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| January, 2008 |
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In this issue:
Born in Leipzig, Saxonia, deep in the heart of the former East Germany, Michael's childhood could be considered unique, to say the least. National borders and political walls meant little to the son of an East German embassy worker who saw more of the world before he was old enough to tie his own shoes than others in his hometown would see during their entire lifetimes. Michael's schooling was often interrupted by his family's relocations, forcing him to find ways to entertain himself, without the reliance on friends. "I knew I wouldn't be in each place for long," he recalls. "So I didn't bother making too many friends." It's not that Michael was complaining. He has fond memories of those days, though the weight of some of those memories didn't become apparent until years later. "I recall standing with my family on a beautiful Kuwaiti beach watching fireworks streak across the sky!" he recalls. Years later, Michael would realize the "fireworks" they saw that evening were, in fact, Iraqi rockets being fired into Iran. As Michael outgrew the education available to him in the various places his family lived, he would leave for boarding schools abroad to continue his studies. At 12, he spent an entire school year away from his family. "It was scary at first," he admits. "But I got used to it after a while." At 16, Michael was sent to the US as part of a foreign exchange program. Springfield, Missouri was a radical change for the Eastern European teen, but it was a welcomed change. Michael enjoyed the Springfield school much more than any he'd previously attended. And his new surroundings suited him. He started getting near perfect grades, and started making long-term friends. A thirst for knowledge has always been Michael's primary focus. "I hate to read books, but I love to learn!" he says, a self-admitted "information addict." He can't imagine his life without the Internet as a pastime, and though he's also a big fan of the cinema, a merger of the two passions would be ideal: "I would take my laptop into movie theaters if I could!" At one time, Michael's digital focus was different: "I'm a gamer!" he admits. Michael recalls weekends that started Friday evening, ended early Monday morning, and consisted of nothing other than video game play. Fortunately for Canto and its customers, Michael eventually put down his joystick in favor of the mouse (or, at least gave it a rest), and really started exploring the potential of the machine beneath. Joining Canto in 2000, Michael's contribution to the Cumulus community has included code that served as the inspiration for the Change Asset Reference and Rename Asset commands. In addition, he has supported countless customers and—not being one to ever admit something can't be done—Michael has performed customizations on various Cumulus systems that tailor the software to specific workflow requirements. Today, Michael lives with his wife in the San Francisco Bay area, and works from Canto's San Francisco office. He joined Canto's US workforce in late 2007 to manage technical services for the US market, and hopes to be here for a while.
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