My father, David Treder, was born on August 23, 1916, in Lodi, California (USA). My mother, Betty (Finkle) Treder, was born on January 23, 1919, in Berkeley, California. They were married on January 6, 1939, in Oakland, California.
I was born on February 2, 1954, (Groundhog's Day) in San Jose, California. By a curious coincidence, I was born on my older sister's birthday. Susie was also born on February 2, but several years earlier. I am the fifth child in a family of seven—four boys and three girls. My childhood was spent in what is now known as Silicon Valley (Santa Clara, California), although in those days it could have been called Apricot Valley for all the fruit orchards. The apricot trees are gone, but my parents still live in the house where I was raised.
Growing up, I played baseball, got good grades, and also spent more than my fair share of time in the principal’s office. In the fourth grade, I took up trumpet playing, which led to a lifelong love of music. My eighth grade music teacher encouraged me to switch to the French horn, which I did. In high school I played in the band, the orchestra, and sang in the choir. I also had the great privilege of serving as the drum major for our marching band in my junior and senior years. This is one of my most prized memories.
After graduating from high school in 1972, I entered the University of Washington on a full scholarship from the US Navy ROTC. I soon dropped out of college in protest against the war in Vietnam, and began working as a laborer in Bellingham, Washington.
In 1978, I found my way into the commercial radio industry as an advertising salesman. Within three years, I became station manager for KISM Radio. My lovely daughter, Aria, was born in Bellingham in 1979 (I had married my high school sweetheart in 1974). Our family moved to Houston, Texas, in 1986. I spent 11 years there in management positions at three different radio stations. While living in Houston, I was divorced after 16 years of marriage.
In 1997, I relocated to New Jersey where I became sales and marketing manager for a small telecommunications company and helped it double in size. In 2001, I moved to New York City where I worked for almost three years as a vocational counselor and job developer for non-violent offenders just released from prison.
Today I describe myself as a professional writer, speaker, and activist with a background in technology and communications company management. Currently, I am executive director of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN), a non-profit think tank dedicated to raising awareness of the issues presented by advanced nanotechnology: the benefits and dangers, and the possibilities for responsible use. In this capacity, I have addressed conferences and groups in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, and Brazil.
In addition to my work with CRN, I am a Research Fellow with the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies; I am a consultant to the Millennium Project of the American Council for the United Nations University, and to the Future Technologies Advisory Group; I serve on the Nanotech Briefs Editorial Advisory Board and on the Board of Directors of the World Transhumanist Association; I'm a member of the Executive Advisory Team for the Extropy Institute; and I'm a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and the World Future Society.
Finally, these words are from Bertrand Russell, but they fit me perfectly...
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.