w00d's Photo Muse

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

A Signature Image

My inspiration came out of the fact the username I generally use most often is w00d which as it happens is also DOOM but backwards and upside down. Therefor I have always enjoyed modifying the Box ART of this very old and popular game, DOOM³ © ID Software a first person shooter. I have on occasion also used the image as a 'signature' image but the image just make's me giggle.

For a little more drama I choose to animate my Box ART modification. The animation was created using a very old version of JASC Software's, Animation Shop 3. Which is to say in a somewhat less loftier fashion the application is simply an GIF file animator.

Nevertheless if 'lofty' is what you want then look to Blender a open source (free) animation creator and here is the download page. In the words of the software developer "Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite, available under the GNU General Public License" I believe this application is simply the most feature rich animation creator which can be had for free!

GIF images use for the Animation

Original Box Art © ID Software

Monday, October 01, 2012

My Home Town

Halifax, West Yorkshire, England (Google Maps)
Looking northwards from the summit of Beacon Hill

If looking toward the horizon (near the left side of the photo) we can just see Wainhouse Tower rising above the landscape which was one of the places I use to explore as a kid. According to WiKi the Tower was owned by John Edward Wainhouse (1817-1883) and was in fact destined to be a chimney for his Dye Works lower in the valley. However in 1874 John Wainhouse sold the mill to his works manager who refused to pay the cost of building the chimney so Wainhouse kept the tower for himself and used it as an observatory. In my day the tower was neglected and open to anyone who happened by and was a great place for kid like myself with an explorers mind to play. Today Wainhouse Tower after being restored (wasn't safe) to it's former glory is only open to the public few times a year, during Bank Holidays.

Halifax, West Yorkshire, England
Author: Mr Barndoor
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

Wainhouse Tower (WiKi)
Author: Ian M
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

We love 'Fair USE' - w00d

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Old Linux Box

I was reminiscing of a day now long gone and if my memory serves the first year my Linux, HTML Server went into operation was late in 1998. For myself 'Linux' was not a new adventure as I was working for IBM here in Toronto building systems (Windows, IBM's own OS2 and Unix platforms) to support of their software development teams.

However the following photos were taken just after the introduction of Windows XP. To quote WiKi Windows XP, the successor to Windows 2000 and Windows Me was introduced to manufactures on August 24, 2001 but wasn't released to the general public until October 25, 2001

The Setup: All the parts used for this server we're gleaned out of a pile of obsolete hardware, old hardware and I needed to setup the hardware and software.

Just for fun I also wanted to test this system's overclocking potential. As this was a relatively low power machine made from old disused parts I found she 'overclocked' reasonably well and was found a suitable 'Gaming' platform. Given this system would never be used for 'Gaming' also ignoring the fact I didn't have a high performance Video Card needed for 3D intensive applications.

Finished: After the 'Trial and Error' period of the Hardware and Software setup came the following BOX which was also the reason why the machine is exposed and naked as shown above.

This will be the BOX:
... that made my LINUX machine look all nice'n pretty for the wife.

History as it was in those days was a time when the majority of Brand Name PC's could only be bought in one colour, the boring colour well known has beige. Therefor buying a Custom Case was the order of the day as 'beige' would never look good sitting in my (the wife's) living room.

Yes it was in the interest of the Do-it-Yourself (DIY) crowd of the time to make our computers look better, personally distinctive or simply unique verses anything that could be bought from a retail outlet. Or at least anything but the 'FUGLY' beige of the AGE. If I'm remembering it correctly the only alternative to the 'beige' option in a Brand Name system as 'Home Theater' systems we're just coming of age was the all 'BLACK' system packages offered by companies such has IBM, Hewlett-Packard.

Then came the end of an era! Since the glory days of DIY Computer Modifications, PC manufactures and with their marketing shysters had caught on to the potential market or market niche offered by the DIY scene. Thus since everybody and their uncles mum have started building their own distinctive cases for use in our (our wife's) living room it effectively put an END customizing our own boxes, well almost.

Actually DIY Computer modification still lives on as we only have to search the NET for proof. Customizing my own PC will always be the one and only (true) path to personal distinctiveness or uniqueness! Well it's the age of the Internet where setting oneself above the rest is what it's ALL about, ain't it ...

My HTML serve running a dual-boot Red Hat Linux and WinXP for the Operating Systems, Apache Web Server and PHP the Server-side HTML embedded scripting language.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

NEW desk

My desk needed a new arrangement ...

The old desk ...

Saturday, September 15, 2012

µH, MicroHeli Pro Tail on the ALIGN Trex 450

Friday, September 07, 2012

MSHeli PRÔTOS (500)

Spektrum 7-Channel DSMX Receiver, Spartan Quark Gyro and Futaba S9257 Tail servo

4S ready

Thursday, August 30, 2012

GAUI Hurricane ep255 RC Helicopter


Main Rotor

Tail Rotor

Update: Aug 2, 2013 - Recent shot

Monday, August 27, 2012

ALIGN Trex 450, Modified

'Modified' mean's this helicopter had so many 'third party' upgrades there is hardly any parts left that are made by ALIGN themselves. This heli had so many upgrades I can't call this bird an ALIGN?