"So is this "dough" presentation the finished Version 4?

No, it's not.

"What the heck gives, man? Your site's been 'Under Construction' since AUGUST of 1999?!?"

Yes, it has.

"Why isn't it done yet?"

I have no idea. The fact that I haven't been able to work on it in two months might have something to do with it!

"What's it all about?"

As the title implies, "XDude's Knowledge Emporium - Version 4," when finished, will be the fourth version of my personal site. To make a very long story short, the site (when completed) will be about YOU. It'll show you things you didn't know about your own body, it'll tell you how to eat properly and will help you meditate. It'll tell you about past civilizations on Mars, about superweapons in Alaska, and about the grandfather of all electricity-based technological civilization.

Weird? Defintely. Interesting? You bet. USEFUL? Without a doubt.

For the record, here's the complete list of content to be included in "Version 4:"

  • Digital Art Galleries
  • Introduction to MIDI
  • Introduction to MP3
  • Wavetable Synthesis
  • Anagrams (interactive word puzzles)
  • Eyes in the Sky
  • Pyramids on Mars
  • "HAARP"
  • Reverse Speech
  • The Seven Chakras
  • How to Eat Properly
  • Words of Wisdom
  • Chinese Horoscopes
  • Mandalas
  • The Digital Dude's Portfolio
  • Flash Tricks, Tips and Tutorials

In addition, Version 4 will be presented in 3DSX™, the Surround Sound technology I've developed for the Web. And don't ask me how I did it, 'cause I ain't telling.

"Well, since I've read THIS far, you might as well tell me the whole story of your site."

In 1997, I started a simple home page with the intention of bringing some of my auditory knowledge online, beginning with illustrations on what "MIDI" and "WaveTable Synthesis" were. It expanded to include explanations of the new (at the time) MP3 format and to display computer-generated art from a number of the Web's more skilled digital artists. As most   things do, "The THX Digital Dude's Digitally Remastered Homepage" grew, including strange and wonderful things such as Reverse Speech and the Pyramids on Mars.

In August of 1998, I was employed on a contract basis by Oz New Media; this is when I was first introduced to Flash 3. As a kid, I was always enthralled by computer-based animation and wanted to make my own little movies; however, at the time, doing any sort of animation involved typing hundreds, even thousands, of lines of code into my Atari 400. It boggles my mind to think of how many characters I hunted and pecked for on that keyboard, all to be lost forever (since it had no "save" function).

Naturally, once I got my hands on Flash 3, my excitement couldn't be contained! I read the entire manual from cover to cover and that was all I needed to get started (with a little help from the folks at Oz). The last contract job I did for them was in October, and by November, I was beginning to pay my rent with my credit card. When December came around, I realized I'd better get my act together. Not wanting to go back to working in a hardware store or in a restaurant, I devoted that entire month to creating Version 2, otherwise known as the rather long-winded "THX Digital Dude's Digitally Remastered Knowledge Emporium." The site was a mixture of HTML, Flash, and some incredibly difficult programming, and was littered with sound effects and fast-paced full-screen Flash action.

With Version 2, the content of the site increased dramatically: How to Eat Properly, The Seven Chakras of the Human Body, Chinese Horoscopes, and a Words of Wisdom section. In addition, visitors could download WAV and MP3 files of various THX trailers.

My leap of faith with Version 2 ended up being the right choice, as the site impressed my to-be managers at Worldprofit (where I am still happily employed) enough to hire me, even though I had no previous marketing, graphic or web design experience. As an employee, I was given the opportunity to have my own domain, which I readily agreed to as my site's address was insanely long.

Though I called myself the "THX Digital Dude," being a huge fan of the standards created by Lucasfilm, I wanted a domain name that would be short and easy to remember. Deciding against "THXDude.com," as I knew the day would eventually come when I'd get in trouble for using the copyrighted THX logo on my site, I went for "XDude," hoping people wouldn't confuse the domain name with that of a porn site.

By March of 1999, the folks at work told me they were sick of looking at the same site every day, so I went full-tilt and created Version 3, this time to be called "The THX Digital Dude's Knowledge Emporium." Though no new topics were added, the entire site was redesigned and this time, it was 100% Flash. Since I had more webspace to play with, I posted every single sound and movie file I had of the THX, DTS, SDDS, and Dolby Surround Sound trailers.

One day in June, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I'd finally won Macromedia's prestigious Shocked Site of the Day award. I received 19,000 hits in just 2 days; since my e-mail address was readily visible, I got over 600 e-mails in that time. Back then, I felt it was my duty to answer each and every single e-mail I received personally, and had to buy a 6-pack of Corona just to deal with things!

Version 3's success was short-lived, however; in August, I received the infamous "Lucasfilm Letter," which I immediately framed and hung on my living room wall. Though many of my fans reacted angrily at the "Corporate Giant Squashing The Little Guy's Creativity," I'd always known the day would come. I complied with their orders and have been making "Coming Soon" teasers ever since! Check 'em out: