In my free time, I am a cyclist and like to build and tinker with bicycles. This is the bike I ride most- a custom Softride Rocketwing 650c I pieced together over the years from eBay purchases and parts scrapped from other bikes.
I find this particular piece bike design compelling as it is comfortable, innovative, and extremely fast. However, it and other similar designs were forced out of the market when it was made illegal to use in standard cycling races by the UCI. 15 years after it's creation, it's an reminder of how excellent design that challenges the status quo can be quashed and forgotten about, and that newer isn't always better.
In my spare time, I also enjoy growing potentially important crops that are commonly ignored. The intention behind growing them is always to find their unique strengths and weaknesses, and to use their genetics to breed useful hybrids or distribute to other growers to preserve genetic diversity and help others gain access to their unique traits. Pictured is a Capsicum Eximium plant in flower. Capsicum Eximium is a unique species of pepper with a resistance to cold not often found among Capsicum species.
I also breed chili peppers for fun and flavor- I enjoy being able to watch progress over generations. Pictured is a 4th generation pepper created by crossing a Tobasco pepper with a Hungarian Wax pepper.
I also enjoy experimenting with new and emerging technologies of all types, including laser cutting and 3d printing. Pictured here is a digitally edited photograph I laser-engraved into a piece of wood.