Mitchell has been interested in computers since 1974, when he spent the nights and weekends of his final year of high school designing and building a 16-bit programmable computer for a science fair project, the MJS-18 (his age at the time). This experience, followed by the designing and building of several more generations of computers, gave Mitchell an appreciation for hardware, data communications, and the difficulty of getting clear explanations of how things work. Mitchell received his B.A.Sc. in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto. He is a professional engineer, a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and a Beaver leader (where you learn that, just like on LANs, the key is sharing, sharing, sharing). After having worked for a few large- and medium-sized companies at summer jobs and after graduating, Mitchell decided to work for a really small company and has been an independent data communications consultant for over eight years. He specializes in network analysis and design and implementation, as well as presenting computer courses in Europe and throughout North America.