Christopher Vera’s Mystic Nebula

I have been invited to speak as part of a panel discussion at the American Council for Technology (ACT) Technology Leadership Conference in San Diego on March 23rd on the topic of NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection.

Gary Gygax passes away at 69:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/03/04/obit.gygax.ap/index.html

Gary Gygax was a major influence for why I learned to read. When I was in the 6th grade, I stood in a bookstore staring at a strange book entitled “Monster Manual”. I picked it up and the first monster I turned to was the Trapper, with a picture of an off-balance fighter surprised to see the floor rising up to attack him. I was instantly hooked on AD&D. I still love it.

Dungeons and Dragons opened up a new way for geeks to socialize under the context of “gaming”. It tempted all but the most anti-social from their darkened hovels and into the light to spend time with others of their kind.

I’ll bet he and J.R.R. Tolkien are rolling up new characters right now. I’m ready to play back here on Earth. The Trapper is still my favorite monster. Let me tell you about the time my 3rd level thief pulled the lever of a magical machine and was transformed into a pseudo-dragon…