The Silby FAQ

Who is Silby?

Silby, aka Mike Silbersack, is a guy who likes to play with computers and get paid to do so. When he's not doing that, he likes to listen to good music, watch good TV programs, go to good movies, and play good video games. He's currently 28 years old.

Does he really look like the picture above?

Not really. That picture is really out of date, and needs to be replaced. See the pictures page for other pictures.

What computer-related things does he do?

Silby used to have a variety of interests, but he found that he wasn't getting much of anything done. As a result, he now focuses most of his coding time on FreeBSD. More specifically, he works on the TCP/IP stack.

So, is Silby one of those unix converts?

Not entirely. While Silby's FreeBSD systems outnumber his Windows boxes 6:1, his Windows XP machine still serves as his primary workstation.

I'm guessing that Silby has some snazzy naming scheme for his computers, right?

Yes, they're all named after heros from the Trojan war. As it presently stands, all Windows machines (hector) are named after trojans, while all unix machines (achilles, ajax, patrocles, odysseus, etc) are named after achaeans. This naming scheme occured by accident; back when Hector and Achilles were named, Silby had Hector and Patrocles confused, believing Hector to be the friend of Achilles. Unfortunately, as Silby now knows, Hector killed Patrocles, leading to his own death by Achilles, who was in turn slain by Paris, who... you get the picture.

The moral of the story? If you can't remember Greek mythology, at least consult google before naming a new computer.

What defines "good music"?

Good music is defined as nearly anything that is not of the "rap" or "country" genre. Really good music is of the alternative/rock/techno variety. Some really good music also comes from the pop genre too, though some of it is just terrible as well.

What defines a "good TV show"?

A good TV show is most likely related to science fiction. These days Silby is watching the following shows: Battlestar Gallactica, Dr. Who, House, Lost, and Stargate (SG-1 and Atlantis).

In the past, Silby enjoyed Babylon 5, Farscape (NOT season 4), Law & Order, ST:DS9, and other shows that he can't remember anymore.

What defines a "good movie"?

Good movies must fall into one of three categories: Action, Comedy, or Science Fiction. There are many movies from these categories which can be rated as "good", so they will not be listed here. One noteable movie which must be listed because it is so incredibly awful is "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen." Silby recommends that it be avoided at all costs.

What defines a "good video game"?

For PCs, UT2K4. Silby is holding off purchasing a new computer until UT3 comes out.

For PS2, Silby enjoys the Soul Caliburs quite a bit. If you feel like losing, stop by his apartment and play a few rounds with him.

Doesn't Silby read at all?

Silby has recently started on a Sci-Fi reading kick. He enjoyed the Known Space books quite a bit, and the Hyperion Cantos even more.

The Silby FAQ has received ? hits since since 10/16/1997.