This web site is intended to provide access to information about Donna and David's Desert Domain (QuadD), including pictures, renewable energy information, and our past travels.

Hello, my name is David Sweetman and I am retired in Dyer, NV.

David Sweetman Biography 

I went to 12 different schools in 12 years in Austria, East Texas, Louisiana, West Texas, Italy, and South Carolina.  I was educated in the US Navy as a Electronics Technician, served aboard USS Edward McDonnell DE-1043 (http://ussedwardmcdonnell.org/home.php) and as an ET Reactor Operator (SS qualified aboard the nuclear powered submarine, USS Kamehameha SSBN-642 http://www.hullnumber.com/SSBN-642).  College degrees using the GI bill include a BS in Physics, Phi Beta Kappa, from San Diego State University and a MBA from Santa Clara University.  Before the Navy, I took classes at the University of South Carolina Florence (where I did play basketball one season) and  while in Silicon Valley at Stanford University. 

After the Navy, my major jobs were as a plant operator at coal/natural gas and nuclear power plants, then a career in Silicon Valley, ending as VP of Quality & Reliability at two different startups.  Since these were start-ups, my tasks also included facets of sales, marketing, operations (product engineering), and design/development.

I have published numerous articles on Quality (mostly on SPC and SQC) and Reliability (mostly on stress methods for nonvolatile memories).  I have contributed to an IEEE standard and two IEEE books (sections in both, a chapter in one) on nonvolatile memory device physics, and have contributed to an IEEE paper about radiation and floating-gate memories.  Home Power magazine published articles on our renewable energy systems and I have contributed to other articles, e.g., on trouble-shooting and preventive maintenance.  I am a co-holder of one US patent for a nonvolatile memory design.  Numerous letters-to-editor of mine have been published in a wide variety of magazines, including MDA Quest, ASES Solar Today, Naval Institute Proceedings, Naval History, and Science News. 

I chaired for 4 years the JEDEC JC-13 committee on Government-Industry liaison (DOD, NASA) for writing standards for solid state devices.  I still volunteer with the JEDEC JC-10 committee to write definitions for solid state devices.  JEDEC is the world wide standard setting organization for solid state devices. 

I retired from Silicon Valley in 1999 to spend time traveling and doing “fun” projects, which include renewable energy, model trains, refurbishing our homestead, reading/writing, and acquiring/displaying old mechanical/analog  measuring/calculating instruments/devices, e.g., slide rules, sextants, transits, drafting tools. 

We have a cat, Prancer, that requires attention at a schedule defined by her (I do some petting and brushing, no cleaning the litter box).  I have a mutation (yes, that mean I am a MUTANT), see www.ibmpfd.com for more info. My degeneration limits our travels and other activities.

We are very happily married, especially since we have no children.  My mother-in-law now lives in her house on our property, so we have a frequent game player and a person to watch sports with. 

Donna considers all information about her to be private, so you will not find any biography of Donna.  I do not consider this web site to have either privacy or security issues with the information contained herein, but welcome other view points.