Hey guys...what can I say. Well, I have 4 passions; the Military, AI, Bodybuilding, and now Chess. I'm currently in school studying Basic Engineering in a Community College, and will be transferring to UMass next year to study Artificial Intelligence.
I love the Military - I'm in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. They pay for my education in full, AND pay me a very nice "allowance" for being a full time student. Very nice, as this allows me to focus completely on school without worrying about finding a job.
Bodybuilding is also another passion of mine. Been working out seriously since January 1st this year, although I've been involved with Martial Arts, and other sports my entire life. I'm hoping to enter my first amateur competition next Spring.
As for my interest in AI, well that goes way back into my 5th grade, when I picked up my first book on programming. Currently, I'm working on a Natural Language Processing AI which I'll be entering in next year's lucrative Loebner Prize for Artificial Intelligence. Pretty confident I'll win with my new techniques.
Finally, Chess. I. Love. It. It's almost an obsession, well, it is actually. See my first blog post (http://blog.chess.com/Carlos508/alekhines-defense-opening-trap-01) for some more info on how I got into it.
And that's about it. Been playing Chess since mid-October 2008, so I'm still VERY new to the game. However, I practice about 4 hours each day, and hope to one day (within 50 years hopefully) to become a grandmaster. I'm in no rush though...I have plenty of time to enjoy my other interests :)