Post by Beowuuf on Mar 31, 2008 1:07:49 GMT -5
This isn't my original post, this is the new member spotlight, which luckily I'd originally done in phpbb code not realising it was html when posted on the front page!
>>> Bio <<<
Name
Michael Hutton
Age
30
Married?
No
Kids?
No
Pets?
None living anymore
Always had cats when I was younger, and my Mum's cat died the weekend I travelled to get my current job! Does a stuffed baby rock count?
>>> Global Positioning <<<
Where were you born?
Aberdeen, Scotland - sweet, sweet beaches.
Have you moved around much?
Not at all, this move for my current job is the first move I have ever done. Had planned to move to Canada a few years ago, but it never worked out.
Where do you live now?
Basingstoke, England - Hampshire kicks serious...something you can't put on a front page...for the greenery and history around. And Basingstoke seems to be a train journey away from everywhere!
Any plans to move in the future?
Never say never, but not at the moment, I like where I am and I haven't seen or done nearly enough around here yet.
>>> Gaming <<<
Which games (past or present) have had the greatest impact on you?
Hmm, there were a few minor amiga games, but it's easy to pick the biggest two games - the first was Dungeon Master, which I am even now still heavily involved with, and Half Life.
Dungeon Master just brilliantly captured, depsite its low graphics, the spirit of roleplaying and gaming. Huge screen, intuitive interface, and all the background mechanics were around for you to see, but basically were kept in the background. And they made sure there were alot of totally hidden background mechanics to keep the game fresh and to keep you guessing about exactly the effect, if any, of items, the weaknesses of monsters, etc. Good monster AI too!
Half life, well, it's newer and more obvious, but I again appreciated the way it took the first person genre and made it so immersive, 'cut scenes' done through the game engine itself so the story just kept flowing without a break, and a simple tale of a man on a normal day or work beocoming a one man army - great stuff! Xen area at the end aside just a fantastic game.
Anything on the horizon you are pretty keyed up about?
Games wise, I've never kept track. I read some websites and hear about stuff, but I tend to not play much non-DM games.
How did you choose/derive your game/site-name?
The beowuuf was born when I was trying to get geocities webspace, and had to choose a username. Got frustrated with everything being taken and choose to combine beowulf with wuuf from DM, creating the beowuuf. When yahoo and geocities combined I got that e-mail address, and so when I was joining a DM site in 2000, I already had this perfect old e-mail account I used for nothing else! Funnily, when the beowuuf geocities name was first born, I had a look for LW sites too - nothing! Funny how the amount of attention has increased in 10 years not decreased!
Do you have any other gaming aliases that you use or have used?
Nah, the beowuuf name pretty much gets used everywhere. It used to be unique, but some hacker uses it too now, and I think some WoW guy has it to somewhere!
>>> TotS <<<
When did you join TotS, and how did you find us?
November 2006. I found project aon a while ago, and bored decided to join the forum. I had briefly seen the TotS website before but I think had just got scared at the size. This time quickly checked it as I think Zipp mentioned it in a post, then registered just to post, not meaning to be more than a lurker. *cough* number of posts later and I seem to be a regular. How that happenened I have no clue! But glad I did!
Has being part of TotS had much of an impact on your gaming/online lifestyle?
Pretty much, I used to be more centred on DM and general creative stuff, now there isn't a day where I don't seem to be doing somethign LW inspired, usually connected to the site. I just forgot how much I loved the LW world until I got immersed in it again!
Care to highlight any specific gaming experiences that TotS has had an influence on?
Well, the biggest is getting into d20. Haven't played D&D for yeeeeeeears, and all of a sudden got lured by Zipp into playing a small game and playing catch up on the rules. Now I seem to be dedicated to two full time games! And a little thing at the back of my mind wonders what GMing a game would be like too. Craziness! Darn you to heck TotS! DARN YOU TO HECK! *shakes fist*
What are your future wishes for yourself with regard to involvement in TotS?
