About Scottobear
Scott von Berg (born February 2, 1969), widely known online by his primary handle scottobear (as well as Sasquatch, Rev. Scotto, and Mongo), is an American software engineer, data scientist, writer, and advocate based in the Roanoke and Salem, Virginia area.
Personal Life and Interests
A self described vegetarian who “doesn’t eat animals, and votes regularly,” von Berg is known among his friends and online circles for his eclectic array of interests and his self deprecating humor, often describing himself online simply as a “nice fella that likes pancakes” and a “wannabe tyromancer.”
He previously lived in the Washington, D.C. area, specifically North Beach, Maryland, where he was deeply involved in local Halloween attractions, including a haunted house project dubbed Classic Scares from Dark Hallways.
- Marriage: He married his wife, Allison, on October 25, 2006.
- Pets: An avid feline enthusiast, his household has included several beloved cats over the years, including Newton (an orange tabby adopted in 1999), Pyewacket (a long haired black cat adopted in 2006), and Pearl (a brown tabby adopted in April 2022).
- Identifying Marks: He stands approximately 6’5″ tall with a 5 inch scar at the base of his back from spinal operations in 1994 and 2003.
Career and Advocacy
Von Berg has built a long standing career as a software engineer and data scientist with a footprint in major technological advancements. Notably, he contributed to the early codebase for Keyhole, the pioneering geospatial visualization software that was acquired by Google in 2004 and subsequently transformed into Google Earth. Additionally, he has contributed to the background codebase for Plex, the globally popular client server media player system. His technical expertise also intersects with his commitment to inclusivity; he completed a stint working as a Section 508 accessibility programmer for the Department of Transportation (DOT), ensuring digital resources were fully accessible to users with disabilities.
Beyond his corporate tech achievements, a significant portion of his life has been dedicated to advocacy and community protection. Working as a child advocate, he dedicated considerable time and effort to this vital cause, ultimately assisting in the recovery of over 200 missing children.
His advocacy also extends into the digital and municipal realms. A staunch defender of digital privacy, von Berg uses his personal platform to write about issues impacting the Roanoke community. Notable topics include deep dive articles on municipal surveillance, such as the use of automated license plate reading cameras by local police, and the environmental impact of large data centers on local communities.
Web Presence and Blogs
Von Berg maintains a highly active digital footprint, archiving his thoughts, technical projects, and hobbies across several domains and platforms:
- LiveJournal: He holds a unique piece of internet history, standing as the most googled user on the platform under his handle, scottobear.livejournal.com.
- scottobear.com: Serving as his primary personal homepage and blog, this site chronicles his wide reaching personal hobbies. Von Berg uses this alias across GitHub, Twitch, and DeviantArt (where he has been a hobbyist artist for over two decades).
- svonberg.org: This domain serves as a platform for his more serious writing, tech commentary, and the aforementioned local advocacy.
Hobbies and Maker Community
Beyond writing and coding, von Berg is actively engaged in several enthusiast communities:
- Maker and 3D Printing: He is an active contributor to the 3D printing community via Printables.com and MakerWorld, where he shares and downloads 3D models.
- Literature: He is a voracious reader, maintaining a massive digital catalog of over 2,100 books on platforms like Goodreads and LibraryThing. His reading interests range from sci fi authors like Terry Pratchett to classics, forteana, and cryptozoology.
- Gaming: He is an enthusiastic tabletop and PC gamer (maintaining a long standing presence on Steam), frequently engaging in RPGs, board games, and social gaming.
Media and Voice Acting
While primarily focused on the tech, maker, and advocacy spaces, von Berg has also made minor appearances across film and video games. He has an official entry on IMDb for his 2007 uncredited role as a “Tourist” in the Disney action adventure sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets, starring Nicolas Cage. Furthermore, he has provided minor voice acting work for major Bethesda video game titles, including the Fallout series and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.