Photo of Tom Slider

Tom <tuna>< Slider

www.myspace.com/vwtuna

is ....Mood: quixotic quixoticPosted at 3:26 AM Nov 12 view more

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  • Tom Slider

  • 37 / Male
  • Fontana, California, US
  • Last Login: 12/27/2009

39590377|37|11111|http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/62/m_f543f8a93d494f17bdab9a2627235f85.jpg

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Interests

  • General

    Cars: aircooled VWs (including stockers and modified cars), EMPI Imp and EMPI Sportster dunebuggies, Meyers Manx and Towd dunebuggies, and VW drag racing.

    Computers and video games: Linux, UNIX, web developing, web browsers, GP2x (kind of like a PSP, but it runs Linux), Wii, DS, GameCube, GBA Micro, PSP and GBA SP(the rocks!) I sometimes I like going retro with my Sega Dreamcast, NES, or the Mattel Intellivision.
    ....

    Digital photography: Nikon all the way!! My current weapon of choice is the Nikon D80 and let me tell you that thing rocks! This is my first digital SLR camera and let me tell you, this thing rocks. It currently is mated with a Nikkor 18mm-200mm(f3.5-5.6) lens and a Nikkor 50mm(f1.8) lens.

    I'm also into competitive swimming, water polo, road-bike racing (think Tour de France), though sadly I don't have the time to participate in them at the moment. I do try to get out to the Yucaipa High School water polo teams' games and use the camera to get some cool photos.

  • Music

    Pet Shop Boys

    The Pet Shop Boys (their single "Jealousy" is a masterpiece) and The Beach Boys are my main staples for listening. I also listen to Electronic, New Order, Monaco, Depeche Mode, U2, Morrissey, The Smiths, Enigma, 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant, Gregorian, and a lot of 80s music. I’m also a fan of All Marbles, a local band that my friend Tubby plays the drums for.

  • Movies

    Star Wars series, the Indiana Jones series, Pirates of the Caribbean series, Herbie series, Tron, Contact, Mississippi Burning, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Wargames, Firefox

  • Television

    The Simpsons, Kitchen Nightmares, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, CSI, CSI Miami, Crossing Jordan, M*A*S*H, Miami Vice.

  • Books

    I tend to read a lot on the web and magazines (that cover my interests, like HotVWs, VolksWorld, and Linux Journal). The books I do read are usually very technical things, usually computer related. Two of my favorite books are The "Cathedral and The Bazaar" by Eric S. Raymond and "The Success Of Open Source" by Steven Weber are both great computer-geek books, along with the Book Of Mozilla. I also read books about Lockheed’s Skunk Works and the airplanes they created.

    I'm currently fascinated with the whole "V For Vendetta" story. I've read the book that the movie was based on, and I'm now reading the original graphic novel that started it all.

  • Heroes

    My Mother: She was a kind and caring person, someone who gave herself to everything and everyone she knew. She taught my brother and I to always think about what we're doing and what we're saying. She passed away in 2005 from breast cancer. I will miss her. We will miss her.

Details

  • Status: Married
  • Here for: Networking, Friends
  • Hometown: Redlands, CA, USA
  • Orientation: Straight
  • Body type: 6' 2" / More to love!
  • Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
  • Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
  • Smoke / Drink: No / No
  • Education: College graduate
  • Occupation: Education/Technology

Schools

  • California State University-San Bernardino

    • San Bernardino,CA
    • Graduated: N/A
    • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
    • Major: Mathematics
    • Minor: Computer Science
    2009 to Present

  • Crafton Hills College

    • Yucaipa,California
    • Graduated: 2007
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Major: Computer Information Systems
    • Clubs: Graduated with honors.
    2005 to 2007

  • California State University-San Bernardino

    • San Bernardino,California
    • Graduated: N/A
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Degree: None
    • Major: Computer Science
    1994 to 1996

  • Chaffey College

    • Alta Loma,California
    • Graduated: N/A
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Degree: None
    • Major: Information Computer Systems
    1990 to 1994

  • Fontana High

    • Fontana,California
    • Graduated: 1990
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Degree: High School Diploma
    • Clubs: Swimming Water Polo Legislative Council Drama stage crew
    1987 to 1990

Companies

  • Yucaipa High School

    • Yucaipa, California US
    • Computer Resource Assistant
    8/03 - current

  • Ridgeview Elementary School

    • Yucaipa, California US
    • Computer Resource Assistant
    10/96 - 6/03

  • Unique Supply, Inc.

