(Click to enlarge)
Email Ken if you can't figure out what this is a picture of, or even if you can!
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| About Semper Vide |
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We're still waiting for his agent to contact us for an interview. Please come back later when this article is ready. In the meantime, Ken now has a self-portrait for you to study. You might also occasionally find a glimpse of him in the photo galleries.
What does "Semper Vide" mean?
"Semper Vide" is Latin for "Ever Watchful". Ken is a rather observant type of person and he pays close attention to what's going on. He needs his morning paper like he needs his Wheaties. He
also has this hobby of photography... he's keeping his eyes open!
What is the purpose of this website?
Initially it was a way to display Ken's resume and information to interested employers but it really all began as a way for Ken to share his photography and other interests with others. Even before Ken began posting pictures publicly the private viewing page was a vital avenue for Ken to selectively distribute his work. Ken's photography remains a central feature but the website has expanded to include other elements of Ken's life, such as humor, music, and computers. Look for other features to appear in the future!
What is the private download area?
To conveniently serve the many people who want copies of pictures (usually of themselves) but don't want them available to prying eyes on the Internet Ken has created the private download area. Each download is a separate page that is reached by entering a keyword into the private download form. This page is secure in the sense that without a keyword a user cannot find the link to private download area. However, anyone who knows the keyword can reach it and even bookmark it once it is opened. Please note that given the specific nature of these downloads they will only be available for a limited time only (usually several weeks at least).
I got an email telling me a special keyword. How do I access the private download area?
Go to the download page. Enter your keyword in the form and hit the button. A new window will open with your private download. If you typed your keyword incorrectly you will get a message that the page cannot be found. If you have problems with this please request assistance. Please mention your browser type, as this is a possible cause of errors (this page is optimized for Internet Explorer 5).
Is this webpage user-customizable?
Yes. Certain features such as the MIDI background music and the Critter Chaser can be permanently set to your own preferences using a cookie. The cookie expires after 90 days, so if you are an infrequent visitor you will need to redo your personalizations. Look for a conveniently located button or menu to set your preferences or go to the customization page. In the future even more features will be user-customizable.
Does the search tool actually perform searches?
Well, yes. It does a search on any of the search engines you choose. It has a few bugs but it works pretty well and it's very convenient. It is a script written in part by Ken.
Why do I keep seeing little pieces of text pop up when I move my mouse around?
They are called "titles" and they work much like the "alternate text" found by moving your mouse over an image. Ken uses them to provide additional information when space does not permit writing it explicitly to the page. You can find extra info, handy tidbits, and even humor by moving your mouse over a designated screen area.
What is the deal with the MIDI music?
The music you hear has been specially selected for your listening pleasure. Please be assured that it is indeed quite enjoyable when played on a quality synthesizer. If it just sounds like Nintendo music then you are probably using the very common but inferior OPL3 tone generator, not a real synthesizer. You can improve the music quality by using a convenient software MIDI synthesizer or buying a quite affordable sound card such as a Sound Blaster Live!, which comes equipped with a nice wavetable synthesizer.
The page looks terrible
Obviously you are using an inferior browser. This website is optimized especially for Internet Explorer 5. Other browsers may give a different look or functionality. Ken tries to make his pages as compatible as possible but some problems may still occur due to different browsers' interpretation of the HTML "standard". This page is designed to be viewed at 800x600 resolution and at least 65k (16-bit) colors. All computers likely to be found on the web are capable of this resolution, so if you aren't sure please adjust your screen settings in your display properties (it's in the control panel).
Agh! There are missing items or broken links
Let Ken know. He'll check on it.
How often will this page be updated?
The answer varies. Sometimes it is updated continuously all day long, sometimes it goes for a while without. It depends on how busy Ken is and if anyone even cares.
Doesn't posting personal information on the web sound dangerous?
Yes and no. There are a lot of really creepy people out there, but they have bigger fish to fry like Leonardo DiCaprio and Britney Spears. But it's not that personal anyways, and this website is not listed on any search engines. Besides, he has a hard enough time getting his friends to visit :-)
How can I contact Ken?
You may have noticed that this website has a lot of email links to Ken. It's not an accident. Ken loves to get friendly email. His email is sempervide@yahoo.com. He also has a "permanent" (forwarding) email known to his friends that he prefers but does not advertise to preserve its spam-free functionality. Ken regularly uses ICQ for convenient communication. His ICQ# is 3740043. If you wish to be added to his ICQ list be sure to introduce yourself well because he occasionally gets ICQ spam from freeeks and it makes him grouchy.
Where does Ken work?
Ken is currently employed as an engineering consultant at M&D Professional Services in Richland.
Does Ken have a college degree? If so, what in?
Ken graduated (with Honors with international emphasis) from the school of Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University.
I thought Ken was studying computers or something?
Apparently you were misled somehow. He always wanted to study Mechanical Engineering and never was interested in studying computers.
Do you have to be smart to be an engineer?
Apparently not. <g>
Is Ken a "left brain" or a "right brain"?
His brain is right where he left it...uh... Actually, tests show Ken is considered "center brain", with left brain dominant. This differs from left brain dominant in that he possesses attributes of both hemispheres but prefers the left. In addition, Ken is more of a visual than an auditory learner.
Is it true that Ken can remember insignificant details such as what you were wearing a year ago and still forget your name?
That has been known to happen. Fortunately, most of the time Ken has an extraordinarily good memory - sometimes his memory could even be considered photographic.
Where does Ken come up with all of these weird ideas?
Scientists have been working for years to find out. They may never know. Speculations that he communicates with extraterrestrials are as yet unconfirmed.
Does Ken get around?
