Me in My Own Words

I'm Dan Overes, an Information Technology Manager who works in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

I put together this site as a single location to cover my many interests and hobbies:

• Computers, Internet, Social Networking
• Geocaching
• Hiking
• Photography
• Ghost Towns / Abandoned Places Exploration
• Firefighting
• BBQ / Grilling

When I am not working I live on an acreage near the hamlet of Priddis, AB with my wife Shirley.  We have a dog named Tucker, a selection of unnamed tropical fish and chickens.  In addition, we have a "mouser" cat who calls our garage her home:  Stitch.

I have been into computers since getting my first Commodore VIC-20.  I was active in the Calgary BBS scene in the early 1990s and made computers my profession in 1998.

My Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

I once did an online Myers-Briggs test and the results told me my type was "Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving".  Based on the following description I think the results were quite accurate.  I have bolded the sections which I believe really describe me.

Like their fellow SPs, ISTPs are fundamentally Performers (note the capital 'P'), but as Ts their areas of interest tend to be mechanical rather than artistic like those of ISFPs, and unlike most ESPs they do not present an impression of constant activity. On the contrary, they lie dormant, saving their energy until a project or an adventure worthy of their time comes along--and then they launch themselves at it. The apparently frenzied state that inevitably ensues is actually much more controlled than it appears--ISTPs always seem to know what they're doing when it comes to physical or mechanical obstacles--but the whole chain of events presents a confusing and paradoxical picture to an outsider.

ISTPs are equally difficult to understand in their need for personal space, which in turn has an impact on their relationships with others. They need to be able to "spread out"--both physically and psychologically--which generally implies encroaching to some degree on others, especially if they decide that something of someone else's is going to become their next project. (They are generally quite comfortable, however, with being treated the same way they treat others--at least in this respect.) But because they need such a lot of flexibility to be as spontaneous as they feel they must be, they tend to become as inflexible as the most rigid J when someone seems to be threatening their lifestyle (although they usually respond with a classic SP rage which is yet another vivid contrast to their "dormant," impassive, detached mode). These territorial considerations are usually critical in relationships with ISTPs; communication also tends to be a key issue, since they generally express themselves non-verbally. When they do actually verbalize, ISTPs are masters of the one-liner, often showing flashes of humor in the most tense situations; this can result in their being seen as thick-skinned or tasteless.

Like most SPs, ISTPs may have trouble with rote and abstract classroom learning, which tend not to be good measures of their actual intelligence. They tend, sometimes with good reason, to be highly skeptical of its practical value, and often gravitate towards classes in industrial arts; part-time vocational/ technical programs can be useful to even the college-bound ISTP. In terms of careers, mechanics and any of the skilled trades are traditional choices, and those ISTPs with strong numerical as well mechanical gifts tend to do extremely well in most areas of engineering. Working as paramedics or firefighters can fulfill the ISTP need to live on the edge; they are at their best in a crisis, where their natural disregard for rules and authority structures allows them to focus on and tackle the emergency at hand in the most effective way.