David Ian Chalk (born 1959) is a Canadian technology entrepreneur, cyber security specialist, and media personality who hosted the syndicated ''Dave Chalk's Computer Show'', and its subsequent incarnations ''Dave Chalk Computer Life'', ''Dave Chalk Connected Live'', ''Dave Chalk Connected'', and ''Dave Chalk Connected (In-flight)''.

Early life

Chalk was born in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in September 1959, and relocated with his family to

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. He had

dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...

face blindness Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, ("illChoisser had even begun tpopularizea name for the condition: face blindness.") is a cognitive disorder of face perception in which the ability to recognize familiar faces, including one's own fa ...

, and other conditions he acquired from brain damage at birth.

Education

Chalk completed high school, but was unable to finish his university degree. Despite a challenging childhood and adolescence in the public school system, he was granted an Honorary Doctorate of Technology by the

University of the Fraser Valley The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), formerly known as University College of the Fraser Valley and Fraser Valley College, is a public university with campuses in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, British Columbi ...

’s Alumni Association board for his years of dedication in technology." In 2021, Chalk learned to read and spell; the entirety of his instruction was captured on film in the documentary The Truth About Reading.

Background

Chalk has been involved in the technology industry for over 25 years, from being a commercial pilot to working in technology industries. His background began with video streaming during the early days of the internet. He developed the video engine for Yahoo! 1999, which generated $60m in capital. Perio to developing video engine for Yahoo, he created Canada’s technology magazine, Computer Buyer Magazine in 1983. In 1996, he established one of the longest-running technology shows in Canada ("Dave Chalk's Computer Show")."Who is Dave Chalk?", by Dave Chalk, Microsoft SME Business Centre, date unknown
/ref> Chalk founded many companies including Doppler Computer Superstores, Chalk Media, Trees Matter, New Century Video Streaming, and CalmWear™ Compression Clothing for Autism and most recently he helps create Mentorship programs within organizations.

Talk show

In 1994, Chalk launched DTV, a television show aimed at educating and informing people about computer products and technology. This developed into other programs, including Dave Chalk Computer Life and Dave Chalk Connected, where he focused on making technology understandable and accessible to wide audience.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalk, David Canadian television hosts Canadian radio personalities Living people People from Croydon Canadian businesspeople BlackBerry Limited people 1963 births Television presenters with dyslexia