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Infrarat.com officially opened to the public on August 5th, 2002. I developed the infrarat concept in 1990, and have experimented with designs for this website since 1998. I created Infrarat.com over a three month period using the following software:- Adobe Photoshop Elements
- Graverobber 8.0b HTML Generator
- Microsoft Notepad
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| All images in the i-Zone section were created using two Polaroid i-Zone cameras. Images in the Games section are taken from a variety of sources, including screenshots and original production artwork. All other images used on the site (such as this image of the i-Zone camera itself) were taken using a Mustek MDC-800 digital camera, an Epson Perfection 1650 scanner, or a Polaroid JoyCam. |
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Below is an i-Zone photo after it is removed from the camera.
- The actual photograph measures 1.5" wide by 1" tall.
- These "wings" link all 12 photos in the roll end-to-end. Once a picture is taken, you pull it out manually from the camera. This sets the next piece of film in place, just like taking a number from the machine at the local deli.
- No need to guess how many more shots are left in the roll, just look at this handy printed number.
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| I scanned each photo at 300dpi using the Epson Perfection 1650. I could scan up to eighteen photos simultaneously: the software automatically detected and saved each image as a unique file. |
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| I prepared each image for display using Adobe Photoshop Elements. I tried to limit my manipulation of photographs to rotating and resizing, adjusting brightness and contrast, sharpening, and removing dust and other artifacts on the film. |
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| I created all the labels used on the site with a Dymo 1450 labelmaker. The labelmaker I used is over 25 years old, and was collecting dust in a drawer at my parents' house before I liberated it. The exception is any label on the site that uses the pound sign (#), which was created using the Punch Label font. If you look at the image below, you can see why. |
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| You may notice some color variations in the labels on the site. I ran out of the original Dymo 3/8" tapes I used when I first began working on infrarat.com, and had to buy new ones. The primary navigation labels were created using the original tapes, manufactured in 1977. The secondary navigation elements were created with the new tapes, and are much brighter and free of imperfections. Personally, I prefer the old tapes! To that end, I purchased an old Dymo labeller with tapes on eBay, and hope to redo the secondary navigation elements at some point. |
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| I wrote my own HTML generator, which I call Graverobber 8.0b, to batch process all of the pages contained in the i-Zone section. Infrarat.com contains over 400 pages of HTML, and over 1000 images. Graverobber was written using Macromedia Director. In 2007 however I switched to Macromedia Dreamweaver for site updates. |
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