An interview with WAS.

[Timmee]

Allright, lets get down to asking questions. There's nothing wrong with asking a few questions, right?

1: How old are you?

2: When did you graduate from High School?

3: When did you graduate from College?

4: How long did it take for you to develop the TurboRev (concept to Version 1)?

5: How can an algorithm and adjusting the torque and speed guarantee that there won't be significant gaps in the feed stack?


I am not attacking you, your claims, or the TurboRev. I am in fact asking some questions so I can better understand this entire controversy. I eagerly await your response.

[magking1971]

But when you get right down to it a rev, "turbo"rev , or whatever some company calls it, it still just "mix's" the paint around the hopper untill said paint falls in a hole.
I don't care what fancy programs,paddles,or speed a revo has the paint still flops around in the hopper untill it just happens to fall in the hole!
With all the fancy stuff this "turbo"rev has, why don't someone put this tecno stuff in a blender that can make me a dang fine drink!

[Restola]

I think you might be surprised at just how innovative someone can be

I am certain no one will be surprised at your "innovativeness." Well the fact that you can say absolutely nothing in a huge post is nice, but certainly not innovative.

I could care less what this guy sells (except to know enough not to buy it), I just want the answers on his alleged education.

[WickedAirSportz]

I didn't avoid anything, I merely did not respond. There is a difference.

Yes, I have been working professionally (which means getting paid) since I was 11 years old. I was a special child, often made fun of for not playing sports and such, and spending time doing R & D with computers and electronics. By the time I was 14, I worked for Apple Computer, and developed much of the educational software for schools. By the time I was 18, I was the technical support supervisor for Commodore Computer, Inc. By 1985, I had developed more than 60 commercial programs for the Commodore 64 and PC. I have written software for Disney Studios, Amblin Entertainment (including movie credits - pretty cool), and even helped out NASA write the code for the original Mars lander that had legs instead of wheels. ... and on and on and on, with hundreds of details left out in between that stuff... Hardware and software development has been my entire life for the last 26+ years now. Doogie Howser, I am not... But I have created numerous "firsts" in the computer and electronics industries. Technology is what I do.

If I were to send concrete evidence of all of this to your door, what would you say... probably something like, 'oh'. End of story, right? Then what? I am use to this type of treatment though. In the computer industry, I have created things that everyone said were physically impossible, got called all kinds of names, and I use to let it bother me. Now, I find these forums more as a source of entertainment - kind of like a really bad sitcom.

I won't post anymore in this forum, so responses will not be left by me here.

[than205]

I miss the Amiga......

[Restola]

Please go look at the TurboRev thread, and let's start there. I think you might be surprised at just how innovative someone can be.

WARNING: If you go to that thread, expect NOTHING but more NOTHING. He says nothing and proves nothing.

HOWEVER: Some quick searching did turn up some references to a Jim Drew at Apple computer, and even another online interview where some of the things he said in his last post are also printed.

Doesn't guarentee anything, but at least SOME of his story can be referenced SOMEWHERE, even if its just a third party website.

[Timmee]

Are you going to answer my questions? This is an interview thread.

[Butterfingers]

Not physycally impossible, just not living up to the hype you put behind it.

That is quite an impressive resume. I have no reason to doubt it. In fact I find it to be quite belivable.

Some of us don't beleive your claims... but have you ever bothered to find out the reason why?

The point is not to get used to people doubting you, it is to understand why...

Which I think is the root of all this controversey...

The more I think about it the more I think this was sparked by a conflict in personality. I think you just have a weird way of rubbing some people the wrong way. Everytime I read one of your posts I sense a little bit of arrogance and that does not sit well with anybody.

[xmetal2001]

Wow, this is hilarious. He simply cannot answer the questions...

I've never seen anybody avoid such simple questions in so many words.

Members here are asking for a simple explanation of something you said, to clear things up, and in your many posts, you still haven't answered a question.(Except now I know lots about your childhood, still nothing about highschool and college though )

Its sad that you can't back up your answers to your interview.

[davidb]

We'd be especially interested to hear more about your 3 degrees and simultaneous HS/College graduation at the age of 18, and what exactly you were doing in the field of electronics in the fourth grade.

