User:Rademers

My name is Richard Aime Demers. I live in Minneapolis with my wife, Lois. Our two sons and their families live nearby. I retired after a career as a computer programmer and software architect during which I received two Outstanding Innovation Awards from the IBM corporation. I hold two United States patents.

Philosophically, I am a skeptic, humanist, empiricist, and believer in life-long learning. My interests include science, intellectual history, the French language, contemporary affairs, the opera and classical music. My hobbies include photography, travel, and my Reflections web site. Also, throughout my life, I have been a big fan of Science Fiction.

I wrote many of the articles in my web site in English in 1992. They languished in my computer because I had no idea what to do with them. But after I began studying French in 2005, I thought it would be a good exercise to translate them and publish them in a web site for my family and friends. Since then, I have written many more memoirs and have also branched into other literary genres, including stories, poetry, essays and travelogues.

In general, French translations are side-by-side with English on each page. However, the translations are not word-for-word with the English. In most cases, my translations have been carefully reviewed and critiqued by my French language professors. The question we always ask is "How would the French say that?" Often, the answer is "With a lot more words!" That's just the way it is, so please don't expect the texts to align evenly on the page.

For a taste of my Reflections web site, I recommend  A memoir: 1957: Daddy's Solution A story: Ice Age Rescue A poem: Young Love An essay: Reforming the Income Tax: A Citizen's Proposal A travelog: 2010: An Impromptu Vacation  My most ambitious work to date is The Trail to Forever, a romantic story about a young couple who tour Minnesota on a snowmobile.