JEAN-MICHEL SMITH was born in Palo Alto, California, but lived many years in Chicago, which he considers his home town. After pursuing degrees in physics and engineering, he ultimately chose computer science and graduated with a BS from the University of Illinois, College of Engineering. After acing the coursework for his master’s degree, he embarked on a career as a systems engineer and enterprise architect. His work has taken him to many countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia. Published in France, his essays on free culture and collaborative endeavor appear in LOGS: micro-fondements d’émancipation sociale et artistique. His science fiction novel Autonomy will be… available in March 2012. He is married to author Christine Todd and lives in New York. Visit his website at autonomyseries.com