These memoirs of András Hidas are the results of a self challenge to prove that engineers and nerds can write books.

The resulting work is a simple narrative of his sometimes turbulent but not unfortunate journey through life and times as an ordinary engineer and astronomy nut. It records family ancestry, early childhood in Europe, education, professional career and personal life in alternating chapters with observations and commentary on political, social and cultural issues of the day as a backdrop.

As another thread these memoirs also trace, his personal experience of the evolution of Information Technology over his long working career from IBM 'mainframe' computers to minicomputers, microchip technology, microcomputers and home computers. For fellow nerds there are occasional mini-tutorials interspersed on the relevant basic technology. On retirement, the 'engineer' of the title of these memoirs morphs into an 'astronomer' starting a new if unpaid career in his backyard observatory. (www.arcadiaobservatory.org)