John's Web Page
Clemson University Student Post Office
Currently a Computer Information Resource Coordinator 1 (which is to say that I work with computers most of the day.)
I have taken a few computer courses here at Clemson to help increase my professional worth. We are making upgrades at work and the computer experience will come in very handy for those changes.
As a college student, I attended Clemson University majoring in Management. I did lean toward computer courses as I fulfilled my requirements for a B. S. in Management. While attending Clemson, I worked as a student supervisor in the University Union Games Area. We provided students with relief from studying by enticing them with bowling (10 lanes), billiards (12 full size tables), and video games.
After graduation, I worked in Clemson at one of the restaurants until I got a job working at Clemson University for ARAMARK, the campus dining contractor. After three or four months, I found a position with the University in the Student Post Office in 1989. I have been here for 10 years now.
- Darts
I found an interest in throwing darts in the latter part of 1988, and have been improving my game ever since. I play in two dart leagues in the area, S.C.U.D.L. (The South Carolina Upstate Dart League) and Dollar Darts Money League (I started this one with a smaller geographic area than SCUDL). I have been a member of SCUDL since the latter part of 1989. My league, Dollar Darts Money League, has been in existence since January 1994 and is still alive and kicking. (There was another small league that tried to start, but it only lasted for one season.) Dollar Darts is a "rated" league, which throws two to three seasons a year, depending upon participation. The number of teams determines the length of a season. Our members all have a player rating based on their performance from seven matches. The difference between these ratings provides a basis for handicapping players for their matches. Also, just as in a bowling league, each team puts up a small sum of money and at the end of the season the combined sum is portioned out between all of the teams based upon their finishing position for the league. We also have a large trophy, which stays with the sponsor of the winning team throughout the following season, until there is a new winner at which time it finds a new home if a different team wins during that season.
Computers
I have had a growing interest in computers for a long time. I have two laptops and a desktop, and am looking to upgrade my systems. One reason I'm heavy into computers is that my job responsibilities are growing to include computers more and more. It is getting to the point where I am the troubleshooter for the office. I'll be the first to admit that my technical knowledge is not as encompassing as others, but I have a pretty good working knowledge of the systems in the office. I still take computer courses to learn more programming and to have a more academic background to complement my working and self-taught knowledge. I also have been known to "surf the web" and to just tinker around with programs trying to get more experience in the art of coding a program.
Reading
Reading has always been a great pleasure of mine. I enjoy reading Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Mythology. I have always been a voracious reader, so much so that I even got into trouble for reading during class in Junior High School. When I got to High School, I discovered many more authors in the fields that I liked to read. I even had a friend in the school Librarian. She would recommend books to me, which I would find thoroughly enjoyable. It got to the point where I was checking out four and five books a day and turning them back in the next day, fully read, and checking out four or five more to take home. I think that I averaged about 20 to 30 books a week. That's when the High School Library started to run out of material that I liked to read. That's when I found the County Library, which had an even larger selection and collection of books, both hard bound and paperback. I don't seem to read as much now, but when I do, I get my books from just about every source.
Television
Yes, I guess you could call me a part-time couch potato. If I'm not darting, reading or computing, you can find me in front of the television. The shows that really catch my interest are the sci-fi programs. I collect Babylon 5 episodes, mainly because the show was taken off of the local broadcast stations after the second year and much time slot rotation. I also like the Star Trek shows, all the shows: Original, Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager. I also enjoy watching sci-fi and Fantasy videos that I have collected and still collect. "The Hobbit" trilogy, "Flash Gordon" television episodes, and major movies such as "Predator", "Hanger 18", and Disney's "The Secret of NIMH" which have been released on video just to give varying examples of my taste.
Photography
I got interested in photography in late 1984 or early 1985. That's when I bought my first 35mm Single Lens Reflex camera. It was a 1969 Nikkormat and started taking mainly black and white photos. The only thing automatic about that camera was the internal light meter, everything else (shutter speed, f-stop, film speed, etc.) was manual. I think that it was a pretty good deal for the 65 or 70 bucks I paid for it. It came with a wide-angle lens, so I had to buy the "normal" lens to take regular my regular shots. More lenses and accessories came next. I got an 80-200mm macro- zoom "two touch" lens (that just means that there was one ring for focus and one ring for the zoom, instead of one ring, which does both). I like this one better because you can set your focus and then use the zoom all you want without the worry of having to refocus the frame. There is also a 2x converter, which doubles the focal length, but reduces your available f-stop by one click. I also have a 135mm telephoto lens and bought padded cases for the lenses, padded bag for the camera, and a tripod for those shots which need to be steadier than I could hold during those long exposure shots. My next purchase was a Nikon FG-20. It was a real steal at $150 when I got it. It has auto exposure, auto indexing, auto-wind capability and is one third lighter than the Nikkormat. The only problem I had with the lenses that I already had was that they weren't auto indexing capable. The lenses could still be used, but you had to realize what aperture setting the camera was using. My next "lucky" purchase was a darkroom setup. I really mean lucky. The owner of the camera shop I frequent saw me looking at some enlargers. After I asked about one I had seen a few months earlier, he told me that someone had sold him a complete black and white darkroom setup which he hadn't really had a chance to look at to gauge resale value. He told me I could have the whole thing for $150, and so I took it!
Electronic mail address
johnwilder@mindspring.com
Web address
http://johnwilder.home.mindspring.com - but you know this already if you're here
Last revised: July 19, 1999.