Jeff Stone
Assistant Professor | Computer Sciences and Information
Systems
What he teaches:
Introduction to Object Oriented Programming
Introduction to Web Programming
Introduction to Database Programming
Discrete Structures
Prior teaching experience
Seven years corporate trainer for SandStar Family Entertainment
15 years corporate trainer and lead developer for Universal Accounting School
10 years magic lecturer and teacher
Number of years teaching at SLCC:
2
Undergraduate degree:
University of Phoenix
Why working at SLCC matters:
I love the idea of working with the community to help those
who otherwise might not be able to go to college.
Greatest professional challenge:
Keeping up with all of the projects I want to accomplish. My brain works faster than my body.
Greatest professional accomplishment:
Authored several books, including “Stone Cold Magic,” “Stone
Frixion Fire,” “Tarot Below Zero,” “793.8 Where is the Magic?” and “Stone Cold
Magic Magazine Year One.” Published the online Stone Cold Magazine for eight
years.
Advice for students or others:
Your impact on the world matters. Astonishment in magic
vernacular is a feeling of wonder you impart to your audience. In the non-magic
world, I believe Bill and Ted (in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”) summed
it up nicely when they said, “Be excellent to each other.”
How did you go from magic to teaching computer programming?
Just as teaching has always been a part of my other jobs,
magic has always been a part of my teaching. I’ve used magic as an object
lesson to prove or demonstrate a point. I’ve used it to catch the attention of
the students. I’ve used it to tell a story and in so many other ways.
I’ve done four of the five jobs I dreamed of when growing
up, including a nuclear mechanic in the U.S. Navy, computer programmer,
professional magician and teacher. I had wanted to be a lawyer but lost
interest because I fulfilled the fantasies of that career elsewhere
(performing, magic and logic, programming and teaching).
Future plans:
My first SLCC-related goal is to get tenure. In addition, I
have several books in me waiting to come out.
Hobbies:
Rubik’s Cuber (average solution time is 30 seconds). I can
solve all Rubik’s cubes from a 2x2x2 up through a 7x7x7. I’m also a cube
collector and a retired professional magician. I own the two largest
magic-review websites in the world, mylovelyassistant.com and
magicreviewed.com.
