Please tell us a little about yourself. My name is Rob, better known as Lix-Alpha on the ODROID Forums, and I am 43 years old. I have a wife, two kids, a siamese cat, and all of my teeth. I love playing old games from the 90s on my ODROID-GO, creating music on my Pocket Operators, and fine-tuning my son’s RC Car. I work as a freelance graphic designer creating 3D designs for publicity and printed media. My daughter is 5 and my son is 8, who are both Canadian-Japanese (Japanese from my wife side). My wife manages the office of a big tool rental company in Montréal.
I was born in a region of the Province of Québec, in Canada, called Mont-Tremblant. For anyone that likes to ski, they will know about this location, for sure, since it was recently bought by the Aspen Group. But now I live in Montréal. I studied psychology, but quit before finishing and started my own graphic design company. Let me tell you that my studies were not a waste though, since I use psychology almost every day with some of my customers!
My mom always says that when I was young, I always liked anything with lots of buttons. When she first had a chance, she bought me a computer. My first experience was on a TRS-80. I remember spending hours and hours playing with BASIC, on the black and white screen TV that we had in the basement. It’s still at my mom’s home somewhere under tons of dust. Writing this, I think that I will try it out the next time I go visit her. For fans of BASIC:
10 PRINT "Go to question 2" 20 GOTO 10What attracted you to the ODROID platform? I always wanted a small portable device to play my favorites retro games. I looked everywhere on the web and found many solutions, but at a very high price. Also, I wanted to get a device that I could easily put in my pocket without being afraid to break it. It was then that I found the ODROID-GO. The device was inexpensive, small, and well built. I also loved the approach of Hardkernel, especially the way they marketed the product and how they talked about it. It was straight to the point and they did not try to exaggerate the capacity of the device. Everything was clear, and this is not the case with many other companies.
I own many other solutions (Waveshare GameHat, GPD Win, GPD Win 2, Clockwork GameShell), but they all have their problems: too fragile, too bulky, overheating, or too expensive. Hardkernel managed to find the right level of power and performance for a pocketable device and believe me, many have tried but failed. Of course, some of the aforementioned devices are way stronger but can you carry them without fear everywhere you go?
How do you use your ODROIDs? I only have an ODROID-GO for now, but I use it every day. I am a gamer, but with my work, I do not have times to play games very often. I work 7 days a week, so the only moment I have is when I go to bed. So I lay down on my bed, get all comfy, and play some Wolfenstein 3D or Commander Keen until I fall asleep. This device is reliable, has a very good battery life, and I can count on it every time I need it.
Which ODROID is your favorite and why? To be honest, the only one I used is the GO, so I guess it’s my favorite. I love this device! Having Commander Keen or Wolfenstein 3D in my pocket is a dream that I have had since the 90s.
What innovations would you like to see in future Hardkernel products? As previously mentioned, I only have an ODROID-GO, so I'll talk about that one. I would love to see a little bit more power. It would be nice to be able to run GBA or SNES for exemple. Since I am a graphic designer, I would love it if the user interface was a bit more open source, so I could create my own UI.
What hobbies and interests do you have apart from computers? I have 2 kids, so they are my hobbies most of the time! But, when I have a little bit of time, I love riding my mountain bike, playing around with my Pocket Operators, or going outside with my camera trying to get the perfect shot.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to learn more about computers? I am not really a programmer, so I can't give advice on the technical side of it, but I can certainly give advice on the learning curve associated with computers/programming. When I left university and decided to start my own design business, I had minimal knowledge of Photoshop or Illustrator, but I woke up every morning and worked on it. In the beginning, I doubted myself a lot, and even thought about quitting. But in the end, with discipline and perseverance, I mastered it.
The same happened when I began exploring 3D modeling with 3DS Max, Maya, C4D or Solidworks. Anyone can learn anything; it’s just a matter of time and work. Start from the beginning, try to master every aspect of the software package that you are learning, and above all, do not compare yourself with others. Some peoples learn fast, while others learn slowly. In the end, if you have fun, you are in the right place and should put all your energy into what you are doing.
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