NEW MEMBER? Introduce yourself in this thread.

[Mortal Wombat]

My name is Mortal Wombat and I am an Alcoholic...

Sh*t... wrong forum...


My background is I travelled around the World as a kid... Every place you land up is where you'll be forever, so you absorb everything quicker!

Done 3 Engineering degrees... Lol... they're funny

I like solving problems/puzzles...

I like to combine different things (abilities/fields/software/whatever), preferably in novel ways, by using the best features of each...



So, I decided to become a 3D artist/animator!


"I create worlds!!!"*




*Errrrr.... sort of...








Just thought... Shouldn't this be in the "Emails You Shouldn't Have Sent" thread...?!?

[AlanMintaka]

Actually, I worked there (Physics/Astronomy Dept.) from '78 to '85, while completing my BSEE part time. No overlap with you, apparently.

I worked in Hasbrouck, if you remember the campus at all.

No overlap, but if you worked in Hasbrouck with the Physics/Astronomy folks, you probably knew:

Tom Arny
David Vanblerkom
Bob Hallock
K.S.R. Sastry
Claus Schultz
Joseph Taylor (the Nobel Prize winner)
Dan Kraus (worked in the labs)

These were the folks who made the biggest impression on me when I was schooling there. In fact I had known Tom for years before I went to UMass. He used to give Astronomy seminars for the general public at the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke MA. I met him in one of those courses when I was still a freshman in high school, and continued attending them through junior year or so.

At UMass Tom turned out to be my Astronomy major advisor. He shared an office in Hasbrouck with David Vanblerkom which is how I met the latter. The others taught the physics/astronomy courses I took. They essentially helped me keep my petard in school. I wasn't the brightest bulb in the program, that's for sure. That I managed to graduate with that degree is thanks to their support.

I could write volumes here about Tom Arny and (especially) David Vanblerkom. Alas, that kind of energy eludes me now.

Leaving that place and those people was a very unhappy time for me.

Have a good one,

[AlanMintaka]

My largest (by far) set up was the OverLand Express. Similar in appearance to the SP Daylight, a 4-8-4 Gray Scheme that was the Luxury Liner overland. It took two years to complete and occupied more space than Rosanne Barr. It was beautiful too. I wish i had pictures, but this was all over a decade ago now.
But I can describe the details in perfect clairty to this day. I must have checked, double checked and written more letters than I have fingers to master Modelers getting ideas, tips, tricks and hints on how to make realistic landscapes, grass, trees, water and how to hide pop out holes in the board so when your stupid train derails halfway through an exhibition, you can Mysteriously Rise out of the Earth like the Steam God and correct the problem.

If you needed popouts to access derailed trains, your layout must have been huge.

I don't have that kind of room, unfortunately, but I'm working to maximize the size of this thing as best I can. The current table layout consists of a ping-pong table turned upside down and a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood. There's a smaller 4 X 4 sheet of plywood that joins those two platforms at the corner of a large "L" shape. I can reach everywhere on the table this way, and the usual basement crud can go on the inside of the "L".

The plan right now is to have a jerkwater town at one end of the "L", a larger town at the other end of the "L", and badlands in between. The outside corner of the L will have highlands whose innards (tunnels, etc) I can access from the outside corner.

Somewhere in all that I'm going to have a large trestle crossing a gorge. I have an old "Girder and Panel, Roads and Bridges" building set with which I can make a realistic looking support structure. The girders and diagonal supports are red plastic girders and braces; I'll take care of that with paint and whatever else it needs to look like wood.

I'm doing the latter because prices for large trestle kits are ridiculously high. Besides, I can make it whatever size and shape I want this way.

This is my first HO layout so I'm sure it'll be very conservative compared to anything you've done. I haven't even laid track for the basic outline yet, except for a small test oval I use to make sure all these locos actually work.

Like you when you were starting, I'm going to have to do a lot of forum posting someplace to get tips on landscaping. At any rate I have enough foam board here to do a lot of practicing before anything goes on the table.

