FAQ

Who are you?

I was born in Paarl, near Cape Town in South Africa and grew up up in Durban. Days wasted surfing and nights wasted pubbing until my parents suggested I hold down a job.

Into the South African Police College and a four-year stint policing under crazy circumstances that included the Caprivi Strip in South West Africa.
Seemed best to train in a different field!

Trained as a craftsman in the Graphic Arts, deep etch plate making, camera separations, hand stripping, electronic assembly, retouching and production coordination. I've spent the last 36 years working in virtually every facet of the Graphic Arts industry in South Africa, England and Canada.

Now living in Canada, windsurfing in the summer and hibernating during the winters, with the occasional trip to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina for some ocean sailing.

I became a Grandfather on 10 November 2006, a day after my birthday. Must be getting on, but only feel old in the mornings...

Do you Surf?

I started surfing in the 60's at the age of 10 at Addington Beach in Durban, South Africa on an old 10' 6" Woodie that probably weighed more than I did. Over the years, I progressed to a 6' 2" Twin fin, made by Mike Lamont and usually surfed at Dairy or the Wedge.
I have surfed with Shaun Tomson, Mike Tomson, Mike Larmont and Mike Esposito in Durban and along the east coast of Africa, including such places as Jeffrey's Bay and Cape St. Francis.

Started Windsurfing in Canada with yearly visits to Cape Hatteras, then dicovered that The Great Lakes are also surfable so, of course I built a board.

The Web Cam

The Web Cam is a Sony DCR-TRV110 Camcorder which was donated by Brad, a fellow South African whom I met through the Origin Surf Forum. It does not record as the tape deck is broken, however it has a 20X zoom lens wich results in a much closer and clearer picture of the lake. It is located upstairs in a bedroom which is about 300 meters from the Lake.

The video out from the Camcorder is connected to a Sony DVMC-DA1 Hardware Codec Converter. The converter is connected to a Mac Mini via a Firewire cable.

The software used to broadcast the streaming image is EvoCam, by Evological Software.

Why can't I see the Web Cam?

To view the Live Web Cam you need to have the latest version of Java installed on your computer. Click on the Java icon to begin the download, then follow the installation instructions.

This site is best viewed using Firefox. Please contact me if you have any questions.

The Weather Station

The Weather Station is a 1-Wire Station made by AAG Electronics and is located on my roof near Port Union and Lawrence Ave. in Toronto, about 300 meters from Lake Ontario and was featured in a Toronto Star article.

The software used is "Weather Display", with an add-on called "Weather Display Live" that creates the flash based animated instruments.

The software updates every 3 seconds and transmits to Weather Underground. My ID there is IONTARIO99.

Why can't I see the Weather Station?

To view the Live Weather Station you need to have the latest Flash plugin installed in your browser. Click on the Flash icon to begin the download, then follow the installation instructions.