What does "etripper" mean?

With all due apologies to Webster, American Heritage and others, "etripper" isn't going to be found in any dictionary (at least, not yet). That's the nice thing about English. If you can't find a word that expresses the concept you're trying to communicate, you just make it up.

n. An individual attempting to make a living driving, taking pictures and using computers. [e electronic; trip to take a journey; er someone who does something]

Who is the etripper?

The etripper is Brian McKeever. At present, I live in Fenton, Mo. For most of my professional life, I was a computer programmer, system administrator and general-purpose geek. This site shows the things that have given me a lot of joy over the years, visiting new places, driving and taking lots pictures.

For those of you who may have visited the site in the past. In 2006, you may recall our intrepid hero embarked on an attempt to make a living trading commodities. Specifically, buying and selling cotton options and futures. (There is no reason for you to believe me, but it's not as nutty as it sounds.) During a ten-month apprenticeship in Texas, I discovered a system that seemed to offer some promise. Indeed, during my back-checking, it worked for every contract year since 2001. Starting with the March contract of 2007, I started using it forward. It continued to work. So, I funded it. Unfortunately, commodities have been experiencing volatility far in excess of their historic range. (Thanks to ethanol.) My system, although it works, requires substantially more capital than I had at my disposal given the market conditions. So basically, tried to start a business without enough capital funding. Lesson learned. I'm not the first and won't be the last. Cotton 1.0 is over, but cotton will be a part of my future. There are some significant -- to me -- losses to recoup. For now, I've taken up consulting to cover conveniences like food and shelter. When the coffers are refilled enough, Cotton 2.0 will begin. Stay tuned.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at bytes@etripper.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
 

This is the etripper in, well, I'm sure you can figure it out.

This was taken in West Virginia. That's the bridge over the New River Gorge. U.S. Highway 19 cut the trip across the 800+ foot gorge from 45 minutes to 45 seconds.

The setting sun in San Diego was beautiful, but so was the full moon behind me.

My first inclination is to say this is me when I'm stoned, but in truth this is a spontaneous mascot some friends and I constructed on a boulder in the middle of the New River in West Virginia. Forward paddle!