Hobbies - Tech

2001

Early this year, I decided to exercise my javascript and DHTML skills by creating a javascript toolkit for animations. It had to be flexible and reusable for any kind of animations. The result of this hard labor is the aniMagiX javascript code that makes the little geckos wander around this page; just add the next four lines to a web page, and these 5 cute geckos will be there:

<!-aniMagiX code by x.singy, xavier@singyfamily.com, http://www.singyfamily.com -->
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.singyfamily.com/Hob/tech/aniMagiX/aniMagiX.css">
<script src=http://www.singyfamily.com/Hob/tech/aniMagiX/gecko/geckos.js></script>
<script src=http://www.singyfamily.com/Hob/tech/aniMagiX/aniMagiX.js></script>

This code is not just about geckos. In fact, it's a framework for anyone who wants to add life to a web page. It shouldn't be too hard for someone else to use the aniMagiX code to create their own living creatures! If you are interested in creating your own, please check the aniMagiX how to.. page.

Here are a few other examples of animations:

2000

I made my first developments on Palm Pilot! Using Code Warrior Light, some C / C++, and lots of patience (this is new languages and new object model). Currently waiting for the developer's licence to be allowed to use the PALM OS for debugging. I will make a Palm page when I will have made some useful programs...

Sold my Nikon Coolpix 900s, and bought a Coolpix 990! 3.3 MegaPixels, amazing colors! I just love it.

You can also have a look my home desk, as it was the 6th of July 2000.

Since we moved to the US in October, I have now got a new computer desk, with more room!

We started doing some Webcam with our parents in Europe, using Netmeeting. We connect on the ils.council.net free access directory server, that I found here: http://www.netmeet.net/bestservers.asp. Stéphanie loves it.

In October, I discovered Sonique's skin archive organic category with delight, but I thought it was certainly possible to do something more organic, I mean real organic. We had just received some nice decorating pumpkin from our neighbourghs, and I decided that it would be the right material for my first real organic skin. In 10 days (or rather evenings), I made the first Sonique skin of my own, using pictures of the pumpkin we just received. Here's ...

Pumpkin Real Organic

(download it or find it at www.skinz.org).

1999

What a great year! I got lots of new stuff to play with:

my first Digital Camera, a Nikon Coolpix 900s, refurbished

a flat screen monitor! I can now spend hours on the screen without getting any headache...
a Palm Pilot III - it was time to get mobile, I was starting to miss meetings.

I also played a lot with DHTML. My goal was to do something totally unuseful, and new! You can see it happen on your screen right now, it is called "foundance" (source code):

This artistic expression of the meaning of life can be placed on any web page, just by adding two javascript tags!

Click here to start foundance

1998

Wrote my first Java applets.

If you want, you can also have a look at my favorites in 1998

1997

This is when I got serious on HTML, javascript, and Lotus Notes (Domino). For work, yes, but for fun, even more!

1996

As I couldn't live from my music, I started to live from a former passion: computing. Once again, work melted with hobbies. I learned Internet basics that year; as I moved in with my future wife Stéphanie Canetta in June, and had my own computer at home, it became really serious! (or worse, depends how you see this)

Anyway, I couldn't give it up on music like that! I bought the great "Cubase" music program from Steinberg, that turned my computer into a small Home Studio.

1995

October 1995 is the month of my first steps on the web. I had a shock when I heard that students of my former high school were doing a newspaper in collaboration with other highscools on the Internet.

On What?

Well, I was getting late. I bought a modem, and started browsing!

1994

Back to using computers seriously! As I was starting my own entertainment company (BMSW Entertainment) with friends (see Work section), I needed some efficient material to create good advertising posters. At that time, Mac was the only choice to share stuff with publishing companies. That's how I got a Power MacIntosh 6100/66 to do desktop publishing, and made my first experiences on Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

1988

Spending a lot of time programming my PC XT (half sponsorized by my father again!), I did a great program to transfer sound programs between my PC and my FM synthetiser ELKA EK-44, and then save the data on my PC. I also explored some 3D rendering with polygons. Tried some animations, but the PC was dam' slow. Some animations I made were recorded by a super-8 camera!

It was so much programming that at the end, I decided to take a break, and concentrate more on artistic stuff.. music. Therefore, the PC became a MIDI music sequencer (I used an early version of Cakewalk), synchronized with my 8 track Fostex recorder.

1984

My first computer was a Sinclair ZX Spectrum (check that page full of links)that my father bought for my brother and I. It was colorfull and I had great time doing drawings or typing code to get basic games to play with my brother. Our favorite games were the very famous "Manic Miner" (can't forget the music the game played)

Knight Lore, Sabre Wulf, Alien 80

Atic Atac

and a pioneer 3D game: "Ant Attack". Not bad for an 8bits machine!