User:John Howell

My kids would say my hobbies have hobbies: I have an Extra Class Amateur radio license (AF3K), travel, nature photography, boating, snorkeling, reef aquariums, genealogy, and r/c airplanes.

I love learning about technology, computers, software and business.

My first real job was at age 12 when Childhood Productions hired me to dub movies (see: Dubbing (filmmaking)), and make children's records. I was somehow given an acting part in a 1966 movie, The Christmas That Almost Wasn't as the "boy who saved Christmas".

In the last 25 years I co-founded and served as President of Solomon Software International, the international arm for the Solomon accounting applications now owned by Microsoft. Prior to that I worked as VP Sales & Marketing for Solomon Software, co-founded FoodCom a developer of EDI software for the food industry, and co-founded Computech Group in 1979, one of the first distributors of Epson printers in the USA, and the exclusive worldwide distributor for Solomon Software.

I've served as a business advisor and/or board member to organizations including: A group at the University of Pennsylvania that developed the world's first general purpose VLSI analog neural computer; a telecommunications software developer, a custom furniture manufacturer and The National Board of Medical Examiners testing centers.

My wife and I live in Naples, Florida, one of the most beautiful places on the planet (OK, slightly biased..). I've also lived in Philadelphia, PA; Rome, Italy; Madrid, Spain; Santiago, Chile; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.