About the Author
In the unlikely event you're that interested, here is a little bit of information about yours truly: who I am, what I like.
Name
- Tim Trott
Age
- 26 (21 August 1981)
Qualifications and Certificates
- 2007 Microsoft .NET Programming with C# (MS-2124) (F1 Training)
- 2007 Introduction to C# (MS-2609) (F1 Training)
- 2007 Certificate in Astronomy (University of Central Lancashire)
- 2004 iSeries Operations (Verhoef Training)
- 2002 HND Software Engineering (Plymouth University)
- 2000 Integrated Business Technology, stages I, II and III
- 1999 A-Level Chemistry
- 1999 A-Level Mathematics
- 1997 9 GCSE's A-C
Non-certified training
- 2007 - Advanced Business Communications (XML/XSL) (AdvanceFirst)
- 2004 - iSeries Upgrade Process (Help/Systems International)
- 2004 - iSeries Upgrade Planning (Help/Systems International)
Currently Studying
- Developing Microsoft ASP.NET Web Applications (MS-2310)
- Astrobiology (University of Central Lancashire)
Occupation
- Web technology designer/developer for large work wear manufacturer
I work as part of a team dealing with "Web Services" which basically anything to do with the internet, be it the corporate website, online trading, EFT/EDI, XML Web services, electronic catalogues and so on.
A bit little about me
Astronomy
I have a keen interest in Astrophotography, which started when Mars was the closest to Earth in late 2005 and I thought I'd try and take a picture of the bright planet. To my amazement, when I downloaded the picture on the computer there were loads of stars and a bright cluster of stars. I looked around on the Internet and discovered it was an object called the Pleiades, and it was one of thousands of objects in the sky. This opened up a whole new world, previously unseen by myself and I began photographing the stars and building a constellation catalogue. I soon realised that I needed some equipment to see many of the objects in the sky so I got my first telescope, a Sky-Watcher Explorer 200. I started off looking at a small one, but for the photography I needed a stable tripod (mount) for it, and motor drive would be handy and I found this one with all the features that I need. It will also be future proof as it has all the capacity I will require. Most of my astro photographs are online in the astronomy pages. I have taken my interest further by studying astronomy via distance learning at the University of Central Lancashire. In 2007 I passed the first course and I am now working on an Astrobiology course for the 2007/2008 academic year.
I also like general photography, as well as insect macro and close-up photography.
Vegetarian
I am a vegetarian and have been since the age of 15. I'm a Lacto-ovo, which means that I don't eat meat or fish, but I do eat free-range dairy products and eggs. I do not eat slaughterhouse by- products such as gelatine. I love Chinese, Italian and Indian food, especially pasta and pizza.
Cars
I spend a lot of time (maybe too much!) with the car, either 'tinkering' with it or washing/polishing and detailing it. I try and do as much maintenance as I can, but leave the messy oil change for a mechanic - it's easier to dispose of the old oil that way!
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic you may see in the galleries is my first car, which I bought in 2002. It is only a base model coupe, with 106bhp from a standard 1.6 litre engine. As funds became available with a new job I started modifying it, and eventually replaced the engine with the amazing Honda DOHC VTEC engine. This, tuned, gave the car 170bhp still from a 1.6 litre. The conversion was finished at the end of January 2006, unfortunately in February 2006 I was involved in a serious car crash and the car was a total loss. Fortunately the third party admitted liability and the insurance was sorted out fairly quickly, although I did not get back anywhere near the amount that I invested in the car.
Nissan Skyline
Nearly a whole year after the accident I purchased my second car, this time going for fast from the start rather than trying to make a slow car faster. It had to be Japanese and it had to have a turbo so my first with a turbo car is... a Nissan Skyline R33 GTR 2.6 litre twin turbo (well, if your going to do something, you may as well do it properly!)
The Rest
I don't watch much TV, but when I do its programs like Scrap Heap Challenge/Junkyard Wars, Simpson's, Stargate SG1 & Atlantis, Red Dwarf, and loads of other sci-fi/comedy programs. I don't go to the cinema often, I prefer to get the DVD, I have a huge collection. I like a wide variety of films including Action/Adventure (Indiana Jones, Lara Croft Tomb Raider and The Mummy Series), Gothicy films (Underworld, Van Helsing, Stigmata, Blade and lots of other vampire films), Teen films (American Pie, Scary Movie...), Hong Kong Martial arts (The Hitman, Warriors of Zu, Ninja in Dragons Den), Any Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jackie Chan film.
I have a sarcastic and dry sense of humour which some people either don't get or don't like, but I laugh at a lot more than this. Some comedians I like are Jack Dee and Jasper Carrot, also Simpson's and Austin Powers, and particularly i like the slapstick style of Jackie Chan. I also like the gross-out American Pie and Scary Movie style of humour.
About lonewolf-online
My first website was hosted by a company that offered free web hosting without adverts, ties or contracts. 100mb of web space and unlimited bandwidth. It was mainly a collection of University notes and a few useful tools for the course I was on, and was visited by students mainly. They host went bankrupt for some reason, and my site disappeared never to be seen again.
My second website was a lot more general interest, and was the basis for this site. By this time I had a car and I used it to share photos with friends and family as well as club members. Unfortunately the hosting company was a bit unscrupulous. They start offering you a good package, 500mb with a top banner advert, email accounts, unlimited bandwidth. Then after a few months they reduce your space to 250mb, limit the bandwidth. A few months later no email and even less space and they require you to put more adverts in your page, so I left.
After a few months looking for a good free host that matched my needs, I decided to go paid hosting and I bought the domain lonewolf-online.net. I created the site primarily to show my photos with friends and family around the world, and as I became more involved in car clubs, astronomy clubs and other forums it became a place to share more images. I started to create how-to documents, and write-ups and it developed, and continues to develop, into what you see here today.