I'd like to be able to make meaningful fun contributions. It'd like to have a WW storyline that actually involves other people, and perhaps has some nice link into the core story. As with the DM site I joined, I guess in the end you have fun yourself, then keep a hand in encouraging everyone else to enjoy the experience and site when you start to lose your free time to RL stuff!
Anything you would change?
Nope, I just wish there was some patch you could give to new people so that they could get into the site faster - I imagine some poeple might get intimidated by some of the features and just the way it works at first! Also, I wish you could give spare time to some of the regulars so they could finish projects and storylines they are now too busy for!
>>> Work <<<
What keeps the money coming in?
Quality Mangering for a small electonics power supply company. It's like real work but one step removed! My company makes 'application specific' power supplies, which means thye only do small volume custom power supplies for various companies. We don't have a sales force, we only have a few core customers who go and do all that sales stuff to snag the actual customers. So we just get to have fun designing stuff then making stuff. Very small company so I can actually see where my effort is going too, and get my hands dirty - not just stuck in an office all the time writing stuff!
Done anything noteworthy or bizarre for money in the past?
Lol, nope, I've never had huge drains on my money, luckily. The most bizare thing I did wasn't that bad, I just changed my childhood bank to a different one simply to gain the stupidly large overdraft facilities. I managed to zero that overdraft baalnce without needing to take the loan they were trying to force me into after university. Since then I've been good with money...ish. Oh, I guess going to mexico to be stationed on a scary oil rig might come under bizzare thigns for money. Well paid work that was, but crazy atmophere in Mexico. Closer to home, did the same but the work was actually about three companies removed from the company i worked with, in nothing that I could do. Crazy, crazy days!
>>> Travel <<<
Been anywhere good?
Spain twice (Madrid and Barcelona, Barcelona is great and has everyhting, i liked Madrid too) Canada a few times (Toronto area, I like Canada), a few european places (but not many) and a few british places (but really not as many as i should). Oh, and Mexico for work, so dunno if it counts. Oh, and American once, in Utah. And very recently, a trip between North and North-West India - that was a fantastic experience. India is just such a friendly bizarre country!
Been anywhere weird?
Tend to do walks around cities, so end up in weird places out in the country. Once found an abandoned keep in the middle of a field that no one seemed to care about.
Best holiday/vacation you've been on?
Hmm, tricky one. My recent India trip was amazing. However, I'd also go with the first major holiday I did in American when I was 14. First time on a plane, crazy American big places and landscapes and hot weather - it was great.
>>> Sport <<<
Are you a fan of any particular sport/team/individual?
Nah. If there is a big enough match might look into the football, rugby, snooker or tennis, but don't religeously follow them. Espeically not football, not since Aberdeen and Scotland got so bad *sigh* Edit: Ok, except Scotland are playing Italy for a place in Euro 2008 - woohoo!
Do you participate in anything yourself?
Nah, keep meaning to with somethign like boxing, but not as of yet. Played Rugby and football at school, but never very well at all!
>>> Transport <<<
How do you get around?
Walking - everything's in walkign distance if you have the time (as Steven Wright would say). Also trains. Can't drive, always lived dead centre in the city (except for one time) so not needed a car.
What would you like to have as your vehicle?
Where are out hover cars darn it? We were promised them! It's the 21st century now! Otherwise, I am probably one of the few males who has no clue what anyone is speaking about when they start talking nabout cars or bikes.
>>> Other Interests <<<
Movie fan? Which ones have been memorable?
Dear god yes! Umm, in that I watch alot of mainstream stuff. 'Airplane!' really stuck with me since I was a kid just for the different humour of it, and who I watched it with. Shawshank Redemption was an amazing discovery for just how positive it was without being twee. And come on, how can someone of my generation and geeky disposition not list Star Wars. The very first time I saw it (when it first came on TV) I was so scared that Darth Vader breathed that we had to turn over to watch Towering Inferno instead, so I missed the experience of Star Wars by a year When I was kid I didn't watch alot of the film others did, so missed things like Terminator until i was 14, just before T2 came out. That one still rates, the first for the feel and also for the charatcers around. You get the feeling they could all have carried on living their lives if the Terminator didn't happen. And hey, T2 is just big. Recently, Shaun of the Dead stands out as managing to combine three genres that have never all been combined and doing it perfectly, and in such a generally good film too. Oh, and Serentity, but that's because I am a firefly sucker. Oh, and Ghostbusters when I was a kid, I can't think of another film that had it's feel - a comedy fantasy actiony thing. I watched it to death until i was in my teens.
