In 1974, I bought a Super-8 movie camera. My family and I made live-action movies (spoofs of TV shows and some original stories), several stop-motion animations (Little Green Junkman, Time Trek, Diplomacy, and The First Men in the Moon), and documented family vacations. Lacking modesty, I credited the movies to Galactic Studios. The logo consisted of a photo of the Whirlpool Galaxy with the words “Galactic Studios” taped to it.
In 2001, I was cleaning out a bookcase and came across the Super-8 films. After getting them transferred to DVD, I decided to revisit my old hobby using new technology. I began work on a computer animated re-make of Little Green Junkman, the story of a Martian child taking out the trash, which turns out to be a NASA probe (the original film used the Viking, the re-make used the Mars Polar Lander). After 25 years, Galactic Studios was back in business.
Also in my youth, I built electronic kits. I assembled a Heathkit clock and a Heathkit H9 terminal to use with my SouthWest Technical Products 6809 computer. Nostalgic for the smell of melting solder, I started dabbling in electronics again – but now I know enough to design my own circuits rather than just assemble kits.
I need containers for my electronics projects, so I have ventured into woodworking. The more I build with wood, the more certain I am that I should not quit my day job (at least not to become a carpenter).
Finally, any untalented hack can take pictures with a camera. I’m proud to say I qualify.
In short, I’ve embarked on several projects that attempt to coax some form of artistic expression from my technically-inclined brain. The results are presented here for your perusal.
