Eric Talaska, "Eco Neato", (first ever name) was born in Findlay, Ohio in March, 1969 and writes left handed. He is eclectic with a diverse background of education, work, skills and travel. He has sacrificed much to relocate frequently in search of education, meaningful work and a higher quality of life. He is not zealous about pop culture, religion or capitalism. He is candid, altruistic and ecocentric. He lived and did things unusually solo, but not solitary. He got his first name and risk taking from his late mother Erika. Erika's father owned a second generation bicycle and sewing machine shop in Schmolln, Germany. Eric got his middle name Charles and humor from his father "Charlie". Eric's parents were married 50 years. Eric's maternal haplogroup is J1c3c.
In 1977 at age 8 and when Smokey and the Bandit was released, Eric moved to Texarkana, Texas because of his father's job. He lived in a fancy Spanish style home in a quiet neighborhood as an extreme, minimally nurtured "latchkey" Gen-X kid who suffered boredom but also developed self-reliance and the ability to adapt. In his early teen years, he was a Cub Scout, collected stamps with his father and worked on and rode motorcycles. He was very briefly abducted at the local mall at a time between Adam Walsh's abduction and creation of NCMEC. He mowed neighbor's yards often. He was made fun of in a snobby school for many things such as dress "Where's the flood?" due to pants not touching shoes, haircut by mom and suggesting the power button be placed on the front of Apple IIe computers, not back.
In 1987, Eric joined the U.S. Army during the end of Cold War I, risking everything for peace and freedom. His entrance exam score was very high which is stunning as he did poorly in grade school. He was a 31C Radio Teletype Operator (early information security) in the 101st Military Intel. He participated in exercise "Reforger 88 - Certain Challenge" in Germany, the largest NATO maneuver since the end of World War II. In 1989, he was lastly stationed in Alaska. He attended college in addition to his full time duties. He did all this in just two years by age 20. He was in the reserves for five years during the Persian Gulf War.
In 1989, Eric moved back to the Texarkana area and did strenuous tire factory work for two years, simultaneously taking college classes at Texarkana College where he was a newspaper reporter. His hobbies were sailing and again motorcycles. He tried to relocate to Australia. In 1992 he read "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" which inspired him to quit the factory job and attended The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville full time. His final research paper in 1995 was "The Future of Internet-Facilitated Communication". He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and his name is inscribed in the University's famed Senior Walk. This university helped advance Eric's interests especially in environmentalism, the Internet, videography and fitness.
In 1995, Eric invented an inline skate brake system while skating in Dunedin, Florida while in job training there. He moved near Washington D.C. to vastly explore the Smithsonian Museums and to do patent research. He built a prototype of his invention and wrote, prosecuted and won an appeal pro se for his patent with a "method claim", a difficult combination to achieve. He was awarded U.S. Utility Patent #5,860,492. He was an original HTML1 website designer, animation creator, video embedder and video uploader with his first website, skatebrake.com in 1996, then NoEnd.com, d.b.a. Controlit, Inc. in 1998 and domain broker.
In 1998, Eric earned a Paralegal Certificate and worked as a paralegal and bonded notary public for three years. In 2004 he purchased his first building in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, remodeled it himself and opened his own home based computer store where he built and serviced computers and did website design. He adopted his dog Tippy II who greeted his customers. In 2005, he learned and practiced natural health techniques. Eric sold his building in 2008 and tried unfruitful (timing vs. time in) investments. In March, 2009, he took a vacation around Florida to swim with manatees, dolphins and sharks and barely escaped a rip current. He developed a lot overlooking Carter Lake in Colorado by laboriously self-installing underground power, a cistern and an RV, but soon sold it all.
Eric's mother passed in June, 2009 and his father in April, 2011 as his last ancestor. Their estate was severely neglected by nefarious siblings, crooked lawyers and a lazy judge for five years. In 2013, Eric found the world record sized Western sand dollar. From mid 2015 to early 2021 he lived and traveled in a Sprinter van he upfitted into an innovative motorhome on his own in public (no workshop). In July, 2019, Eric's service dog of 15 years was put to rest. In February 2021 Eric purchased and upgraded a great waterfront house hear Venice Beach, Florida and has been living there since.
Eric's priorities are: Health, freedom, wisdom, contributions, fun and social. His mission is to achieve environmental advocacy. He's most looking forward to what we will learn after the Webb telescope is launched around 2021.
Priorities for quality of life and youthfulness
Health (includes: health food gestromony, fitness, sound mind)
Wisdom (includes: Intelligence, spirituality choice)
Achievements
Social (includes: Career)
Fun (includes: Career, location)
Wealth (includes assets)
My grandfather from former East Germany was an engineer who built and sold bicycles. The third+ generation family business was successful there, but ended when he was forced to leave it and fight against the Russians in WWII. He didn't believe in the Nazis, but if he didn't go with them, he would be shot dead. He was killed in action or captured on the Russian front when my mother was four years old, so she didn't have a father growing up. My mother said she thinks he was captured to serve as an engineer for the Russians but her mother had to claim killed in action in order to obtain state assistance such as maintenance of the family home business mansion which she had to sign over to the state for such assistance. Unfortunately, this resulted in the eventual loss of a third+ generation family home-business as it could not be inherited.
My father came from a somewhat upper class family with his father being a general practitioner doctor who was one of the last to make house calls often for free or for barter, but my father hated school and books. When my father brought my mother to America to marry, she was mocked her German accent and was called a Nazi, even though she disliked the Nazis as well as the Russians and communism. My father's father was Polish and so people called my father a dumb Pollock. My parents were very nice and submissive in nature.
One of my brothers who I never met was born part brain damaged because during birth as the doctor told my mother to hold the baby in until the anesthesiologist arrived. By holding the baby in too long, his oxygen was cut off, causing brain damage. My grandfather, Dr. Talaska, defended the hospital as part of his clique and warned my parents not to sue, so they didn't. My parents traumatically cared for my brother until he passed at age eight. My parents were also traumatized and tormented by my older sister for most of their lives by running away, calling them names, etc.. She claimed to have agoraphobia, but I believe it to be HPD. My parents were married for 50 years. I lost Mom in 2009, aged 69 and Dad in 2011, aged 73.
(check back for completion...)
101 Facts about Eric Talaska, in Chronological Order
Talaska is Polish and means broken down old wagon.
My parents were married for 50 years until death did them apart.
I look much like his mother who defected from Communist East Germany in 1959.
I was born in Ohio in 1969 just before we went to the moon. Neil Armstrong is from Ohio.
I write left handed, primarily, but am capable of writing right handed / ambidextrous. I have a much longer than average wingspan of 6'8".
Because of my initials "ET", grade school students called me out as "ET" as the movie "ET" was popular in the 1980's.
Like my father, I was an avid stamp collector, but quit as an adult because he thought it to be ridiculous.
I worked on and rode several motorcycles as an early teen. He learned how to fix things himself very early since his bikes were very junky.
When in the Army, I had a boss who asked me what I wanted to become. I replied "The President of the United States". I wasn't kidding. I was suppressed by hazing of other supervisors of Specialist and Sargent rank.