    • Redlands, California US
    • Automotive partsman / mail order manager
    4/91 - 10/96

  • Don's Bike Shop

    • Rialto, California US
    • Bicycle Mechanic / Assembly
    6/89 - 9/89

  • YMCA

    • Fontana, California US
    • Lifeguard / Swim Instructor
    5/88 - 9/88

  • City of Fontana Parks & Rec

    • Fontana, California US
    • Junior Lifeguard
    5/87 - 9/87

  • Vision Imaging Inc.

    • Redlands, California US
    • co-owner
    1/99 - 2/01

Blurbs

About me:

Hey there! Thanks for stopping my MySpace profile! My name is Tom, but people in the Volkswagen hobby also know me as Tuna.

I’m a really inquisitive type of person. I’d rather know why something works rather than how to operate it. Once you understand the concepts behind something, it becomes rather trivial to utilize. It’s this curiosity that leads me to be a life long learner. I’m never content with what I know; I want to know more. The subjects change, but the appetite for knowledge doesn’t.

some of my VWs

I am a very big VW guy! I've owned nothing but VWs over the years, so my spare time is devoted to my Bug and my EMPI Imp fiberglass dune-buggy. I've also developed a few VW websites that people really seem to enjoy:

Type 4: Secrets Revealed: I'm also devoted to the use of the VW Type 4 engine conversion in cars like the Bug, as I feel it's makes a Bug (or other similar early VWs) a great street car that can actually be driven.

Tom's Type 4 Corner: I'm also fascinated with the VW 411/412 cars, as they were the most advanced of the aircooled VWs ever made. I'm planning on building one someday in the "German Look" style with 17" Porsche wheels, leather interior, custom suspension, and a nice Type 4 engine.

EMPI Imp Homepage: Early on in my VW career, I became fascinated with the original EMPI company of Riverside. One product that led to that fascination was EMPI's fiberglass dune buggy, the Imp. I wrote this web site because there was a lot of wrong or missing information on the web about this cool dunebuggy, so I gathered the information and posted it. Later in life I added EMPI's metal dune-buggy, the Sportster.

Kristina and I

I am married to a wonderful woman, Kristina. She's a very kind and friendly person, and she's someone who makes me smile whenever we are together. We met in the summer of ’06 and we’ve been together ever since. On August 9, 2008, we tied the knot. We have a lot of things in common, including computers, photography, Disneyland, and video games.

Kristina and I

In between the weekends, I’m the campus computer tech at a local high school. May '07 I earned my AS degree, and in January '09 I will be continuing at CSUSB for a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and minoring in Computer Science. I'm looking to becoming a math and computer teacher.

Dilbert cartoon about UNIX users

Ever since I was a little kid I've been an avid computer hobbyist. I've worked my from that original 8-bit Atari 800 to the last 32- and 64-bit PC systems, along with many high end UNIX workstations and servers from Sun Microsystems and SGI.

After my exposure to those UNIX workstations in college that I become fascinated with the UNIX scene. The workstations were too expensive to own, but in '97 I learned of a way to have a UNIX-like operating system on my own PC: Linux. From the first Slackware Linux '96 install, I've been hooked! My current computer at home is a Ubuntu Linux system I built a few years ago. Linux makes it one of the most reliable systems I've ever used.

Well, that's all that I can think of at this moment. If you want to know something, just ask!

Check out my bookmarks at Delicious

..

Pet Shop Boys - Jealousy..

Linux all the way!!

..

Who I'd like to meet:

I guess I just like to meet interesting people. People who've led intriguing lives, or who have inspirational ideas. Somebody who believes in something and sticks to it, but is honest to admit it when they don't know something.

Note: If you are a current student at Yucaipa High, please don't send me a friend request. I will not accept it, it's a policy I have. Send me a request after you graduate and I will add you then.

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