Ron Gillies' Home Page
I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia (actually Dartmouth, but it's now part of greater Halifax) in 1957. I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta.
I have a B.A (Hon). In Canadian/U.S history from the University of Alberta (1979) and a M.L.S. from the U of the School of Library and Information Science (1982).
Although I have worked in libraries for almost 20 years, I have also worked as a lifeguard, audiovisual technician and conference facilitator.
I have a number of interconnected hobbies and
interests.
First, I am into computers. I have a number of them, ranging from a Heathkit z-80 machine (still runs, as does my G/L program in Basic) to a 686-166 clone that I built. I have a dark hobby -- the use of Linux -- the world's best O/S -- which runs on various platforms at home.
I am into (surprise) science-fiction and SF conventions. I've helped put local, regional and even a Worldcon together, and use it as the excuse to travel (by rail when I can). I sail (I know, sailing in the middle of the prairies -- trust me -- you can do itI
Music is important and I am an active volunteer with the Lloydminster Concert Series. We have just announced our new season --- check our website out for details
I travel, especially by train in Canada, the United States, and Europe, model railroads in HO scale and am a member of the National Model Railroad Association. I was part of the local committee organizing the PNR 6th Division meet in spring 2003. Check us out at BorderRail 2003.
I am a ham (VE6SJA) and a member of Radio Amateurs of Canada.
I work extensively in the community as a volunteer , serving on our local Co-Operative Board of Directors, volunteering with Emergency Measures (click here for my Lloydminster Frequency list ), and the Rotary Club
I play provincial and national politics, having held office at the local and regional level in my party of choice.
When I'm not hacking away at a computer at home, I can be found managing a public library in a small Canadian prairie city that is uniquely located in two provinces at the same time
Our library serves 25,000 residents and a trading area of almost 85,000 people. We've got great staff, strong community support and we enjoy trying new things. Check out our home page with Web access to our catalog
House renovations.
I
am renovating a forty year old bungalow, and have got the part of the
project that I promised myself a long time ago. The windows <g>
and roof are done, as is the front porch. The kitchen took most of
last year and now comes the messy part: plumbing and a new bathroom!
Linux
I
have been playing with Linux since the mid-1990's. I currently use it
and recommend it to friends who want to firewall their permanent net
connections. My current favorite distribution is E-Smith.
Railroad construction zone.
I
am slowly building a replica of Edmonton's rail based transit system
(pre 1951 and modern) and as a long-time lurker in
rec.models.railroad I have collected a number of links to John
Allen's Timesaver
layout. I am also starting to collect information on fiddle
yards and other forms of staging.
Hot List - some of my favorite sites on the Net
The best site on the web for locating OP books
Site for Babylon 5 -- one of my favorite shows
A fascinating railroad the runs under London, England:
Some of the best railroad layouts are small
The intricate and detailed world of Korval and interstellar
trade
If you want to try a voice connection, try the following numbers:
Work: +1 780 875-0850
Home: +1 780 875-9726
For email, please try the following: rjgillies at telusplanet
dot net (trying to avoid 'bots)
Last Revised: April 6, 2004