About
This article provides a sparse description about who I am, the philosophy behind this website, and some of my other random interest.
"Talking about yourself is difficult because it's like, 'Am I even that interesting?' and it seems like a humble brag or something."
- Me to my wife the other day
Who am I?
This is supposed to be a bio
What I look like on an original Gameboy screen. I guess I look better with more pixels.
Hey there, I'm Ralph Blanchard. Like I mentioned on the homepage, this website is essentially a place to begin organizing information about my work, providing more context around it, and also to chronicle what I've been up to lately—all in one place to share with anyone curious, including my friends and family.
Instead of writing some generic bio here, I think you'll get a much better sense of who I am by checking out the other pages on this site.
The Look of this Website
My love for the old web
An example of a website you might find back in the day promoting an author/photographer. Nick Richardson, what are you up to these days?
Many modern websites lack personality. It's tedious scrolling through sites that seemingly just want to push you toward their social media posts instead of offering an engaging online experience with interesting content to read and explore. Looking back at the homepages created in the 90s and 00s on platforms like Geocities, the contrast is stark. I miss coming across unique sites adorned with images from beloved TV shows or bands, personal blogs with original short stories or poetry, enthusiast sites dedicated to vintage cars or classic movies, and family photo albums from cross-country road trips. I mean, seriously, there was a handcrafted website for almost everything back then (including my middle school WWF yahoo website that also had random audio clips of farts). The internet used to be fun to explore. Sure, the designs were wild, midi music inexpectedly played, and gifs were everywhere, but it was about individuals crafting something personal to share.
When I discovered Neocities in 2020, I was inspired by how people were crafting unique websites from scratch again in order to express themselves freely. And man, they were back at it with the gifs and wacky designs too! It motivated me to create a dedicated website for showcasing the film collaborations between myself and Casey Poma at Cat Cat Productions. Previously, our projects had only been semi-represented on websites we didn't update and on social media platforms we barely used. Creating that site reignited my passion for coding and nostalgia for the old web.
I love Star Trek, so it's really cool to come across an old website like this one that catalogs many of the tie-in books released for the series.
Since then, I had considered creating a portfolio website. After talking to Casey about how clean and navigable wikis are, I was inspired to create a website that, while more personal than a wiki in my opinion, still captures some of that fun endless exploration and combines it with the personality and creativity that I've missed from the early internet.
Other Interests
I plan to write an article later where I can dive deeper into these interests. For now, I'll categorize them into three current interests that go beyond what you see on this website.
Retro Technology and Media
I have a passion for retro technology and media. I own two vintage TVs, including a small portable black and white Unisonic model. Currently, I'm digitizing my family's old home movies on Hi8 whenever I find the time. I enjoy watching VHS tapes and own a Betamax machine with a few classic movies.
Retro Gaming and Collecting
Isn't it cool that people like Litronom are creating modifications (hacks) for old N64 games? This is Mario Kart 64 Amped Up, which introduces new tracks and gameplay modes!
I also like retro gaming and collecting. Occasionally, I still play games on my N64 and collect games for it, though finding affordable ones has become challenging due to the recent surge in retro gaming popularity. I'm particularly interested in playing homebrew N64 games and hacks on OG hardware using an upscaler for my newer TV. The PS2 and Nintendo DS are my other favorites.
Physical Media
In addition to my retro tech and gaming hobbies, I maintain a significant collection of physical media. I own quite a few DVDs (no original cases sadly anymore), and some Blu-rays. While I stream a lot of stuff, I'm one of those paranoid people who prefers to keep physical copies of certain favorites in case they become unavailable or hard to find on streaming platforms.
