The Author

Why This Exists

Welcome to Notes Beyond the Map.

This site exists for one reason: to pursue truth as honestly as possible, wherever it leads—and to document that pursuit in public. Not to perform certainty, not to chase consensus, and not to trade in comfortable half-answers, but to ask better questions, test assumptions, and refine understanding over time.

It’s a living field notebook for sharpening how I see the world: history, technology, faith, politics, travel, food, and the ideas that sit uncomfortably between categories. Truth rarely arrives neatly packaged. More often, it shows up fragmented, contextual, and demanding patience.

If you’re here for tidy conclusions or ideological comfort, this may feel unsettling at times. If you’re here for curiosity, challenge, and an invitation to think more clearly and honestly—even when it’s inconvenient—you’re in the right place.

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What You’ll Find Here

This isn’t a niche blog. It’s not supposed to be.

Some days I’ll write about technology and the strange ways it reshapes human behaviour. Other days it’ll be history, or geopolitics, or the quiet psychology behind modern work, or a meal somewhere far from home that somehow taught me something.

The common thread is simple: I’m trying to see clearly.

That means I’m not allergic to complexity, I don’t do much black-and-white thinking, and I’m comfortable saying, “I don’t know yet,” while I continue pulling on the thread.

Here’s what to expect:

• A wide range of topics (by design, not indecision)
• Strong opinions, loosely held (updated when reality earns it)
• Long-horizon thinking (more compass than clock)
• A bias toward first principles (what’s true, what’s useful, what’s missing)

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How I Approach the World

Part-time philosopher, full-time wanderer. I was born on Vancouver Island, where the trees are taller than most politicians’ promises, and the ocean never stops reminding you you’re small. My research labs are mountaintops and local breweries, and my experiments often end in great stories.

I tinker with technology, poke at the edges of AI, and occasionally wrangle e-commerce into something humans actually enjoy. I collect cultures the way some folks collect stamps, except mine come with real people, unfamiliar foods, and the occasional questionable bus ride.

I believe curiosity is a compass, bold ideas are the only currency worth trading, and if you’re not getting a little lost now and then, you’re doing life wrong.

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Where This Meets My Work

This site is personal but not disconnected from real-world work.

Professionally, I operate at the intersection of business and technology. I’ve worked across Canada, the US, and Australia on e-commerce platform rollouts, ERP implementations, digital transformations, and process automation. Some of that thinking shows up here. A lot of it doesn’t.

This site is not a sales funnel. It’s upstream. It’s how I stay sharp, test ideas, and keep my worldview from turning into a brittle little cage. If you’re an Aurisen client (or future one), this is the human side of the operator. If you’re not, it still stands on its own as a public notebook.

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Ways In

People arrive here for different reasons. Choose your door:

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An Open Notebook

This site has been evolving for a long time. Some posts will age better than others. That’s fine. A notebook is allowed to show its work.

One small housekeeping note: I’ve shifted the About page from “highlight reel” to “orientation.” The adventures aren’t gone. They’ll just live where they belong: inside my writing.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably my kind of reader. I’m glad you’re here.