That's probably more than enough for one post around here. I'd better ride the rails!

Have a good one,

[AlanMintaka]

My name is Mortal Wombat and I am an Alcoholic...

So am I. Hard-core, in fact. If you're serious, what's your favorite? Step, Smart, Secular, Rational, or Mixed Drinks?

Just curious. I myself don't have any favorites in that list.

Have a good one,

[captain swoop]

Mortal WOmbat. Using a swear word with some of the letters *d out is against the rules. I would edit that if I were you.

[Small Red Giant]

Hi , I've been interested in all things in the Cosmos as long as I can remember (even before Cosmos first aired) often lurk in websites and forums covering it all, thought I would sign up on this one since it seemed full of many views and ideas.

Hello to you all!

[Neverfly]

Hi , I've been interested in all things in the Cosmos as long as I can remember (even before Cosmos first aired) often lurk in websites and forums covering it all, thought I would sign up on this one since it seemed full of many views and ideas.

Hello to you all!

Are you trying to say I'm full of it?

[Small Red Giant]

Are you trying to say I'm full of it?

hmm ,I don't know yet but I'll let you know if that happens

[Neverfly]

hmm ,I don't know yet but I'll let you know if that happens

Only in the BigDon threads

[pwrstick]

I got here due to a google search about a song with some NASA transmissions in it.

Poking around now, and this seems like an interesting place. I live in the CAlifornia SF Bay area, right by the Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science. Apparently they do some star gazing two Saturdays a month with a powerful telescope. See some of you there?

[Donnie B.]

Welcome, pwrstick. Sorry, though, I'm on the wrong coast -- or should I say, the right coast?

[Whirlpool]

Welcome to Baut pwrstick.

[Jimmytherat]

[Jimmytherat]

[Jimmytherat]

dont mind me, just testing...

[davidanders]

David Anders
Seattle, WA, USA
Computer Technician
Long Time SF and Science Geek
Saw the Moon Landing live.

[Whirlpool]

dont mind me, just testing...

Testing what ?
Based on the pic you posted it says "babyoncomputerxg8". Sorry I can't see it from here , it only shows x .

[Whirlpool]

David Anders
Seattle, WA, USA
Computer Technician
Long Time SF and Science Geek
Saw the Moon Landing live.

Welcome to BAUT davidanders!

[Olowkow]

I'm a long time listener to Astronomy Cast and just finally getting around to seeing what's up on this forum.
Actually, I am a frustrated Mars Phoenix fan, trying to get more information on what they are finding. It seems like there is just about no news except for the dribble of stuff from their website. Why so secretive?
I have a ton of questions so I am hoping there are some folks here with answers.

[Whirlpool]

Welcome to BAUT Olowkow!

[Lepton]

I am new here and I guess you can call me a geek since my interests are physics, geology, astronomy and chemistry.

[Swift]

Hi Lepton, welcome to BAUT. Do you know someone named quark, I think he's been hanging around here?

[Lepton]

Hi Lepton, welcome to BAUT. Do you know someone named quark, I think he's been hanging around here?

I have three little friends named Quark. Really colorful guys

[Whirlpool]

Welcome to BAUT Lepton.

Your name made me remember a hot cup of tea.

[nibiru_is_stupid]

hey guys. i'm julie. 30 years old..i live in kansas. i'm pretty awesome. hope to engage in some interesting discussion.

[Neverfly]

Welcome to BAUT Nibiru Is Stupid.
Can I just call you Stupid for short?

[nibiru_is_stupid]

Welcome to BAUT Nibiru Is Stupid.
Can I just call you Stupid for short?

sure. i've been called worse.

[Neverfly]

sure. i've been called worse.

Spoilsport.



Ok, I'll call you NIS.

[nibiru_is_stupid]

Spoilsport.



Ok, I'll call you NIS.

oh, i was kind of hoping you'd call me stupid. i think it would be funny. thanks for the welcome

[Neverfly]

oh, i was kind of hoping you'd call me stupid. i think it would be funny. thanks for the welcome

You're welcome for the welcome, Stupid!