User:Morven
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- NOTE: Not to be mistaken for Morwen, who is someone entirely different. Thankfully, someone by being mistaken for whom I'm not insulted!
My name is Matthew Brown. I'm 32, and an Englishman living in California. My home is in Anaheim, California, a block from Disneyland, and I work in Los Angeles, California as a UNIX systems administrator (ex-programmer). The username 'Morven' has been my online handle since 1991.
I am a member of the Arbitration Committee (since January 2006), and I am an administrator on both the English Wikipedia (since January 2004), and Wikimedia Commons. My first listed edit was on 2003-02-17, though I didn't start contributing in earnest until several months later. I have a ton of edits, but I blame forgetting to preview.
| I'm considering opening a WikiProject Cameras. Visit my proposed subpage /WikiProject Cameras if you have any input. |
[edit] Interests
[edit] Trains and railroads
I'm a railfan, someone with an obsessive interest in all things about trains and railways/railroads. I have increased the coverage of such subjects here rather substantially, and I was the founder and am an active member of WikiProject Trains. My interests are varied, but include the electrified railroads of America, whether heavy electrification, interurbans, and even streetcars. I am thus fascinated by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the biggest electrification project in the United States, and the epic electrified stretch of the Milwaukee Road across the Continental Divide.
I also have written much about the workings of the steam locomotive, although there is much left to do.
[edit] Cars
I also own an old car, a 1967 Ford Thunderbird, and am quite knowledgable about automotive technology and indeed machinery in general. Southern California is one of the world's centers for the car hobby, and thus I have a rich variety of resources available around here.
[edit] Photography
My interest in photography, a childhood obsession, was rekindled by taking photographs for Wikipedia. I began with a 1.2 megapixel Toshiba PDR-M1; now, most of my Wikipedia pictures are taken with a 4 megapixel Kodak EasyShare DX6440. I have more recently been getting back into film photography with my wife; we own a Canon T70 FD-mount camera and a Minolta XG-M, both 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras.
Further impetus to get more involved and creative with photography has been my participation on the online photo-sharing site flickr; my contributions can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/morven. My interest in the creative side of photography have led me to begin experimenting with an old Polaroid Land Camera 360, a Diana, and a Kodak Brownie.
[edit] Others
Also interested in military technology and history, especially 20th century, and I have an interest in history in general. In general, I'm a big knowledge sponge, so I know a fair amount about a lot of things.
[edit] Image contributions
I have added a large number of images to Wikipedia. These include both photographs I have taken myself and those of others. I have added a large number of pictures of classic cars, which are easy to find and photograph in Southern California. My recent photography obsession has been well documented. I have also placed many public domain US Government pictures of aircraft types, and encouraged other photographers whose work I have found to let me contribute their pictures to Wikipedia. Many of these images are on the Commons. I have also acquired a copy of the 1922 Locomotive Cyclopedia of American Practice, a 1100-page work now in the public domain with numerous illustrations of railroad locomotives and their components. I will be scanning and adding suitable images over time and also using such text in it as is useful.
I am a member of WikiProject Trains, WikiProject Automobiles, WikiProject Ships, and WikiProject Aircraft.
My photographs are now available online thanks to a smugmug.com account - it's a pretty nice photo hosting site, with no limit to the number of photographs. My recent photographs are there, and some older ones -- I'm adding them slowly. My photography is being encouraged thanks to a new Kodak Dx6440 4-megapixel camera, which is proving to take very nice photos indeed.
All my contributions to Wikipedia for which I own the copyright are released into the public domain, as described below. Use and enjoy.
| Multi-licensed into the public domain | ||
| I agree to multi-license my eligible text contributions, unless otherwise stated, under the GFDL and into the public domain. Please be aware that other contributors might not do the same, so if you want to use my contributions in the public domain, please check the multi-licensing guide. | ||
[edit] My library
I'm slowly listing my available reference library here including full {{Book reference}} markup, and templates if available.
- Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. ISBN 0-89024-026-4. — {{subst:Pinkepank diesel spotters guide 2}}
- Hayden, Bob (Ed.) (1980). Model Railroader Cyclopedia-Volume 2: Diesel Locomotives. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-89024-547-9. — {{subst:MR diesel cyclopedia}}
- Hilton, George W. & Due, John F. (1960, 2000). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4014-3. — {{subst:Hilton Interurbans}}
- Hilton, George W. (1990). American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2369-9. — {{subst:Hilton Narrow Gauge}}
[edit] Useful sites
- Extreme Steam - odd steam locomotives.
- Denver Public Library western history photos. Catalog of Otto Perry and other images.
- Uncommon steam locomotives.
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