He is 32 and lives with his partner in Clifton, Bristol. After getting a degree in theoretical physics, John worked for two years for British Aerospace, which provided a valuable inside view of the arms trade. Voluntary redundancy provided an escape-route. An MSc in Optoelectronics led into research, a PhD and yet more research in future telecommunications technology. John now writes about the business of fibre-optic communications. He has previously stood as a Green Party candidate in local elections, in Birmingham in May 1998 and in Redland, Bristol in May 1999.