What The Evidence Files are All About
Learn and Discuss all kinds of things in Tech, Law and Crime, Environment, Aviation and the Himalayas
I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of different things over my life so far. During graduate school, I earned a Juris Doctor (law) degree and a Master degree studying the history of East and South Asia. That afforded me the chance to live in China and Nepal, and to conduct research in several other places. My studies combined the two disciplines, culminating in a project analyzing law codes written in Tibet in the 17th century, and providing research assistance on a collected volume about Buddhism’s influence on the law. During that time I worked in a fire department, so I received a lot of training and experience in firefighting and rescue tactics, building construction, and emergency medical treatment, among others. Near the end of law school, I joined law enforcement working as a financial crimes analyst and investigator. Over that decade, I moved toward the technology side becoming a certified forensic computer examiner trained by some of the elite institutions in American federal law enforcement.
On its face, this may look like the resume of a rather indecisive person. Perhaps that is true. But I have found a way to bring it all together. These days, I work at developing mobile applications and other technologies and systems geared toward helping underserved populations around the world cope with increasing numbers and severity of natural disasters. Toward that end, I have spent an extraordinary amount of time developing a strong base of knowledge in the environmental issues that play into the cause and effect of these events. A voracious reader, I do my best to keep up with the latest studies, politics and law in both the environmental and technology fields. I’ve also developed a written guide for preparing for and responding to natural disasters that I published in Nepal, a guide that is freely available in hard or soft copy. The guide is currently written in English, Nepali and Tibetan, but I hope to translate it into other languages soon. In addition, I conduct a lot of analyses on crime, both in the US and abroad. Over the last few years, I have had the chance to hold talks on trends in financial and technology crime, corruption and others. These will periodically be a focus here.
On top of all that I wish to add two more topic areas. Having spent a great deal of time in Nepal over the years, I intend to bring my love for that country into my writing. Some of my dearest friends live in Nepal. It is a beautiful country, sitting in one of the most environmentally important places in the world. But aside from that, it also hosts a very diverse and fascinating culture. My time there has exposed me to just a small snippet of it, though they are among my most treasured experiences. Some of my posts will include a foray into the many interesting facets of Nepal’s physical and cultural exquisiteness. My other major hobby interest is aviation. I have already logged several hours of training and aspire to become a licensed pilot as soon as I can find the time (and VFR-friendly weather) to complete it. Aviation is an alluringly technological and science driven field, so I will delve into these topics as well.
A lot of people write on all of this stuff, so what do I bring that is different? Well, I think it might be safe to say that my combination of education and experience enables me to offer a fresh—maybe even unique—perspective, written in a way to appeal to differing levels of expertise. Fairly regularly, I will offer a brief explainer on various topics. Nothing too serious here, but helpful for everyday problems or just the random thing you might wonder about. In between, I will take the occasional deep dive for more advanced enthusiasts. Then, once in a while, I will offer very lengthy features. I already have some interesting interviews and other items in the works, some of which will be featured as podcasts or videos. While I will sometimes give my opinions, they will be explained in accordance with evidence. This isn’t a political space, though inevitably I will touch on some political topics here and there. Please NOTE: all opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect on any entity with which I am or was engaged. I encourage responses targeted toward opening a discussion, but let’s keep it civil, intellectual, and based on evidence and logic. Thanks for reading!
On a last note, if you are interested in offering any financial support, it would be greatly appreciated. It takes time to do research and writing, and some of my more advanced posts will require tools and software for testing and production. Thanks again!