In Grade 2 the teacher had everyone write an essay on what they wanted to be when they grew up. There was the usual mother, nurse, teacher, sports star, business man and politician.
I wanted to be a Mad Scientist.
There was 2 parts to this ambition. For Christmas I had received a slot car racing set. I was completely in love and desperately wanted to be able to get into these cars . Of course even at age 7 I was too big.
The second part was that I had watched a Twilight Zone episode about a Mad Scientist. He created a shrink ray and tiny people were running around his back yard being chased by enormous insects.
So to my 7 year old mind the obvious solution was to become a Mad Scientist so I could create a shrink ray. It might take a while but one day I would realize my childhood dream
I was a very curious kid. I used to drive my parents crazy as I would play with a new toy for a while. But eventually I would take the toy apart to figure out how it worked.
Solving the mystery of how things worked was always more interesting to me than just playing.
When I got my driver’s license I bought myself a $300 beater, a set of tolls and some manuals. I taught myself auto mechanics by taking stuff apart on my car and putting it back together again. I learned everything from engine rebuilding to body work.
I would spend days at the local library reading everything about cars. The history of cars, car design and theory.
I was like this with all mu hobbies and interests. When I became interested in astronomy I learned how to make my own telescope. When I wanted to take pictures of the stars and planets, I learned all about photography. I set up a darkroom in the laundry room at home. I also spent many hours in the library reading everything I could find on photography.
When commuters came along I again dove into this subject with my usual intensity. The first home computers came as a box of components. I had to actually solder the components to the circuit boards to build the computer. And of course I taught myself how to program.
As computer gaming developed I treated the games like all my other toys. I was more interested in how the games worked rather than just playing the games. Modding games was always more fun for me.
Retuner is my first publicly released mod. All my other game mods were for my own amusement and education.
So it has taken a few decades to realize my childhood dream. I had to wait for computers to be invented, computer games to evolve, and VR to arrive. Now I can put on my VR headset and actually sit in the driver’s seat. With Retuner I am also driving cars that I have modified myself.
So never give up on your childhood dreams.
Lorne
Mad Scientist