined…just like the strands of a double helix of DNA. Thus DNAphil takes on a new meaning, and the DNA becomes the symbol of Imagination and Productivity and their intimate relation to one another. It also represents that these two elements are core to who I am. It is a theme that I will bring up time and time again, throughout my writings on this blog.

What is Encoded Designs?

Encoded Designs is a name that I first came up with when I first bought the dnaphil.com domain. The meaning really comes from taking the words in reverse order. Designs is just that: ideas, thoughts, theories, concepts, models, etc. My goal with this site is to share those designs with you, and to engage you in discussion about them.

Encoded can be defined as transforming data into a form optimized for transmission or storage. That is exactly what this site is; a place to put my designs down as written word and placing them in a format for people to read. This site not only becomes a way for me to transmit my thoughts, but once written, the site forms an archive for them.

That’s who I am, and what Encoded Designs is about. I hope that my designs are informative and entertaining.