I grew up in Southern California, in the San Fernando Valley of long ago, and moved north to the San Francisco Bay area to take my Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Stanford. There I have lived for all but a few years since. More recently I have been trained as a professional baker and pastry chef which I practice only at home and, occasionally, for large charity events. Most of my adult life was consumed by my profession though I always had the notion of writing something more generally interesting than an thesis. My wife, Laura, with whom I live in a house chock full of books, added her voi...