Joining the world of Steemit!

My dog Ralph supporting my Steemit endeavors.

     Hello people of Steemit! My name is Steve and I am very excited to have figured out how to even get to this point. I don’t have a personal social media account, so this is my first foray into writing anything and posting on any type of public space. Truth be told, it makes me a little uneasy, but my enthusiasm for Steemit outweighs my trepidation. I have a lot to learn about the nuances of Steem (powering up, powering down, etc) and of cryptocurrency in general, but for now I just want to write and be a contributing member of the Steemit community. 

     I would not consider myself an expert on anything. I know a little bit about a lot of things, but there are a few interests that I have that I am pretty passionate about and I hope to share with anyone who wants to listen.  

Why Am I Here?  

  

     My main reason for joining the party is to document my search for my ancestors, and help others along the way that have an interest in genealogy, but may not know where to start or what resources are available.

     For me, there is something very powerful about casting my eyes upon a document or picture that I know is intricately woven into the fabric of who I am. I am eternally grateful for those that came before me, because the life I lead and the opportunities that I’ve had are directly related to the sacrifices and struggles that they have endured. 

     Though I am by no means a professional genealogist, I’ve spent the past 2 years doing my own research and feel as though there may be some value in the lessons I’ve learned along the way. It’s also a great opportunity to learn some new things from others.

Gaming 

Sometimes, I like to take the NES out for old times sake. It delivers High Resolution Graphics!

     While genealogy is where I spend a good deal of my time, my other interests include all things game related…board games, video games (PC and console/current and retro), trading card games, sports, as well as the development of games and essentially, what makes something fun. I have yet to figure out how many a harmless afternoon playing hotseat Civ 5 with friends would end with the rising of the sun and I can’t even begin to explain how much I’m looking forward to the release of No Man’s Sky and the future use of procedural generation in gaming in general.

Learning

     One of my more useful hobbies happens to be learning. I just really like the idea of not knowing something one day, then knowing something new the next day. I’m currently trying to learn Spanish and I like to dabble in programming and game engines like Unity and Unreal. I’m intrigued by the rise of cryptocurrency and the subsequent really cool ideas to take it to the masses. I think Steemit has the potential to get cryptocurrency into the public lexicon without giving the appearance that it is trying to do so, which to me, is the genius of the whole thing.