My brother (19, currently top in his class in naval nuclear school) took apart and repaired a thoroughly broken radio when he was about eight years old, but does not claim to have 11 years of experience. Now, while I cannot claim to know beyond any doubt that you were not soldering and programming while your classmates were learning their times tables, it would probably suit you better even in that unlikely scenario to say something like, "I have been in the industry for "10" years, and have done it as a hobby since I was very young."

(Just noticed and read new "Proof is fine" thread)

Truth is, you haven't proven anything. You've made plenty of claims, sure, and some truth even managed to sneak by. But some of those claims were either misleading, grossly exaggerated, or just plain false. When Miscue and Butterfingers demonstrated this for other people to see, the thread/threat was mysteriously deleted.

Now, maybe you honestly think that you haven't told any lies. Maybe it's even possible that you haven't. After all, I could truthfully tell you that I became a medical transcriptionist at 15, and a published author at 17, or that I got I higher score on the STAR test (California residents should be familiar with it) than was thought to be possible. Whether or not I point out that I didn't start transcribing for doctors besides my father until I was nearly 17, or that the publisher was a local newspaper that requested I do an article, or that my score was only thought to be impossible by the teachers at my school, and not those who created the test, is my prerogative. Likewise, it is your decision whether or not you tell us that you have a far more broad view of "artificial intelligence" or what constitutes the ability of a machine to "learn".

The reference to the moon landing, however, is just making people laugh.

[WickedAirSportz]

Crap,

These were legit questions, so I will answer these and leave it at that..

1: How old are you?

37

2: When did you graduate from High School?

1983 - Klamath Union High School, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

3: When did you graduate from College?

1983 - Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

4: How long did it take for you to develop the TurboRev (concept to Version 1)?

Probably about 20 minutes. The first version used a 555 timer in self retriggering mode where if the eye saw a break in the beam it would retrigger the timeout period. This kept the motor running for about 1/2 second after the last ball passed by. This would be basically equiv. to how the Intellifeed works, spinning for a set duration after an event occurs (trigger pull with the Intellifeed, ball dropping in this case). That actually worked better in tests than the stock Revolution board because the motor was spinning a lot. I was using a single 9v battery for this with the 4 blade impeller. A second 555 (later becoming a 556 package) was used to timeout when the motor was spinning for two full seconds without the eye retriggering the sequence. This allowed the motor to be shutoff when you were out of paint.

My 12v Revolution was the older style that did not have the PIC micro on it (the stock Revolution uses the same PIC we do and could easily be programmed to be exactly the same as the TurboRev), and I did not know that Viewload even had a computer contolled one until I ordered another hopper to experiment with. I then started looking into the PIC micro family of CPUs. I had little experience with embedded controllers, although a CPU is just a CPU. I spent most of my development period working in assembly language for 6502, Z80, 8080, 80x86, 680x0, and PowerPC. I did do a little work with Apple's 68HC11 used for thier ADB bus emulation, so I had an idea of the limitations surrounding a smaller CPU.

After a bit of playing around, I got the software for the 12C509 working. About 550 bytes (not words as some people like to put it - even Microchip). In the today's naming conventions, BYTES represent the smallest base of operation. Since the PICs have a 12 bit instruction set as their base, it is technically improper to address their orientation as words. This would refer to an 6 bit base, which they are not. The code space is 512 12-bit instructions, which fit fine in the 12C509 CPU, having 1K of code space. The challenge was to shrink it into the smaller (less expensive) package without comprimising performance or features. This task took about 3 months, and I am quite proud of being able to do that. There is space for 3 more 3 instructions too.

5: How can an algorithm and adjusting the torque and speed guarantee that there won't be significant gaps in the feed stack?

You can't guarantee anything. You can only make changes that "appear" to be working. Want to really mess with the TurboRev's logic, throw in two different sizes of balls. There is a huge difference in the amount of drag going down the feed tube with larger balls. Do a quick test yourself with any aggitated or gravity feed (VL200) hopper - drop test a hopper with Hellfire and a hopper with TC Venom. You'll see several SECONDS difference, which is quite a lot.

Anyways, if people would like to chat about the TurboRev technology, I am willing to do so in a civilized and informative manner. If you want to moan about tactics for sales using buzz words and glamor, then your words will fall on deaf ears.

