About Brian LePore (aka POWRSURG)

Born, raised and residing in Rochester, NY, I have been a Web nerd ever since I started working in the Web Services department at SUNY Brockport. I don't know why, but I something about it appealed to me. I try my damndest to follow the most strict standards defined by the W3C (check the source, I'm aiming for XHTML 1.1), and have developed a vast knowledge on the subject of Web browser compatibility.

Since enrolling in SUNY Brockport, I have obtained my bachelors degree in the fields of Computational Science and Mathematics, with a minor in Computer Science. After completing this degree, I entered the masters program in Computational Science. In the summer of 2005, the department asked me to join another student in an internship at the Tosteson/Halperin Laboratory at Harvard Medical School. It is based off this internship that I am currently writing my masters thesis, which will finish off my degree. Computer programming languages I learned while attending Brockport include C, C++, Fortran 77, Fortran 90/95, PHP, and Python.

Besides that, I am also your typical comic book geek (I am a Marvel zombie). I am a professional wrestling fan who regularly follows TNA and WWE. I am a huge fan of The Simpsons and Futurama, and reference them way too much in conversation. You can normally find me on the channels #wrestling and #wrestlingdb on the IRC network EFnet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why the name POWRSURG?
In the mid-90's, Marvel released a card game Overpower. It was sort of like Magic: The Gathering for super heroes. Powersurge was the name of their first expansion pack. Despite never once playing the game, I collected the cards and liked the name. I liked Powersurge better than Overpower, so I went with that name instead.
Why do you spell POWRSURG that way?
Because EFnet has a nine character limit for screen names. I decided to eliminate both "e"s from the word to shorten it to fit.
There is an expectation that anyone that spells their screen name with all capital letters is a newby idiot that doesn't know any better and doesn't realize that it looks annoying. It's my little jab into the word of anarky when they realize I'm actually (somewhat) intelligent!
Why do you hide behind an alias and not use your real name?
Despite the fact that the language is only popular in certain circles, I am not the only Fortran programmer named Brian LePore. How the heck is that even possible?
Screw you, John Byrne. jk ;)
Why the heck are you going for did you give up on XHTML 1.1?
First, I would like to point out that it really is not very different from XHTML 1.0 Strict. Second, aiming for this high level of standards compliance should make Web pages forward compatible and easier to integrate into other technologies, rather than crippling design by trying to maintain the same experience across every single browser ever made. I aim for the best experience in modern browsers and should degrade gracefully in older browsers. If the older browser is still popular and it is possible to work around a short coming, it will be considered. That said, no Web page on this site (and any others that I am allowed to maintain with any degree of authority) will rely on the presence of some technology (e.g. JavaScript, Flash, etc.) to access information. The user's experience may not be as nice, but everything will be accessible in some way or another. It looks like the web grew out of this fad. And by fad I mean XHTML. Modern mobile friendly websites now aim for HTML5 which is far more liberal with what it allows compared to XHTML 1.1.
You sure do love acronyms and abbreviations, don't you?
Yup. :)

Timeline

  • 2014
  • 2006
    • Started working at Brand Builder Websites.
    • Finished my masters at SUNY Brockport.
    • Actually starting to do something with this Web site.
  • 2005
    • Quasi student status resulted in my leaving work at SUNY Brockport. Stupid thesis….
    • Interned at Tosteson/Halperin Laboratory at Harvard Medical School.
  • 2004
    • Registered this POWRSURG.com.
    • Began the masters program in Computational Science.
  • 2003
    • Earned my bachelors degree for Computational Science, and Mathematics.
  • 2002
    • Started working in Informational Technology Services (where I mainly worked in the Web Services department) for my college.
  • 2000
    • Began college at SUNY Brockport.
    • Graduated high school.
  • 1998
    • Mother nearly died of cancer.
    • Briefly returned to karate to earn my black belt.
  • 1997
    • Due to numerous thyroid problems, I dropped out of or heavily reduced my involvement in most forms of sport. Stopped attending karate literally at the highest rank one can earn that is directly below black belt.
  • 1991
    • Saw Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect at Summer Slam on PPV. Officially started following wrestling as a big fan, rather than just watching it because my family did.
  • 1990
    • Begun reading Marvel comics.
  • 1989
    • The Simpsons began.
  • 1986
    • Dad died February 15 from cancer.
  • 1982
    • Born March 9.