Bookworm? What's kept you turning the pages?
Yeah, though sadly although I always used to have a book in hand (not so much anymore, darn internet and work) I always stayed with fantasy stuff. The usual culprits - Michael Moorthingy, Terry Pratchett, David Eddings, Weis & Hickman, etc. Oh, I relatively recently onm y own found KJ Parker, whose stuff is pretty dark and depressing, especially in the endings of what I've read, but I found refreshingly different. I think my favourites would be Guards, Guards by Terry Pratchett and the Elric series by Michael Moorthingy. Oh, and I guess because I mentioned Weis & Hickman, I'd point to not the Dragonlance series, but the Deathgate cycle as a great series.
I shouldn't neglect to mention some of the non-fiction stuff..then again, I'm bored now and can't think of any just now!
Hobbies? What else do you do for fun/interest?
I like writing, though again sadly staying in the realms of fantasy, and never managing to carry on writing the ideas that float in my head. I have a three - eight book series in my head that will never get written darn it, but it has stayed with me constantly for the last three or four years so that must be one I'm very attached to! Also, like photography as a hobby hobby. You get to walk around, see things, and then put your artistic eye to it and see large or small details in an entirely different way, and appreciate the moments in a different way. Find that the two don't combine well though, you go walking to see or you go walkign to photograph. I deliberately didn't take a camera to India.
>>> Closing Comment <<<
Anything you want to say to the rest of TotS, or anyone?
I'm amazed how much I've enjoyed spening time on the site, and how much creative inspiration it's given me. I hope everyone enjoys anything I throw out there and isn't looking to make a furry carpet anytime soon!
Anyone new should enjoy the unique world of Mangnamund and hopefulyl let it inspire tem as it did when they were a kid!
>>> Bio <<<
Name
Michael Hutton
Age
30
Married?
No
Kids?
No
Pets?
None living anymore
Always had cats when I was younger, and my Mum's cat died the weekend I travelled to get my current job! Does a stuffed baby rock count?>>> Global Positioning <<<
Where were you born?
Aberdeen, Scotland - sweet, sweet beaches.
Have you moved around much?
Not at all, this move for my current job is the first move I have ever done. Had planned to move to Canada a few years ago, but it never worked out.
Where do you live now?
Basingstoke, England - Hampshire kicks serious...something you can't put on a front page...for the greenery and history around. And Basingstoke seems to be a train journey away from everywhere!
Any plans to move in the future?
Never say never, but not at the moment, I like where I am and I haven't seen or done nearly enough around here yet.
>>> Gaming <<<
Which games (past or present) have had the greatest impact on you?
Hmm, there were a few minor amiga games, but it's easy to pick the biggest two games - the first was Dungeon Master, which I am even now still heavily involved with, and Half Life.
Dungeon Master just brilliantly captured, depsite its low graphics, the spirit of roleplaying and gaming. Huge screen, intuitive interface, and all the background mechanics were around for you to see, but basically were kept in the background. And they made sure there were alot of totally hidden background mechanics to keep the game fresh and to keep you guessing about exactly the effect, if any, of items, the weaknesses of monsters, etc. Good monster AI too!
Half life, well, it's newer and more obvious, but I again appreciated the way it took the first person genre and made it so immersive, 'cut scenes' done through the game engine itself so the story just kept flowing without a break, and a simple tale of a man on a normal day or work beocoming a one man army - great stuff! Xen area at the end aside just a fantastic game.
Anything on the horizon you are pretty keyed up about?
Games wise, I've never kept track. I read some websites and hear about stuff, but I tend to not play much non-DM games.
How did you choose/derive your game/site-name?
