I am by original training a mathematician (University College, London), but I have worked for the last 30 years in Computer Science. I have been involved in research and development, in original design and production, and at all levels of computing. I have written compilers, designed an operating system (ADAM), and managed its production, translated computer systems to deal with different human languages, written reports for the European Commission (on the subject of software portability) and implemented a wide variety of both commercial and scientific systems on a large number of different machines, using a very wide range of computer languages.
In my private life I am passionate about music. I play the piano and the church organ, and I sing counter-tenor in a male-voice quartet. I also teach small children that music is fun.
I have an interest in Machine Translation ... that is, getting computers to translate between different human languages. I was for some time Chairman of the Natural Language Translation Group of the British Computer Society, and I have written two books (and a number of papers) on the subject. When I am not tapping on a computer keyboard, or practising scales and arpeggios, I can be found reciting Sanskrit verbs, and comparing French and English grammar.
Most importantly of all, I am happily married (for nearly as long as I have been using computers!), and have two splendid children. I do not know how my wife, Gay, tolerates me, nor how our son and daughter, Benjamin and Miranda, have turned out to be so charming and normal despite having me around the house.