About Tim Beck

I’m a South African with, what I like to think of as, a World View. I’m a baby-boomer that still regards the sixties as the “golden age” (of music, at least), but loves the connected digital world of today.

Tim Beck

Tim Beck

My views were formed in the cauldron of what was apartheid South Africa. Ideas of personal freedom, individual human rights and scepticsm of authority weren’t abstract, detached concepts; they grew out of the only too real authoritarianism of the National Party – the party that brought the world apartheid. Their policy was called “Christian Nationalist” and embodied all the worst of far right-wing governance: racism, sexism, puritanism, severe censorship, police brutality, oppression and the extreme hubris of those who are certain they are god’s chosen people.

All of which has made me oddly intolerant. Intolerant of racism, sexism, religion, authoritarianism, censorship and those who would want to limit my freedoms. I am deeply suspicious of all politicians and highly sceptical of claims made by the forces of un-reason. I rejoiced at the fall of the apartheid monster but remain highly critical of the regime that replaced it. I could not and will not accept any assurances or motives of any politicians at face value.

I trained as an engineer but have spent my life working with computers – programming, designing systems, managing installations, building technologies, and using them like everyone else. My great interest, however, is the study of evolution, and I read as much as I can on the subject.

Thank you for being my guest at this site. I hope to inform, entertain and sometimes challenge you. But I will try to never bore you. If I do let me know. Let me know anyway.

Tim.