User:Isantop

Introduction
I'm a internet user who, at best, describes myself as: mixed, diverse, or mutt. At worst, it's more like: Jumbled, mess, everything.

Music
Music is one of my primary foci in life. It intrigues me, at least the way something so superficially simple can communicate so much, even without pictures, and often without words.

Genres
I like many genres. I prefer Modern, Romantic, and Classical (Baroque is broke), then I dive into more common genres like rock, pop, etc. I also enjoy music of video games. Some of my favourite composers include (in no particular order):


 * Gustav Holst
 * Ernest Bloch
 * John Williams
 * Michiru Oshima
 * Ludwig van Beethoven
 * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
 * Koji Kondo
 * Yoko Shimomura

I also enjoy several genres of rock music:
 * Alternative
 * Some classic rock
 * Oldies
 * Electro-rock
 * J-rock
 * Pop-punk
 * A very small amount of Pop-rock

I am a fan of swing dancing (although my skills at it are limited), and enjoy big band.

I also like some original country, like Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, etc.

I do NOT like:
 * Most Rap, Hip-hop, R&B
 * Modern Country

Instruments
I play several instruments, and can perform on a few of them. Of these, I am best at and have the most training in classical violin. I can also play piano (although I cannot read bass clef in real-time; all music must be worked through first) and a few small flutes.

I enjoy playing instruments, even when no one can listen. I will often improv on piano of violin, an will sometimes record it.

Composition
As of the fall of 2008, I have written original music on and off. Most of what I write doesn't leave my computer, and I have only one completed opus. In addition, I consider myself to be in o nearly constant state of composition, as I am nearly constantly coming up with original phrases in my head. Only a slim minority, however is ever written down.

I use the notation program Finale 2009 when I am using Windows, and Rosegarden if I am using Linux.

My only finished opus is a Rhapsody I completed in November of 2008.

Computers
Another love of my life are computers. I maintain an active online social life, and Administer my own computer systems.

I currently own and use two computers regularly.

My Machines
The first is a six-year old Dell Inspiron 4150 that T have modified heavily to keep up in today's computer world. My current modifications include:


 * RAM upgrade from 256 MiB to 1 GiB.
 * Hard Drive expansion from 20 GiB to 160 GiB.
 * The current hard drive is partitioned into three sections, one NTFS, one Ext4, and one UNIX Swap. The NTFS and Ext4 partitions are both approximately half the drive, the swap is about 1 GiB.
 * Motherboard replacement. (Note: due to this replacement, the computer in technically a Lattitude C640, and not an Inspiron 4150.)
 * Higher capacity battery.

I currently run two operating systems on this laptop. On the Ext4 I run Kubuntu Linux 9.04, with Linux Kernel version 2.6.28. I use KDE v. 4.2.2 as my desktop manager. On the NTFS partition, I use Windows 7 RC.

The second computer I use is a modified Compaq Presario SR1620NX. The list of modifications is as follows:
 * Additional 120 GiB Hard Disk Drive. (Total storage of 280 GiB possible)
 * Additional CD-ROM Reader
 * Graphics card replacement. (From onboard Radeon Xpress 200 to PNY GEFORCE 9500 GT 512 MiB)
 * Processor Overclocking from 2.0 GHz to ~2.2 GHz (Trade secret :wink: )

I currently need additional RAM and a faster (or dual-core) processor in this computer.

Programming
I am currently studying computer science, and can program confidently in Java, less so in C-based languages, highly in BASIC.

Philosophy
I am a self-proclaimed philosopher. I enjoy contemplating things like paradoxes and improvable questions (Is the green I see the same green you see?), and can be content doing so for hours.

Linguist
I love languages. I take pride in my idiolect, and making it as complete as possible. I currently speak only English fluently; however, I am semi-fluent in Spanish. I also know small amounts of Japanese and Italian. I can say thank you (or transliterations thereof) in nine languages.

In addition, I like to analyse how languages work. I know how grammar works in most romantic languages, Japanese, an some other languages. I also know how to pronounce more than 17 languages, and can identify about 15 on sight, including some romantic languages (I can tell if any language is romantic or not), both romanised and standard Chinese and Japanese, standard Korean, and can tell if a language is Asian, Germanic, Slavic, Romantic, or Scandinavian.

Kilting
I own a Scottish Kilt that I wear semi-regularly. It is a Thomas Gordon in Military Black Watch, 7.5 yd., ~13oz. wool, 24 in length, valued at about USD 200.

I am about 1/16th Scottish (Crawford clan), and I don't wear the kilt because of it. I wear it because it is comfortable.

Contact information
I do not share information such as my phone number or private email address publicly. However, I do maintain a public email at ian.public.santo@gmail.com. Please note that only mail that I find meaningful will be read and responded to, but I appreciate your comments.