Just what is 2zars??!!

Well, don't be so pushy! Wouldn't you like to know a little bit about me before you go asking prying questions? My name is Wayne Woodruff. This is my home on the web. Lots of useless stuff here. I'm a dweeb, weenie, geek, whatever. I eat sleep and breath computers. I have a digital weather station in my home, which is now connected to the web. I ride motorcycles and wear protective gear in a state where helmet laws are optional. People ask me if I still wear a helmet since the law in PA was repealed. I look at them and say "I ain't good looking, I ain't rich. My brain is about the only thing I got going for me and I want to protect it". Nuff said.

Since you asked so politely, I will now explain 2zars ... I have two sons, Nicholas and Alexander. There were not named after the famous Russian Czars. Nicholas was named after his grandfather on his mother's side. My wife and I asked Nick what he wanted his brother's name to be and he choose Alexander. We liked that name and the rest is history.

So then one day, I was thinking on getting a vanity tag for my motorcycle. I'm thinking what would be catchy and have meaning to me. "2czars" would not fit on a motorcycle license plate, so I removed the silent 'c'. 2ZARS. How sheik, it goes with the "WOOD-D" tag on my car. WOOD-D .. WOODY .. Woodruff, get it? Hey, you ARE pretty sharp!

So the a few years later, I was trying to think of a catchy domain name. I've been wanting to register one of these things for years. You know, to complete the geek theme. My family suggested "waynengineering.com", which is a nice thought. Waynengineering is a term of endearment in my home. If something is broken, it needs to be "waynengineered". If we need some remodeling done, we need some "waynengineering". My wife even made me a shirt! :-) I checked and at the time, it was available. Someone did register that domain for a legitimate business. Then I was thinking "waynengineered.com" or "waynengineer.com". Both were available at the time, but I do not like long domain names. When someone asks your email address, I'd hate to say "wayne at waynenginnering dot com" because I'd inevitably need to spell it out and I probably wouldn't get it right! Some examples of Waynengineering are in the Waynengineering section below.

Then one day, I'm standing behind my motorcycle, getting dressed to ride, a sudden inrush of Norepinephrine fires up the Neurotransmitters and inspires me. 2zars.com! Simple to convey, easy to spell. Done. God, I am such a geek. Good thing I have a VERY understanding wife :-)

P.S. My Avatar came from http://avatarmaker.abi-station.com/index_en.shtml

Motorcycles

Well, let's just say that I'm fond of motorcycles and leave it at that. I've owned 5 different bikes in my life. A 1982 Suzuki GS500T, a 1983 BMR R80ST, a 1956 Matchless G11, a 2000 BMW R1100R ABS, and a 2004 BMW R1100S ABS. I currently own the R1100S and the Matchless. I like BMW's but I also like plenty of other bikes. Have a look if you are interested. That's the BMW R1100S on the left, followed by the R1100R, and the Matchless in the center. Lastly, the BMW R80ST on the right. The photos will take you to a page of more information. I developed an FAQ on the R1100R. It's a little dated, but still has valid information.

Woodruff's Theorum of Horizontal Rain

Jack Reipe, a VERY funny writer and member of the Mac-Pac (more on that later in the page) once wrote a very funny story about a friend who he was riding with in Lancaster County, PA (farm country) and they came upon a farm truck that was filled with manure. As they approached the truch, Jack's friend passed him and took the lead spot. About that time, the truck hit a bump and generated massive quantities of atomized manure 'perfume', which his friend squarely ran into. I about peed my pants reading this story, but that reminded me of a similar encounter I had experienced.

I used to work in Hatfield, PA. In case you were not aware, Hatfield Meat Packing, aka, Home of the Smilin' Porker, is ironically located in Hatfield as well. While that might be an obvious conclusion, in today's world, Hatfield Meat Packing may as well be in Siberia.

Anyway, these big truck carrying smilin' porkers was in front of me one day. Actually, my timing was such that I frequently had them in front of me as I rode to work. Never gave it much though until one day it was raining lightly and the sky was perfectly clear. That's odd, as I though to my self, and then I realized why it was raining. From that moment on, I gave those truck 'extra' space.

Jack aptly named this Woodruff's Theorum of Horizontal Rain. Stay away from Livestock truck whilst piloting a motorcycle.

Motorcycle web sites that I find of value

BMW Motorcycle web sites

My family history

I've been researching my family's history since 1997. I have managed to document my father's side back to the early 1800's. I still have a long way to go; Check out my Woodruff Genealogy page

Things Waynengineered

These links take you to some fun projects we've done around the house and other things of interest.

• Pool pavers for the entrance to the pool

• I build and installed shadow boxes in our entry foyer.

• Our Living Room construction project.

• I "pimp'd" my son's wagon. :-)

Things Wayne would liked to have Waynengineered, but were a bit beyond his capabilities (as Clint Eastwood said in Magnum Force, "A man's got to know his limitations")

• In-ground pool

• Patio resurfacing project.

• Front walkway project. (Same contractor as the patio)

• Our addition project. We hired a contractor to put a second story on our living room and tie it into an existing bedroom/bathroom, creating a master suite.

Fun Stuff

• I am facinated by lightning (and weather in general).

• I found this cool Spider in my neighborhood.

Local Stuff

• On July 3, 2008, the clubhouse at the Lenape Valley Swin Club caught fire and burned down.

• On March 23, 2005, a local barn burned to the ground. I have some photos here

Volunteer Work

I am the "webmaster" of the AJS & Matchless Owners Club, North American Section web site. It's a nice site with lots of goodies on the marquis. Have a look!

I got my BSEET from a small, private college called Spring Garden College, which is now defunct.  In an attempt to reunite Alumni, I put together a small web site.

I also maintain a website for the Southeastern PA BMW Riders, commonly refered to as "Mac-Pac".

Professional

Hardly a professional photograph, but one that captures my spirit.  I am educated as an Electrical Engineer (BST and MEE) and  my career has been focused on the design, development, and testing of embedded firmware for a variety of industries, including process control and cable tv. I am currently employed by Motorola's Connected Home group (formerly General Instrument), managing two groups; settop functional test and settop Software Quality Assurance for the HD/DVR products.

I am involved in understanding what practices and processes we can implement to improve the quality of our firmware and hardware, while maintaining the practical aspects of getting a quality product delivered to customers. I am big on Requirements Management, Configuration Management, and Software Quality Assurance. I have a fair amount of experience with the Capability Maturity Model - Integrated (CMMI) from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). If you are interested, have a look at my resume (it's a little outdated).

Inventions

I've been working on some concepts for Digital Video Recording which have resulted in a couple of patent applications. I have additional applications in Seamless mobility.

Patents awarded

"Methods and apparatus for advanced recording options on a personal versatile recorder". The basic concept is to add intelligence to DVR recording by using inband or out of band triggers to automatically extend recordings in case the recording was interrupted by some event (e.g. unexpected news interruption) 6,901,603

Applications in progress

Adding parental controls to recorded material. Application 20030046592.

Publications

I have written a few papers in my professional career, all boring techie stuff, but if you're into that, have a look.

Comments? Questions, mail me. wayne@2zars.com

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Last updated 4-July-08.