I've been playing around with a piece of software called Tinderbox.  Tinderbox is simply amazing.  It allows you to mind map, outline, rearrange ideas and present information visually.  It is software that I have been waiting for my entire life.  It thinks like I do.

So once my interest was peaked by playing around with it for a while, I googled around the Eastgate site and found Mark Berstein's blog.  I was struck by his diversity of interest, his socially minded projects, and emphasis on making peoples lives better.  (And not just with software.)

Over my life I have met a few people that have really inspired me.  Looking back at these people they tend to have a few things in common:

• Varied interests.  From science to art to building stuff.
• Project Oriented.  They get an idea and follow it through.
• Community minded. 
• Passionate about their area of expertise.
• At peace with what they do.

Mark seems to be one of those people.  I was so impressed with his article on writing for the Living Web, an excellent primer for young bloggers like myself.  I like his focus on continuing development, which is kind of a theme in my life.  You should also take a look at his lecture notes which looks mostly at software aesthetics. 

Very cool guy.  I'm sure that I will have more to write about Mark and Tinderbox as I get into it.