home // about me
Hi, my name is Noor. I'm 29 and live in Northern California with my two cats, Mulder & Scully. I studied information technology and business at Southern Illinois University and human-computer interaction at the University of Michigan. I spent the early part of my twenties building websites for various types of small businesses and non-profits. I now work as a user researcher where I study how people use consumer electronics.
Some of my interests include art, design, social software & online communities, and health & fitness. I like to paint & draw, hike, take photos, watch movies, swim, travel, listen to music, and read.
I was born in Kuwait and grew up in Southern Illinois, which puts me in the unique position to understand two vastly different cultures: Arab and Redneck. I had a pet camel and rode a tractor to school. All kidding aside, my dual cultural identity has taught me that people are more alike than different.
I've had a personal website since 1998 and a blog since 2001. With so many people having a Facebook profile it may seem very web 1.0 to have a personal page but that's sort of the charm of personal pages. They require a little bit more effort and thought and I miss that about the web today.