The beowuuf was born when I was trying to get geocities webspace, and had to choose a username. Got frustrated with everything being taken and choose to combine beowulf with wuuf from DM, creating the beowuuf. When yahoo and geocities combined I got that e-mail address, and so when I was joining a DM site in 2000, I already had this perfect old e-mail account I used for nothing else! Funnily, when the beowuuf geocities name was first born, I had a look for LW sites too - nothing! Funny how the amount of attention has increased in 10 years not decreased!
Do you have any other gaming aliases that you use or have used?
Nah, the beowuuf name pretty much gets used everywhere. It used to be unique, but some hacker uses it too now, and I think some WoW guy has it to somewhere!
>>> TotS <<<
When did you join TotS, and how did you find us?
November 2006. I found project aon a while ago, and bored decided to join the forum. I had briefly seen the TotS website before but I think had just got scared at the size. This time quickly checked it as I think Zipp mentioned it in a post, then registered just to post, not meaning to be more than a lurker. *cough* number of posts later and I seem to be a regular. How that happenened I have no clue! But glad I did!
Has being part of TotS had much of an impact on your gaming/online lifestyle?
Pretty much, I used to be more centred on DM and general creative stuff, now there isn't a day where I don't seem to be doing somethign LW inspired, usually connected to the site. I just forgot how much I loved the LW world until I got immersed in it again!
Care to highlight any specific gaming experiences that TotS has had an influence on?
Well, the biggest is getting into d20. Haven't played D&D for yeeeeeeears, and all of a sudden got lured by Zipp into playing a small game and playing catch up on the rules. Now I seem to be dedicated to two full time games! And a little thing at the back of my mind wonders what GMing a game would be like too. Craziness! Darn you to heck TotS! DARN YOU TO HECK! *shakes fist*
What are your future wishes for yourself with regard to involvement in TotS?
I'd like to be able to make meaningful fun contributions. It'd like to have a WW storyline that actually involves other people, and perhaps has some nice link into the core story. As with the DM site I joined, I guess in the end you have fun yourself, then keep a hand in encouraging everyone else to enjoy the experience and site when you start to lose your free time to RL stuff!
Anything you would change?
Nope, I just wish there was some patch you could give to new people so that they could get into the site faster - I imagine some poeple might get intimidated by some of the features and just the way it works at first! Also, I wish you could give spare time to some of the regulars so they could finish projects and storylines they are now too busy for!
>>> Work <<<
What keeps the money coming in?
Quality Mangering for a small electonics power supply company. It's like real work but one step removed! My company makes 'application specific' power supplies, which means thye only do small volume custom power supplies for various companies. We don't have a sales force, we only have a few core customers who go and do all that sales stuff to snag the actual customers. So we just get to have fun designing stuff then making stuff. Very small company so I can actually see where my effort is going too, and get my hands dirty - not just stuck in an office all the time writing stuff!
Done anything noteworthy or bizarre for money in the past?
Lol, nope, I've never had huge drains on my money, luckily. The most bizare thing I did wasn't that bad, I just changed my childhood bank to a different one simply to gain the stupidly large overdraft facilities. I managed to zero that overdraft baalnce without needing to take the loan they were trying to force me into after university. Since then I've been good with money...ish. Oh, I guess going to mexico to be stationed on a scary oil rig might come under bizzare thigns for money. Well paid work that was, but crazy atmophere in Mexico. Closer to home, did the same but the work was actually about three companies removed from the company i worked with, in nothing that I could do. Crazy, crazy days!
>>> Travel <<<
Been anywhere good?
Spain twice (Madrid and Barcelona, Barcelona is great and has everyhting, i liked Madrid too) Canada a few times (Toronto area, I like Canada), a few european places (but not many) and a few british places (but really not as many as i should). Oh, and Mexico for work, so dunno if it counts. Oh, and American once, in Utah. And very recently, a trip between North and North-West India - that was a fantastic experience. India is just such a friendly bizarre country!
Been anywhere weird?
Tend to do walks around cities, so end up in weird places out in the country. Once found an abandoned keep in the middle of a field that no one seemed to care about.
Best holiday/vacation you've been on?
