About BNR

Brian Russ (that's me to the left -- bonus points for anyone who can guess where the picture was taken!) is a software developer, born and raised in Sacramento, California before going to school in San Diego, living there for a number of years, and finally moving to Portland, Oregon in 2001. Metal is certainly a part of my life (I've been listening to metal since 1979), but I've got other interests too. Write me about any of the below topics and we'll chat!

Hockey: I've been a roller hockey goalie in recreational leagues for several years now and it's my favorite sport to play as well as watch.

Poker: I'm no pro, but I'm at least a competent hold'em player, and I was one of the major developers of the Ultimate Bet online site. It's one of my proudest moments professionally, and though I haven't played there a lot lately, I still love the game and support the site.

Beer: I'm not a get-drunk-on-six-packs-of-Bud-Light guy, but in the last several years I have become interested in many of the more esoteric beers, both here in the Northwest as well as European styles. I'm really more of a beer taster than a beer drinker. Beer Advocate is an excellent reference site for all things beer-related.

South Park, still the best show on television. Comedy Central in general has a lot of good stuff on it. Basically, the four TV channels I spend most of my time watching are Comedy Central, ESPN, Sci-Fi, and the Food Network.

Fantasy Sports: I've been a stat-head for as long as I can remember, and I've participated in baseball, football, and hockey fantasy leagues for years now, with varying success.

Science Fiction: My favorite genre of movies and TV series, in particular stuff like Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, as well as the classics like Star Trek, Blade Runner, and so forth.

Martinis: my favorite drink. As with beer, getting drunk is not my objective, I just like the taste of the various flavored martinis (yeah, I know, they aren't "real" martinis, though I like them too), and I'm a (very amateur) mixologist in my spare time. My girlfriend says I make a very mean and delicious margarita!