Yes. He has a 1994 Ford "car" which serves him very well. Here's a fictitious description by the manufacturer:
| This spacious and easy to drive vehicle is a perfect match for the driver who wants both plenty of passenger space and a large cargo capacity. The cabin offers passenger space similar to a standard compact car with room for 4 adults and one child. It also has a huge 50 cubic foot open-air trunk space (expandable to over 150 cu. ft.) designed to comfortably carry over 1000lbs of cargo to meet your recreational needs. This model features a rear wheel drive 3.0L V6 and a 120 in. wheelbase. Cruise control and AC are provided and with additional optional in-car audio and stereo features. |
So there you have it. I hope you were paying attention to the specs.
Really now, what kind of vehicle does Ken have?
If you didn't wonder about the 150 cu. ft. open-air trunk and the 120 in. wheelbase then you probably don't have any idea how big cars are these days. It's actually a light blue Ford Ranger supercab pickup. It used to be a farm truck but it runs well and Ken is very thankful to have it. In case you were curious, it gets about 20mpg. Ken has rigged up a tent/camper/canopy that fits on the back for convenient camping and cargo hauling. Click here for a picture similar to Ken's truck.
What is Ken's driver's record like?
Perfect.
Is Ken single?
Funny you should ask. As a matter of fact Ken is indeed available. Please submit resumes to Semper Vide (references are not required).
Is Ken good dating material?
No official comment is available, although theoretically you could ask his former girlfriend how they managed to stay together for 3 1/2 years.
Can I join the Ken fan club?
Not at this present time.
What kind of camera does Ken have?
Ken has a professional series digital camera. It is a Casio QV-3000EX, which is a 3.3 megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera with a 35-100mm zoom and a Canon f2.0-8.0 lens. Due to the demands of its high resolution, Ken uses a 340MB IBM Microdrive to store his pictures. Because of its digital nature Ken can take an unlimited amount of hi-res pictures at virtually no cost, which is every photographer's dream. Ken would really prefer to have a fully customizable (like 300mm lenses...ah...) digital SLR, but at a price of several thousand dollars that's way out of his budget.
How good is the picture quality of a 3 megapixel camera?
A resolution of 3 megapixels means that it is capable of capturing 3 million discrete picture elements. The actual picture size is 2048 x 1536 pixels at a color depth of 24bits (giving an uncompressed picture size of 9 megabytes). In terms of photo quality, so far Ken has produced 8" x 10" prints with no perceptible pixelation, "jaggies", or aliasing. In fact, the limiting factor on the prints seemed only to be the printer resolution. The color quality and saturation is also excellent. In short, a 3MP digital camera is about as good as a decent SLR film camera with standard film.
Am I seeing the pictures properly?
To properly view the pictures, you should adjust the brightness and contrast on your monitor so that you can see the distinction between all of the brightness values below. For more on how to optimize your viewing experience read this article at Tweak3D or check out DisplayMate.
How do I view Ken's movies?
Ken's camera is capable of taking up to 30s of full-motion video, MJPEG encoded. Ken's motion pictures require Quicktime or MJPEG codec for Media Player. Quicktime seems to give the best results.
Does Ken sell prints?
Sure. He's working on that. Contact him if you are interested.
Why does Ken take so many pictures? Doesn't he have a hobby or something? (contributed by Lindy A.)
Duh.
What kind of computer does Ken have?
Ken built his own computer based on a fast but affordable Celeron 450 MHz processor (that's overclocked 150%, of course!) with 256MB of high-speed memory and two 15" monitors for excellent viewing. He has a fast 15GB hard disk and several CD drives, including an older HP CD ReWriter. See the official computer page for the full details.
What does Ken use his computer for?
Pretty much the same as anyone else might. He browses the Internet, sends email, listens to music, creates web pages, and occasionally plays games. Recently, he has gotten into digital imaging with his digital camera.
Is Ken a programmer?
No, although he does know how to program a little. He focuses mainly on JScript for web application. His experiences in computer science led him to realize that serious programming definitely wasn't his thing.
Is Ken a "computer person"?
No. He is 100% flesh and blood and should not be confused for any other construction under any circumstances. If you must, you may consider him to be "computer enabled".
Could Ken help me with my computer if I was really nice?
The odds are pretty good that he could. He's done a lot of nice things for a lot of people, including donations of computer hardware for those deserving of it.
Does Ken spend too much time on his computer?
Not if he can help it! There is a lot more to life.
What video games does Ken play?
Ken has purchased full versions of Descent I & II, Need for Speed II SE, Warcraft I & II, Wing Commander 3, Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, and Command & Conquer: Tiberium Dawn and Red Alert. He also has a handful of older games that are still entertaining occasionally such as Dark Legions, as well as Gameboy, NES, SNES, Genesis, and NeoGeo emulation. He enjoys the demos (he's too poor to buy the full version) of Starcraft, Worms Armageddon, Blood 2, and other Need for Speed titles. He will never be found playing Microsoft Solitaire for Windows.
Does Ken play a lot of video games on his computer?
Not all that often. He has too many better things to do.
Has exposure to today's increasingly violent video games made Ken more violent?
No. He was killing small animals and torturing insects long before those kind of video games were available.
If you take this answer seriously he'll strap on a rocket pack, pick up a rail gun, and hunt you down and kill you.
What board games does Ken play?
Ken likes chess, Axis & Allies, Risk & Castle Risk, Stratego, Balderdash, Scattergories, and Pictionary. In good company he can be convinced to play various playing card games, checkers, Clue, Uno, Skip-Bo, Milles Bornes, Black Box, or even Battleship. He used to like Monopoly but now he's convinced that imperialistic strategy games are so much better than capitalistic games. He would play computer versions of these games if he had them but he won't play with just the computer.
Do you have any questions you think should be added to the FAQ? Send them in!
The Top 10 reasons why you should email Ken
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