Getting to know you: Axe

The Axeman cometh....



Let's get to know Axe!!!


1. Tell us about your employment situation or area of study in school.

2. Tell us about your education (formal or otherwise).

3. What's your favorite meal or restaurant?

4. Age (if you dare or care to answer)?

5. What, if any, are your plans for your future?

6. Tell us about where you live.

7. What/When/How/Why did you become a webmaster, or why do you want to become a webmaster?

8. Tell us about your first kiss.

9. Tell us about your best quality (real or imagined).

10. Who is your hero?




Please take your time, you've got a whole week to answer.

Oh god, whaddya mean "The Axeman cometh"? You've not even exhausted the list of moderators yet

1. I'm primarily a freelance website designer & developer, and have been for a few years now. I simply can't handle a 9-5, and as long as I meet my deadlines, and get paid, freelance works for me I've basically been sat in front of a computer since acquiring my first in 1984 (Christmas present from the parents). My first interaction with HTML was on some cover disk on a PC magazine back in about '92. I just figured back then it was a neat way to organize some of my own personal reference information, and started to get to grips with it pretty quickly.

2. Long story short, after leaving high school, I went to college to do a 2 year course, and ended up getting the whole lot done durin the first year. After that I decided to work for a year, during which time I had a VERY nasty motorbike crash (which was the fault of the car driver who hit me) and ended up in bed for 9 months. After that, I got a new bike, and started a degree course at university. After another 12 months, my confidence in the British educational system had failed. I was learning almost nothing that I didn't already know (although engineering & electronics was fun, heh. But as far as computers, the teachers were asking me for help more than I was asking them - which I wasn't, btw, heh).

Since then I moved to the US, and haven't really though much about going back into education.

3. My favourite meal is a Lamb Kangan at Terry's Balti House in Blackpool, England. If you're ever there, GO EAT ONE! Tell him John sent you.

Other than that, I like Domino's (the chain in the UK, that is. The one in the US makes "pretty good" pizzas, but the ones in the UK are outstanding, heh).

Over here in the US, Ponderosa Steak House on all-you-can-eat Sirloin nights

4. Currently 26 (Born in the "Year of the Snake" - which probably explains my addiction to reptiles).

5. Plans for the future... hmm.. Well, I'm gonna finish my cigarette & coffee, then probably have another coffee n' watch TV for a bit, answer a few posts on here and my site, maybe look for a Nikon 70-300 AF G Lens (if anybody here happens to have one for sale btw, please let me know, heh), watch TV a bit more, and then go to bed. Beyond that, I haven't really thought about it.

After the bike crash, plans kinda went out the window. Now I just play each day as it comes.

6. I grew up in England until I was almost 21. Then I came to the US for my 21st birthday, and after going back and spending a few more months in England, I came here again to stay. I started off in the Maryland/DC area for a coupla years, then moved down to Florida, and I've got to say, I much prefer Florida. While it does get cold here occasionally, I don't miss the snow up north

Winters are good in Florida, it's nice & cool. Spring, Summer & Fall is GREAT in Florida, lots of nice warm evenings to go out n' look for snakes, gators, etc.

7. It was just a natural progression really. I started off doing my own personal reference pages, as I mentioned above, and when friends came over they'd see that. I remember my first website cost me like UKP40 (about US$65 at the time) for a year's hosting - 1Meg of space, unlimited bandwidth (although, what kinda bandwidth can you actually use with only 1Meg of space to store your stuff?)

After that, a few people started taking notice of my site, and a few people I knew wanted to get on the web, and things took off from there. This was around '95 or '96.

8. I plead the fifth on the grounds that I might incriminate myself. I was a "bit of a lad" when I was younger, heh.

9. If I were to be completely honest, this is kind of a double edged sword, as my (at least what I feel) best quality is also my worst quality and that's my impulsiveness. At times, it's brought absolute wonders, and things have worked out great. I've had the time of my life (like when I came to the US for the first time for my 21st birthday - I bought my tickets like only a week in advance on the spur of the moment and loved it). Actually, my mother was in Canada at the time I bought my tickets to the US. When she got home and walked through the door, the first thing I said to her was to unpack her suitcases, I needed to borrow them, heh. Anyways, yes, my impulsiveness.. Sometimes it's damaged me more than I could have foreseen. So yeah, I feel that's my best quality, but also my worst at the same time.

10. I don't wanna sound like a "me too" guy, but my mother has always been one, as well as my Uncle, her brother (although he probably doesn't know that... in fact, nobody knows he is except you guys, heh). Oh, and "the Borg". Anybody who can compute that fast gets my respect

Know what I used to love most about Florida? (I did live in Ft Lauderdale once) -- the rainbows. I could see them a lot of mornings and those were the best...but almost everyday around 3 in the afternoon in the spring and summer after that predictable 15 minute rain, there was almost always a rainbow to look at. That's probably what I remember best about Florida -- other than my daughter was born there.

I'm wrestling with Lamb, Pizza, and steakhouse buffet....

I'm gonna pick this apart tomorrow. I've had a bad week and a worse evening.

A small shot of Blackberry Brandy will take care if that...!

And a large shot of good Vodka or Whiskey or Rum helps too!

Hope things start looking up soon dM

Well the week was bad. I was in constant motion. We're sending our VP of sales to London for a trade show this week coming, so I was back and forth to the printer (the business, not the injet in the other room) all week. Friday afternoon I realized one of the 3' x 4' posters had a huge mistake in it. This is why I hate working in print. Its going to cost me $60 to correct the problem, as it was my fault.

On friday night, we had to put our oldest dog down. It was depressing to say the least. Se was 15 and had a great, spoiled, life of luxury, as all dogs should.


Let me get back to Axe!

Random thoughts:

I wish I had the balls, or skill, to go freelance. I couldn't sell heat to naked people in Antarctica.

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Cigarettes and Coffee: there are two guilty pleasure which enhance each other. It's pretty much what I have for b'fast every morning. A pot and a pack for me!


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With all those reptiles, I imagine your choices are limited for climate in the US. Florida, hmmmm. I'm not sold on the place. hahahaha. The Ronald Reagan turnpike has got to be one of the worst experiences of my driving life.

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Just curious, are you making any money on your sites, or is your primary income from services?

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"bit of a lad"?

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The Borg, LOL.

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No brandy, vodka or rum for me. Jack and water is MY drink.

LMAO!!!


Me too, it's just one of those "perfect couples", like Peaches n' Cream, Micky n' Minnie, AMD & Linux


To some degree, yeah. I'd hate the heating bill for all these guys in some place like Alaska

Here in Florida it's great. All the diurnal lizards go outside during the day to soak up pure unfiltered sunlight, and with about a dozen 160Watt mercury vapour bulbs in the house, letting them play outside certainly cuts down the electric bill a lil.


To be honest, I'm not really making any money from ReptileRooms.com. However it has brought in money. There's been a few pay for advertising, and some of the members have donated. But, that site was never really intended to make money, and anything made from it goes back into it (hosting, scripts, ads on other sites, etc.). Most of my income comes from developing & hosting sites.





I used to be the same with the Jack, but it just hits me too hard too quickly these days, heh. I'm more of a vodka guy now.

i always thought you were older for some reason. nice answers. facinating stuff mate.

Ahhh see, I'm not as middle-aged as you thought

lol hey i never said that!