In the third installment of our “Meet the Super Mixxers” series, I had to go with my man Tau_Zero. Our forums on the bowl are generally full of hilarity and good times. Sometimes a ton of seriousness as well. Let’s just say the first few forums posts by Tau REALLY got our attention. He has excellent submissions and is a real laid back, light-hearted guy.

Where are you from?
I was born and bred in the great state of New Jersey. Currently I live in Central (yes, it does exist), where it’s not overrun by NYCers or South Jersey hicks. Contrary to popular belief, NJ is not all industrial parks and guidos.
Where does your handle come from?
My high school physics teacher was very enthusiastic and absolutely loved the subject. Being a huge nerd, he would tell us of good science fiction books, movies, and whatnot. “Tau Zero” by Poul Anderson was one of them. Essentially, their starship drive is stuck in ‘accelerate.’ As they begin to approach the speed of light, they must deal with the relativistic effects and what it means for them as people. “Tau Zero” also sounds cool.

What are your interests?
I have a passion for science (real science, no psychology or anything ) and technology, always learning, experimenting, building, and tinkering. I’m also an avid outdoorsman, whether it’s a walk with my camera in the park or a 34 mile camping-kayak trip. I like good conversation, but from what I see around me, it’s a dying art in the general public.

What are you studying in school?
After they rejected my proposal for Awesomology, I settled for Chemical Engineering with a minor in Philosophy. We design separation modules, analyze heat and solute convection/diffusion, et cetera, while poking fun at Civil Engies and Chemists. Philosophy is great mental weight training (although they need to stop pretending they know science).

What’s in Your Mixx?
In order of appearance: Breaking News, Tech News, Science News, and my two communities – “The Illustrious Macbook” and “The Akashic Record”.

How that new Mac Book working for ya?
It’s awesome. Took a bit of getting used to coming from my 15″ Pro, but I like the change. Lighter, cooler, awesome keyboard. The huge multitouch trackpad is the absolute best, but there’s a slight learning curve.

Advice for new Mixxers?
Find a balance between lurking and contributing. It’s important to get a feel for the community, but even more important to become part of it. Start out participating a lot in comment discussions, send some mixx messages to people that interest you, and go slow with making submissions at first, critically evaluating them. You want to establish who you are in the community and what you’re about before you think about loosening the tie and sharing some LOLCats.

Who are your Heros?
Nikola Tesla, George Carlin, Albert Einstein, and of course my parents

Anything else you would like people to know?
I don’t tolerate disrespect or arrogance. I like my tea with milk and sugar. I wear Chuck Taylor’s all the time. And for the ladies, I’m single.}