Hmm, tricky one. My recent India trip was amazing. However, I'd also go with the first major holiday I did in American when I was 14. First time on a plane, crazy American big places and landscapes and hot weather - it was great.
>>> Sport <<<
Are you a fan of any particular sport/team/individual?
Nah. If there is a big enough match might look into the football, rugby, snooker or tennis, but don't religeously follow them. Espeically not football, not since Aberdeen and Scotland got so bad *sigh* Edit: Ok, except Scotland are playing Italy for a place in Euro 2008 - woohoo!
Do you participate in anything yourself?
Nah, keep meaning to with somethign like boxing, but not as of yet. Played Rugby and football at school, but never very well at all!
>>> Transport <<<
How do you get around?
Walking - everything's in walkign distance if you have the time (as Steven Wright would say). Also trains. Can't drive, always lived dead centre in the city (except for one time) so not needed a car.
What would you like to have as your vehicle?
Where are out hover cars darn it? We were promised them! It's the 21st century now! Otherwise, I am probably one of the few males who has no clue what anyone is speaking about when they start talking nabout cars or bikes.
>>> Other Interests <<<
Movie fan? Which ones have been memorable?
Dear god yes! Umm, in that I watch alot of mainstream stuff. 'Airplane!' really stuck with me since I was a kid just for the different humour of it, and who I watched it with. Shawshank Redemption was an amazing discovery for just how positive it was without being twee. And come on, how can someone of my generation and geeky disposition not list Star Wars. The very first time I saw it (when it first came on TV) I was so scared that Darth Vader breathed that we had to turn over to watch Towering Inferno instead, so I missed the experience of Star Wars by a year
When I was kid I didn't watch alot of the film others did, so missed things like Terminator until i was 14, just before T2 came out. That one still rates, the first for the feel and also for the charatcers around. You get the feeling they could all have carried on living their lives if the Terminator didn't happen. And hey, T2 is just big. Recently, Shaun of the Dead stands out as managing to combine three genres that have never all been combined and doing it perfectly, and in such a generally good film too. Oh, and Serentity, but that's because I am a firefly sucker. Oh, and Ghostbusters when I was a kid, I can't think of another film that had it's feel - a comedy fantasy actiony thing. I watched it to death until i was in my teens.Bookworm? What's kept you turning the pages?
Yeah, though sadly although I always used to have a book in hand (not so much anymore, darn internet and work) I always stayed with fantasy stuff. The usual culprits - Michael Moorthingy, Terry Pratchett, David Eddings, Weis & Hickman, etc. Oh, I relatively recently onm y own found KJ Parker, whose stuff is pretty dark and depressing, especially in the endings of what I've read, but I found refreshingly different. I think my favourites would be Guards, Guards by Terry Pratchett and the Elric series by Michael Moorthingy. Oh, and I guess because I mentioned Weis & Hickman, I'd point to not the Dragonlance series, but the Deathgate cycle as a great series.
I shouldn't neglect to mention some of the non-fiction stuff..then again, I'm bored now and can't think of any just now!
Hobbies? What else do you do for fun/interest?
I like writing, though again sadly staying in the realms of fantasy, and never managing to carry on writing the ideas that float in my head. I have a three - eight book series in my head that will never get written darn it, but it has stayed with me constantly for the last three or four years so that must be one I'm very attached to! Also, like photography as a hobby hobby. You get to walk around, see things, and then put your artistic eye to it and see large or small details in an entirely different way, and appreciate the moments in a different way. Find that the two don't combine well though, you go walking to see or you go walkign to photograph. I deliberately didn't take a camera to India.
>>> Closing Comment <<<
Anything you want to say to the rest of TotS, or anyone?
I'm amazed how much I've enjoyed spening time on the site, and how much creative inspiration it's given me. I hope everyone enjoys anything I throw out there and isn't looking to make a furry carpet anytime soon!
Anyone new should enjoy the unique world of Mangnamund and hopefulyl let it inspire tem as it did when they were a kid!
Of course, I'm responsible for bringing Zipp to TotS, but I forget who originally brought me there. So, in a sense, I'm your grandfather, Beo, and Zipp's dad 
