James began his study of religion, evolution, sociology and memetics (the evolution of culture and ideas) during his graduate studies in linguistics and Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University in the late 1980s. His work there introduced him to "genetic algorithms" that used randomness (mutations) coupled with directed filtering (natural selection) to create computer programs to solve problems for which no other solution was known.James realized that Darwin's ideas could be extended and applied to any type of information, whether genetic, computer algorithms or ideas passed from one person to the next. During this research, James inevitably encountered "The Selfish Gene" in which the… evolutionist Dawkins lays out these same ideas and coined the word "meme."After completing his Master's Degree at Stanford, James went on to a career in computer architecture and design. But his study of memetics, religion, sociology and evolution became his second career.In addition to his work, James is an accomplished guitarist, a tolerable clarinet player and a deep-sea sailor. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking on Southern California's beautiful beaches and traveling the world.