GirlGeek of the Week
July 2000
Robin
Finnell
Robin Finnell eased into geekdom in college. She had some geeky
friends who played a laser tag game called Photon and played Tetris
on 286s when the text was still in Russian. The group called themselves
"Social Misfits" and passersby probably agreed.
But Robin
soon found that all that exposure to geeks and computers was a good
thing. In two years she worked in a few offices, each time moving
from admin. positions to "PC guru" positions. Then in 1998 the Web
called out to her. Robin spent every waking minute teaching herself
HTML, dHTML, JavaScript and Flash preparing for her ideal career--Web
designer. Last year, Robin started her own Web design firm, Seraphim
Web Design and designed the following sites:
MK
Ultra, a counterculture 'zine; Rust-Oleum,
as in the paint people, and Key
Element Farm, a horse barn.
When
did you first discover your love and/or obsession with computers
and technology?
While in
junior high, taking a BASIC programming unit in math, I vowed (in
my boredom) never to become a slave to modern technology. After
all, I was an artist and had no desire to become a "geek." That
all changed, however, when I went on to high school and our advanced
art class had a unit in the computer lab where we had access to
Apple computers with Koala pads. I reached a point of discovery
when I learned how to turn on the "mirror brush" task! I was hooked!
How
do you earn a living?
Independent
Web design.
Do you consider yourself a Geek?
Proudly.
Can we say "Trekker?"
What
is your favorite Website?
It depends
on the content. For a groovy Flash site that makes me drool, it's
www.matinee.co.uk.
For art, I like to browse through "Insects
and Angels." For music, it's definitely http://mp3.com.
What
do you do when you are not working?
I try to
get to the barn to ride my horse a few times a week. My horse and
I train in dressage. I also teach my kids how to ride horses. I
love music and photography. I try to bring up my children with the
most universal and/or diverse backgrounds as possible so they will
grow up to be balanced people.
What's
your motto?
"Always
live by your back up plan."
Who
is the person you most admire?
Joan of
Arc.
When
and where were you the happiest?
Anytime
I'm at the barn with my horse.
If
you could have one super power what would it be?
To fly, like Superman.
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