Hello World!

By Michael Hernandez

Last updated: 25 October 2016

Over the years, I have humored the idea of starting my own personal website.

I think my fascination began some time in the mid-to-late 1990s, as the Internet slowly became a larger part of every-day life. I witnessed the development of a new medium and grew up along side the technology. I remember hearing about the potential that the World Wide Web offered, of the paradigm shift that would occur, of a new age of unrestricted communications.

To me, the advent of Social Media and Networking sites greatly marked the end of that era. Gone were the days when someone would learn the art of maintaining their own website and publishing materials on the World Wide Web. While this has made sharing content more accessible, I think the discipline to produce quality work has been lost to a good extent. Inane absurdities pass under the guise of parody and irony, all while great power is bestowed upon a few corporate entities that are susceptible to socio-political agendas pushing censorship and wanton violations of privacy.

That is why I have a special appreciation for sites that stand alone, owned and operated by a dedicated hobbyist or professional.

When I first stumbled upon Robert Wayne Atkins' and Bill Beaty's websites, I was astonished. Here were two individuals who created comprehensive online resources and imbued them with their own knowledge, experience, and personality. I found their content to be extremely useful and providing a different perspective on subjects that I had otherwise neglected to think about.

Their work has really inspired me. I do not think that I will ever be able to make a contribution like they have, but I want to try.

I do not have a specific purpose for starting my site beyond this:

To make a positive contribution to the world and inspire others to do the same.

I know that is a big goal, and I want to try and see how far I can get.