My Face! My Valuable Face! :-)

Mike Boldin

I am a Professor in the School of Technology Studies at Niagara College Canada in Welland, Ontario, Canada.  I'm also the Webmaster (for lack of a better term) for this server, so feel free to send me comments/critiques/complaints about our site.

What I Went To School For:

B. Eng (Computer), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Class of '92

What I've Done In The Real WorldTM:

Prior to joining Niagara College, I worked in the telecommunications and banking sectors, developing software in C and C++ under various flavours of UNIX.  I have also operated my own business servicing computer networks.  These days, though, I fix computers pro bono for family and friends, and when asked, endorse only Apple computers.  I own a Mac Studio — the two reasons I bought it are: 

  1. it's a UNIX box — I run Terminal as a Login Item; and
  2. iTunes — I prefer to curate (obsess over?) my music collection.

The college also bought me a mid-2012 MacBook Pro 15 — I traded it in for a Dell laptop with an i9, 64 GB of RAM, and 1 TB SSD (despite Windoze.)

I purchased a MacMini in 2016 — it was used as a host for my ever-expanding 300+ GB iTunes library; gave it away to a student.

I have a new (2023) iPad Mini (256 GB), it will eventually be my iPod (for which I am currently using an [old] iPhone 6S and [ancient] iPod 3.)

In 2017, I acquired a 2010 iMac 27" — big screen.  It is slowly moving into my office…

In 2012, I acquired an old PowerPC G5 Mac Pro — it was my home server and workshop/home gym jukebox, an iPad 3, and 3 Apple TV (two 2's and, recently, a new 4K unit) — for streaming.

In 2006, I bought a MacBook Pro 17; gave it away to a student.

Things That Make Me Geek Out:

[Random Linux Banner]

Geek-Friendly Sites:

Reddit
Slashdot - News For Nerds, Stuff That Matters
Wikipedia
XKCD: A Webcomic

What I Do When I'm Not Geeking Out:

I spend time with my lovely and talented wife, Claudia, and our kids Anthony and Juliana.  Often in the summer, and occasionally in the spring, winter, and fall, spend a lot of time at our cottage in Pike Bay, the "Sunset Capital " of Ontario.  Hiking, swimming, fishing, sitting around the campfire enjoying the specialty of the house. :-)

I like to play guitar in my spare time, which I seem to have less and less of.  I used to play at weddings, parties, etc. on weekends with my band.  But, sadly, "the band broke up ... and it looks like ... we will never play again." (Thank you, FZ for that lyric; we actually had a reunion at a charity event in June 2013 :-).

I have been a long-time fan of professional wrestling.  OK, the match outcomes are predetermined and (some of) the punches are pulled.  But, you have to admit, it requires a certain degree of skill for a 200+ lb. guy to fly off the top rope and not injure himself and the 200+ lb. guy that he lands on.  It's soap opera for guys, where the actors do their own stunts!  Once in a while, the writing is very good, and the performances are perfect, and I remember why I became a fan in the first place.

How To Reach Me:

My office is located at the Welland Campus, Lundy Wing, Room L-117A.  I prefer email.  You can use the same user name at Gmail, which I check more often.

If you need extra help, please make an appointment by email, so that I am guaranteed to be there.

Courses That I Teach: