About
This article provides a short description about who I am, the philosophy behind this website, and some of my other random interests.
"Talking about yourself is difficult because it's like, 'Am I even that interesting?' and it seems like you are full of yourself or something." - Me to my wife the other day
Who Am I?
This is Supposed to be a Bio
Here's how I look on an original Gameboy screen.
Hey there, I'm Ralph Blanchard. As mentioned on the homepage, this website serves as a hub to organize and archive information about my work, reflect on it, and chronicle my current projects—all in one place to share with anyone curious, including my friends and family (and visitors from space).
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
Back in 2005, I could explore a website like this to learn about some woman's cats. Nowadays, I feel like I never get to really know the cat, you know?
My Love for the Old Web
I don't think it's a stretch to say that the majority of 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 material 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 stumbling upon unique sites adorned with images from beloved TV shows or bands, personal blogs featuring 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 nearly everything back then—including my middle school WWF Yahoo website dedicated to The Rock (sadly it isn't archived on the Wayback Machine). Sure, the designs were wild, midi music unexpectedly played, and gifs were everywhere, but it was about individuals crafting something personal to share. The point is, the internet used to be fun.
I love Star Trek, so it's really cool to come across an wel designed old website like this one that catalogs many of the tie-in books released for the series.
When I discovered Neocities in 2020, I was blown away by the fact that people were building unique websites from scratch again, just like in the good old days. And man, they were back at it with the GIFs and wacky designs too! After browsing some cool sites, Casey and I began to wonder if we had finally found the perfect way to showcase our film collaborations as part of Cat Cat Productions. Previously, our projects were only semi-represented on outdated websites and social media platforms we barely used. Neocities felt like the perfect fit, especially given our love and nostalgia for that style—it just seemed the most us.
So, after a short period of reacquainting myself with HTML, I set out to handcraft a website. I spent HOURS uniquely creating pages to showcase every one of our projects. I was a bit rusty, so sometimes it took multiple tries over weeks or even months to get certain things formatted just right. With Casey's help, who handled most of the main movie write-ups, by October 2020, the majority of the website was up and running.
This project, while time-consuming, reignited my passion for coding and reminded me of the freedom to be creative with website making—something I had forgotten I loved since discovering coding back in my youth.
Afterward, I found myself contemplating the creation of a portfolio website for myself, unsure of where to begin or whether Neocities would be the right platform for showcasing my professional work. It occurred to me that taking a conventional approach would likely lead to something mundane. However, if I were to embrace Neocities, what would it look like, and would it be too wacky and ultimately unprofessional?
Convince me that this isn't one of the best things you have ever seen.
During a chat with Casey, rehashing an often-discussed topic—how the current internet sucks—his insights into his own website creation sparked an idea: maybe I, too, would incorporate the simplicity and accessibility of wikis as a means of showcasing my work. I could craft a 'Digital Record' that was navigable to some extent like a wiki, but also had space for my personal musings. Plus, since this was my website, its appearance shouldn’t matter—if anything, it should reflect my personality, right?
Back in the late '90s and early 2000s, there was a massive surge in UFO and alien-themed media, fueled by shows like The X-Files and a general fascination with extraterrestrial life. Many sites jumped on this trend, and I’ve always loved that quirky aspect of the old web. I find extraterrestrial stuff just plain fun anyway—I watch media and read books about it, and all that good shit. So if I wanted to draw inspiration from the old web and scatter UFOs everywhere, why not?
Other Interests
I plan to write an article later where I can deep dive into these interests for fun and sort of keep it separate on its own page. For now, I'll categorize them into the following current interests that go beyond what you see on this website.
Vintage Technology and Media
I have a passion for vintage technology and media (photos coming soon). I own two vintage TVs, including a small portable black-and-white Unisonic XL-900B model from the '80s and a Samsung CT-334KA (both purchased as props for my films). Currently, I'm digitizing my family's old home movies on VHS and Hi8 whenever I find the time. I enjoy watching VHS tapes and also own a Betamax machine with a few classic movies. I have this idea of making a slasher film shot completely on VHS, inspired by the shot-on-tape trends that started in the '80s. I have an idea cooking, and I mean, my old Panasonic VHS-C camera is just sitting there collecting dust at the moment...
Retro Gaming and Collecting
Isn't it cool that people are creating modifications (hacks) for old N64 games? This is Mario Kart 64 Amped Up, which introduces new tracks and gameplay modes!
I also enjoy retro gaming and collecting. Occasionally, I still play games on my N64 (my favorite gaming system) and collect games for it, although 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 original hardware using a Flashcart and an upscaler for my newer TV. The Playstation 2, Gameboy, and Nintendo DS are also among my favorite systems. I have a small collection of games for each that I've kept from my childhood, but I'm not actively seeking to expand it.
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 (most stuffed in a binder), 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 in the future.
When I'm not watching movies, I'm watching Star Trek and feeding hard kombucha to Cardassians.
Movie Watching
I guess it's no surprise, considering everything stated here already, but I make a point to watch a hefty number of movies each year. In the past, I've challenged myself to go beyond the usual fare—for instance, one year I watched 52 foreign films, and another year I focused on 52 films directed by women. If I had to guess, I probably clock more movie hours annually than TV show episodes. It's probably more unusual now, given what has been referred to as the 'golden age' of TV. Movies are my jam—I enjoy studying them and drawing inspiration for my own work. I think it'd be fun to keep an ongoing list each year of everything I've watched. I'll add a link to that here when I get around to making it!
Literature
I'm definitely someone who focuses more on media consumption than reading, but I still make a point to read some books each year. I usually enjoy fiction, and unsurprisingly, books about movies or books written by people in the film industry. 'On Writing' by Stephen King is tangentially related and was amazing. Lately, I've also been getting into books about finances. 'I Will Teach You to Be Rich' by Ramit Sethi has been a game changer for me this year!
Fitness and Sports
The best team to never win a championship...the 2002 Sacramento Kings :(
I've never been very athletic, but I grew up watching and occasionally attempting to play basketball (I was awful). I'm a devoted fan of the NBA team, the Sacramento Kings, and semi-regularly shoot hoops and play horse with my friend Ryan. I also have a strong passion for the Costa Rican national soccer team and cheer for them during every Gold Cup and World Cup. Apart from major soccer tournaments, I don't follow the sport closely, but I love supporting my TICOS! My true passion lies in weightlifting, and I'm currently working on getting back into a regular gym routine after facing some setbacks this year.
More to come soon!