[Cristobal]

Originally posted by WickedAirSportz
Yes, I have been working professionally (which means getting paid) since I was 11 years old. I was a special child, often made fun of for not playing sports and such, and spending time doing R & D with computers and electronics. By the time I was 14, I worked for Apple Computer, and developed much of the educational software for schools. By the time I was 18, I was the technical support supervisor for Commodore Computer, Inc. By 1985, I had developed more than 60 commercial programs for the Commodore 64 and PC. I have written software for Disney Studios, Amblin Entertainment (including movie credits - pretty cool), and even helped out NASA write the code for the original Mars lander that had legs instead of wheels. ... and on and on and on, with hundreds of details left out in between that stuff... Hardware and software development has been my entire life for the last 26+ years now. Doogie Howser, I am not... But I have created numerous "firsts" in the computer and electronics industries. Technology is what I do.

WOW -- I'm am more than suitably impressed. And if you want an appology for any percieved attack on my part about your background I'm happy to oblige. I don't think you need to send all the proof to my door. What you have posted seems a good enough explanation of how you graduated from high school and got three degrees at the same time.

Nor do I think that this post will get many people upset with you. My impressing is that most people here have a hard time seeing the diffence between straight bs and the "smoke and mirrors" that you have said you employ. This post contains straigh-up info, which in my experience is what people on AO like.

The unfortunate thing is that people get upset with the percieved deception that results from a smoke-and-mirrors game. And that leads to attatcks of a more personall nature. And that gets people upset...

I'm sorry if you feel poorly used by this forum, and I would further encourage you not to up and leave entirely. However stick around and get along I'm afraid the "smoke and mirrors" are probably going to have to be replaced with a more straight-forward approach.

EDIT: If we can get over such tactics, and if "Technolgoy is what [you] do" then I would be most excited to see what new things result for paintball. Oh, and by the way: what are some of your firsts you mention in passing above?

[Restola]

If you want to moan about tactics for sales using buzz words and glamor, then your words will fall on deaf ears.

...as will your buzz words and glamor

[WickedAirSportz]

I do understand that the gang on AO are special breed of people. I think many of you do not operate a business that is based on how something looks/feels. The paintball industry is one of those industries. If you don't have the red annoed, super-glare resistant, nuclear powered, "hype" then you don't sell products. I can understand your frustration with products that do not peform as stated. My products do not fall into this category, but I do have all of the advertising "hype". What people are contesting are certain features, and whether they exist or need to exist. Everyone's immediate reaction is big bold text saying "Prove It!" Instead of saying, "hey, why do you think it is necessary to fix this problem - I don't feel that problem exists", I get the big Mickey Mouse scaring the hell out of the poor little kid, with the words "you've been owned" (btw, I found that especially funny). Not really productive for finding out info.

I often times don't like to discuss something that I feel could be considered a technology secret, and it is in these cases that I avoid answering questions like the plague and I won't say why. Other questions I refuse to answer are those that are just plain dumb. I refuse to have a battle of the whits with an unarmed person.

I think there are a few guys here that are very brilliant (Tom is definitely one of them, although I am still not sticking any body part into a LVL10 mag).

I don't hide from issues, or disguise things. My first comment about the LVL10 mod could have been deleted (I still could delete it), but I left it there so that people could see the fact that my findings were initially wrong, and that I learned quite a bit about the LVL10 design by watching the animated GIF.

Hype vs features. That's always going to be a tough one I guess for you guys. My definition of hype is when you successfully market a product based on its features. The definition of hype I hear in this forum is successfully marketting a product through lies.

...as will your buzz words and glamor

LOL! Fair enough.

[WickedAirSportz]

Ack, sorry - left out the firsts for you.

First hardware based disk copier. Versions of the Apple ][/+, Commodore 64, Amiga, and PC.

First full color Macintosh emulation. Versions for the Amiga and PC.

First Pentium emulation. Versions for the Amiga and PowerMac.

First PowerPC emulation. Version for the Amiga, and a version in the completion stages for the PC.

There are other little "firsts" for each different types of home computers as well, but nothing that sticks out still to date.