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Once upon a time, there was a "computer programmer" who worked his way into a position that he absolutely loved. He got to support "vendor software", play with technical tools, troubleshoot problems, and help programmers use the software products he supported. All was well in the world according to Paul.
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Then one dreadful day a really terrible creature (named Bob) walked up and down the rows of the cubicle farm where Paul toiled so tirelessly. At every fourth or fifth cubicle, Bob would stop, point at the occupant, and shriek, "You're Fired! Larry will escort you to your car!" That was the end of life as Paul had known it for quite some time. Yes, Paul's cubicle was indeed one of Bob's many stops.
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Paul was one of the lucky ones. He did not have to subsequently work for Bob.
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A few months passed, and one day Paul was sitting in a pub in his town of Stillwater when he was accosted by a lovely young woman who asked him what was up with his sorry-lookin' self. Paul replied, "I'm an unemployed computer geek!" to which his new acquaintance responded, "Great! I need you to maintain my web site!" Well, Paul knew just enough about the magic of html to change some text and some pictures here and there. What Paul did not realize at the time was just how incredibly exciting working on the web can be... but he would discover that in short order.
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Taking a very undemanding job in the print-and-server room at a nearby manufacturing firm, Paul had several hours every day to learn many of the tricks of the trade. He spent some of his "hard-earned" income on software products like Photoshop and the Macromedia suite, including Dreamweaver and Flash, as well as on books, books, and more books. I should mention at this point that Paul bought not only software, but BOOKS!
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Along the way, Paul decided to learn still more about computers in general, and so he undertook to build one from parts he ordered from (no, NOT Amazon) NewEgg.com. He now proudly gazes upon his, well, what the heck is it? It's not a Dell, nor a Hewlett/Packard, nor a Compaq, though it actually has the same components as any of those might. I guess he just calls it "Paul's Computer".
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Well, as if that were not sufficient to quell his curiosity, Paul then undertook to build another computer, primarily with spare parts gleaned from old computers. He then decided to learn about this "Open Source" world of Linux, and the world of DNS, and the world of web servers, mail servers, FTP servers, database servers...
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All the while, Paul was looking for a job, a "REAL" job that paid a nice salary and benefits. Alas, he'd been so specialized before Bob discarded him that he was unable to attain that elusive status of "Employed". What to do, what to do?? Well, he COULD start his own web site service. Start out small, doing things like his friend at the pub needed... and then expand! Add databases! (Did I mention he spent years as a Database Administrator?) Dynamic pages! Flash animation!
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"So?", you ask, "What in the world does that have to do with tuning pianos?" In a word, nothing. In a different word, nada. However, somewhere along the way Paul decided to fulfill a lifelong desire to learn to play the piano. Then one day, on his way to his first "public" performance (aka the dreaded recital) Paul had an epiphany. "Aha!" he said. "I will learn to tune and repair pianos!"
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Paul set out to research the viability of a career in Piano Technology. He discovered a correspondence course by Randy Potter's School of Piano Technology and enrolled after determining that it was the most feasible method of learning his new skills. Sure, there is the North Bennet Street School but the Randy Potter course got high marks from people in high places. Perhaps an advanced education in Boston is in Paul's future, but for now he is quite well-prepared, having already learned from the masters.
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And thus was born a new career for that former computer geek. He now happily visits customers in their homes and performs a vital service -- improving the lives of piano owners by making their pianos sound like they should. If you like his work, call him back in six months. Piano:Tonix is a customer-oriented business.
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Now then, about that name, "Piano:Tonix"... where does that come from? Well, Paul seems to have a real knack for coming up with original ideas that last a long time, well beyond the scope of their original intent, you see. When Paul started doing his website work, he coined the name "Web:Tonix"... as in "tonics that are good for what ails your website." While contemplating a name for his piano service work, Paul discovered to his utter delight that "Tonic" has a fabulous double meaning for such an endeavor!
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So there you have it. That's Paul in a nutshell. Or is that a crabshell? A lobster shell perhaps? Whatever... it's The Unabridged Full and Ancient History of Piano:Tonix.
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