My name is Richard Piotter and I was 19 years old when I first wrote this in 1998. I'm 31 now, in 2010. I like to design, build, and fix robots, electronics, computers, and stuff like that. I like to program TI Graphing calculators and computers. I like building models, especialy buildings for a model railroad that I have (I spend so much time making the buildings (cause I like it so much) that I don't even have the track and layout done)! I also like to work with metal and wood (I don't have all the tools to do everything, but when it comes down to the basic hammer, saw, and wood, I can build just about anthing. I also like to let people know about the things I do so that they can also try it, and that's why I learned HTML and created this web page.
I Graduated from Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School (Great School!!!) and I attended Minnesota West, a near by college in Jackson, to study Electronics Technology.
Other Interests are video games (I like Zelda, Mario, Blast Corps, GoldenEye 007, Duke Nukem, Various Racing games, MarioKart, Quest 64, various RPGs, MedEvil, and Space RPGs (like Escape Velocity). More recently, Fallout, Shadow of the Colossus, Elder Scrolls, Okami, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Skies of Arcadia, Chrono Trigger, Eternal Darkness, and Katamari Damacy, and it's various sequels.
I also like most sciences in general, but Electronics and Biology are some of my favorites, Physics and Chemistry interest me, but I'm not all that great with formulas. Considering that Biology and electronics are some of my highest ranking scientific interests, biomech based robotics seemed the best hobby! I love building robots, and using neural networks instead of microprocessors can be satisfying! That's why BEAM robotics interests me so much! BEAM has a zillion definitions, but the popular one seems to be Biology, Electronics, Asthetics, and Mechanics. The Biology is where many ideas come from. Electronics and Mechanics are obvious. Asthetics are "looks" and I can say that I've seen some robots that just plain look cool! A robot that's just too cool may be inefficient and useless, but can sometimes still be deemed worthy of not salvaging just cause you know you won't ever get that look again. MECI IV M realy ought to have a whole new PCB, but that one looks cool! I can just cut a few traces on the PCB and solder wires to addon boards. That'll still keep the look, which of course has elements of a robot that has long passed. Even the name sounded cool. It was named for the cool looking MECI motors, of which there were IV (4) M (Motors) used. If you look, there is nothing from MECI except for 4 capacitors! The MECI motors are long gone, but the COOL name remains. I'm a sucker for a cool look or name for a robot. I have 2 robots that simply don't work whatsoever, yet they are still in one piece (Well, the solarbotics photopopper is just sagging on the ground, but the other one is definitely dead).
I'm a devout Mac and N64 user. I have no grudge against PCs or Playstation, but I do prefer my systems over those. My Apple Power Macintosh G3 runs at a clock speed of 400 MHz (now upgraded to 900 MHz) and I can get Playstation games to perform better on my Mac than they do on the real console! Inside the Assylum, in MedEvil, without slowdown! That's a challenge without the Magic Sword or Enchanting your large sword! I even subscribe to MacWorld for the articles (Yeah right, you realy get it for the big colroful pictures of iMacs and G3 Towers! Mwahahaha)! I now also have a Gamecube and PS2. Since this time, I've upgraded to a PowerMac G5 (dual 1.8 GHz, 4 GB ram, 11 TB of hard drive space... Yes, 11 TERABYTES). I frequently record video on it and save it. Like the world's most awesome TiVo. I've Since gotten a Dreamcast, Saturn, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, and Xbox 360. I have a strong PS3 preference.
I used to watch Sliders, Quantum Leap, Sea Quest, Star Trek(s), Simpsons, Futurama, King of the Hill, and I like the Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel for some of their more interesting programing ( Shows like "Robots Rising", and technology, biology, history, and other such shows are interesting to me). Now my current shows are more or less, whatever anime is playing. I also watch Stargate, Smallvile, Enterprise, Junkyard Wars, Mythbusters, American Chopper, Monster House, Modern Marvels, Pawn Stars, American Pickers, etc, and I still watch Simpsons and King of the Hill... I stay away from anything related to reality shows or gameshows... I rarely watch sitcoms. No time for them, well except for The Big Bang Theory. That show is worth watching. I've allowed myself to watch Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers... Don't know why. I guess watching people work can be entertaining.
As for music, I like all sorts of stuff. In general, I like Natalie Imbruglia, DJ Gigi D'Agostino, Ayumi Hamasaki, Anime and video game sound tracks, Barenaked Ladies, Savage Garden (a few songs), Bryan Adams (a few songs), Chumbawamba (a few songs), AC/DC, Metalica, ABBA, various 70's music, lot's of 80's music, lot's of 90's music. I like most styles from pop, to rock, to some metal and rap (some). I go for trance and dance, techno and... Hmm. I like too much music to classify. I don't usually listen to too much country, but I like it well enough. Garth Brooks, Josh Turner, George Michael Montgomery, Shania Twain, Alan Jackson... I can only name a few country singers. I don't know enough about country though to go into a long list of names, but I do like some of it. My music collection honestly reaches 12 days of music long. Anyway, I just like what I like! So There! ( :
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