It’s pronounced No-el-o-ee-kay-ow, or Noelo for short, which is Hawaiian for “seeker of knowledge”. As an inoa pō, or “night name”, it comes from the sacred dream of a family member. I owe it to my great-uncle and the late professor of Hawaiian religion Dr. John Charlot.

Rest in peace John.

I grew up in the rainforests of Waiāhole on the East side of Oʻahu, and spent the first half of my life looking like Tarzan. I was always either in nature or learning about it (here you see little Noelo running off to explore a forest). My interests lead to me getting degrees in Physics and Biological Engineering, though the sheer effort of it cost me my hair.

Over the course of my career I’ve worked at a number of unique places such as NASA and biotech startups. My physics PhD led to various patents and publications, and after graduating I started a small company commercializing my inventions.

Besides research, art, and managing my business, I’ve loved running since I was a kid. I also really enjoy exercise and being in nature, so backpacking and travel are a large part of my time off. I’ve been around the US states and a dozen or so European countries. I really enjoy scifi and fantasy when I want entertainment, and once read an entire textbook on Celtic Mythology for some reason.

Frankly, I also spend a lot of time thinking about our future as a civilization. The ongoing mass extinction and climate disaster, rise of misinformation and fascism, and instability of capitalism all greatly concern me.

I’ll use my blog to discuss these personal opinions and what I think we can do.