As with any web developer/designer, I’m never satisfied with my own sites. Because of that, I’m currently working on everything so there’s really nothing to see yet. But here are some “Rocky Basics”.
When I was 11 I had a friend who received a Commodore 64 for Christmas, but he wanted a bicycle. I had a nice bicycle, so we traded. I’d say I definitely got the better part of the deal since this was roughly 1985, and the Commodore 64 was selling for about $600 back then, by today’s standards that’s about $1500. In 1985 a bicycle was about $60, and you can still buy a bicycle today for about $120 (for a cheap one).
Excited about the trade, I jumped right into the whole “computer thing”. Back then games and apps were stored on a tape….just like a music tape….no, really! look it up! I remember I went to the computer store and bought the game ‘Pitfall’. It was a fun game where you ran through tunnels, jumped over alligators and pits, and climbed ladders. I was very curious on how the game was made, how does this machine know when I touched an alligator, how can it tell when I am climbing a ladder? And how can I do that?
After some research, and let me tell you, in 1985 there was no internet that we have today. There was no wikipedia, no youtube, there was NOTHING for consumers. I did REAL research, I went to libraries (also VERY VERY few books), I talked to people, and I made phone calls (that’s another thing your iPhone can do, seriously, you can talk to people with voice on your iPhone, look that up as well). With enough research under my belt, it was time to start, I worked hard and long to reprogram my Pitfall game. After several months, I hacked the fall out of Pitfall. So basically you just ran through and climbed ladders. I realize that’s not very fun, but it was EXCITING, I DID THAT!! From there my world changed forever.
While I’ll never be COMPLETELY away from software, I have always been driven more by the mechanical side, and have moved more towards it, primarily sustainable energy, and EVs. After completing my home built battery pack as a kid for my RC car, back in the days of Nickel Cadmium, I was hooked on electric automation. What started out as a little kid soldering sub c cells together, has turned into personal battery packs, batteries for underwater rovers, my home built electric motorcycle and much more, up to my home built 30KWh power wall. The future is electric, and Japan has been ahead of the game for decades with their Shinkansen trains, on that note.
I love to travel, and love Japan. I believe it’s not just about the destination, but also about the journey, I would rather drive than fly for example. Just haven’t quite figured out how to drive to Japan from California yet
to be continued….
