About Friendlyskies.net & Me

Hi, I’m Marc. I’ve been running Friendlyskies.net since about 2001.

About this Website

This website was originally started as a fiction-writing project. It was meant to be a fictional counter-terror zine created in the days following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

I chose the domain name, friendlyskies.net, while I was in a bit of an ironic mood, because the skies didn’t seem so friendly at that time. As time has passed though, I think it reflects more that I really like airplanes and the sky…

Soon after purchasing the domain name, a lot of fun projects came to mind. So the scope of the website expanded quite a bit, and Friendlyskies.net became my personal blog & projects website.

By the way, do you support the Indieweb? Cuz you’re on it right now! You may be interested in Getting Started with the IndieWeb or checking for upcoming events or maybe checking out the latest from another fun hobby that’s kinda related: Indie retro gaming.

A Bit About Me

I have a lot of interests in different areas, including the creative arts, psychology, computer- and tech-related topics, books, music, movies, oh and chocolate, and donuts…OK I’d better stop now!

Anyway, you might find me writing about any of those topics on this website. You will definitely see a lot of my art and photography projects around here.

Here are some less-than-ordinary things about me:

• My kids and I have been running an ongoing D&D-style gaming campaign since 2018. We started by playing these games as an alternative to reading books at bedtime.
• I was trained to analyze artwork & handwriting, and it’s always been a fun topic to me. People sometimes bring me samples to analyze.
• After enjoying the game Battleship with my son over the holidays, I published a set of extra rules.
• I started an international detective society, mostly for fun.

You can also visit my two work websites: Marc Carson Web Design where I offer expert web design & development consulting, and Marc Carson Coaching, where I help people make breakthroughs and achieve new things that they are interested in.

If you live near me, you may have seen me out walking or hiking, or volunteering. Since 2013 I put in over 1,000 miles on the local trails and streets. I spent a lot of time picking up litter (I think a lot of the problem is wind, weather, animals, etc.—over the years I changed my view on humans and litter). I’ve helped blaze a new city hiking trail and set up a radio station to help provide race communications for a local ultra-marathon on the coast.

I also like to volunteer for other local activities, like a yearly emergency communications exercise for area health care providers, or the random coordinated nighttime search for someone’s lost child who wandered off into the hills…you never know, I guess…

Where I’m At

I live in Mendocino County, California. The area is known for temperate weather and sandy coastal beaches, adjoining valleys with lots of orchards and vineyards.

Gallery: My Mendocino County Area Photos →

I love taking photos around here. Local wildlife I’ve seen include mountain lions, black bears (always carry a laptop if there are bears around), coyote, foxes, lots of deer, wild hare, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, hawks, owls, bats, wild turkeys, turkey vultures, ravens, crows, California scrub jays, mourning doves, woodpeckers, and wild canaries.

Oh! And black widow spiders…

While this area is known for Redwoods, our smooth-barked trees & chaparral can make you wonder if you’ve disembarked in Australia or the mediterranean. To the north you’ll find Mt. Shasta and Crater Lake, and to the south you’ll run smack dab into San Francisco.

In terms of local UFOs I probably can’t help much, but among the most common sightings around here are what’s known as indecisive stars.

If you want to get in touch with this particular member of the human species, feel free to email: baggageclaim [a t] friendlyskies.net.