Who is Bryce?

Sharing a little more about me

A programming note: I had intended to publish this last week but ran out of time before some scheduled travel. Thank you for understanding.

Hello. I’m Bryce.

In eighth grade language arts class, we were asked to bring an empty Pringles can to class. I didn’t know what Pringles were at the time¹ and asked my mom if she could get me one. She did.

That empty can became the vessel for a Who Am I? scroll that our teacher had assigned. I would love to read what I wrote at that age and see what insights I had then and what still resonates today.

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Gary Vaynerchuck is big on self awareness (at the same time, I’ve heard him acknowledge that he doesn’t know how to teach self awareness). I wish I were more self aware. It’s something I’ve been focused on over the past few years and am still learning about myself. Perhaps you can relate, too.

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When I was in college, I maintained an About page on my website. Here is what I wrote back then (with a few reflections in between):

In my opinion the web is not a place for tell-all life stories. If that is what you desire, there are other souls willing to confide in you their deepest secrets; I am not one of them. I am, by nature, a rather private individual who takes pleasure in sharing experiences and secrets with people, but not with forty million people. Perhaps you can understand.

Still true. I recently wrote a post about this.

I am an undergraduate student at Oregon State University in beautiful Corvallis, Oregon. Currently, I am pursuing two degrees, Business Administration and Computer Science. Additionally, I am a member of our University Honors College. This combination of majors keeps me busy and assures that I will not forget what stress is anytime soon.

But that is not all that I fill my time with. I am also involved with Cardinal Honors, a junior service honorary, my Residence Hall Council, and Student Media to name a few. I have worked with our student paper, The Daily Barometer for two years now and am now in charge of our new online edition. I enjoy all of my activities.

I went on to explain my rationale for my dual degree and it’s still true today.

Having the privilege of designing and launching the online edition of a five-day a week newspaper in the earliest days of the web remains one of my proudest accomplishments. We went live in March 1996, shortly after NYTimes.com in January 1996 and before WSJ.com in April 1996. I remember corresponding with developers at either the NYTimes or WSJ as we tried to figure out how to make it happen. The page layout software we used at the time, Quark XPress, would not support HTML for another six years so we had to cobble together a workflow with an XTension I’ve since forgotten the name of. Embedded in this remembrance is a recognition that I am someone who likes to create and who enjoys the challenge of starting something new.

There are many other things that I enjoy as well. I often tell friends that I am “solar-powered,” and to some degree I am. I love sunny days and all that goes with them: watermelon, picnics. walks in a park, swimming, warm summer nights, and a comfortable rocking chair I discovered last summer on a porch in Alabama. I love, too, the harsh, thunderous rain storms of fall and winter. There is no finer winter time day than one spent inside with fine tea, a good book, a warm blanket, the fire crackling, and t he sound of rain pouring down outside.

All still true — even if it now sounds a bit like a dating profile. ;)

I also love photography. Ever since I received my first point-and-shoot 35mm camera in 1984, I have been hooked on the charm of the lens. Several cameras and a few thousand exposures later, I am still as excited by the medium as I was that with that first roll of film. I have traveled many places, both great and small, in search of unique photographs. I do not claim to be a master like Ansel Adams or Galen Rowell, but I enjoy the challenge and so I keep on. Contrary to what some have said, photography does not “pigeon-hole” your outlook, but rather seems to hone it to a greater level of consciousness.

Photography remains a cornerstone of my life.

Besides photography, I still enjoy using Crayolas®, eating gourmet Jelly Belly® brand jelly beans, and hold a special fondness for Legos® in my heart still. I love the late comic strip "Bloom County" and many other things, too. The list could go on, but it won’t... I enjoy traveling, most anything done outdoors, and good conversation. I appreciate fine art, literature, music, cuisine and sometimes cherish the simplest of things. This is the type of person that I am. (source)

Re-reading this today for the first time in many years, I am struck by how much it all still resonates.

When I set up a new About page some years ago, I synthesized and described myself this way:

Student | Teacher | Entrepreneur | Investor | Technologist | Traveler | Writer | Photographer |
Optimist

brycepayne.org

Student

Perhaps more than I realized when I was younger, I am a lifelong learner.

Teacher

One of my college professors thought I should go on and get a Ph.D. He said I would be a good teacher.

I thought about it but never did because I couldn’t decide on a discipline that I was confident I would be passionate about teaching for 40 years.

That said, there is something about teaching that speaks to me. I love its potential to positively impact others. On that theme, if you’ve never watched Randy Pausch’s last lecture, you really should. It's masterful.

Entrepreneur

While I’ve never harbored the desire to create the next unicorn startup, I’ve long had entrepreneurial tendencies. I was drawing logos for my future businesses as early as fifth grade. By high school, I was providing computer consulting services. In college, web development. In grad school, I started a dot com.

Investor

I believe in the value of investing. It’s something I learned from my dad.

Technologist

From a young age, I’ve been interested in technology. I’ve written code. I’ve worked in software. I’m interested in usability and the potential for technology to improve lives.

Technologist may not be the right word but it’s one I’ve used. In searching, I came across this post on LinkedIn by Bob Williams:

“Technologists are defined by curiosity and a breadth of knowledge.

The Curious Technologist defines the term technologist this way:

The wide ranging skill-sets which are the hallmark of technologists are ideal for connecting people, technology, and business opportunities. Rather than spending years of education and experience on any one thing, a technologist has an intense curiosity in technology in general.”

That feels about right.

Traveler

I love to travel.

Writer

I write.

Photographer

I take a lot of pictures. Doing so brings me joy, helps me to see the world — and remember the moments and people that make it all worthwhile.

Optimist

I am resiliently optimistic and believe the best is yet to come.

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I hope this gives you a better sense of who I am. Thank you for reading.

If something I’ve said struck a cord with you, please let me know.

Until next time,

-bp

1. I would experience Pringles for the first time many years later backpacking across Europe when a friend introduced me to the miracle of this cardboard sleeve of potato chips that didn’t get crushed on the side of a backpack. And, I must confess: the paprika flavor there is amazing!