User:Xtsubarublazin

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This user would prefer the username xtsubarublazin. The initial letter is capitalized because of technical limitations.

xtsubarublazin, known to his family and friends as Josh Goldstein, is a member and contributor to the encyclopedia anyone can edit, Wikipedia. Although he has only written one full article and edited a handfull, he monitors Wiki at least once daily to see if any of his knowledge can be used on the site.

1 Origin of user name
2 Hobbies, interests, projects
3 MallHistory.com
4 Recent work opportunities
5 Personal
6 External links

[edit] Origin of user name

The term "xtsubarublazin" is actually pronounced "ex-tee-subaru-blay-zin". The term is derived from an experience Goldstein had when he was younger. His mother, who drove a 1987 Subaru XT, was picking him up from a local YMCA Day Care center when her car caught fire in the parking lot. As the engine burned, the paint on the hood began to bubble, the various electronics turned on and off simultaneously, and wires began melting and hanging down below the vehicle. This was one of Goldstein's fondest memories, and also the first time he had seen a vehicle catch fire at the age of 2. When he got his first computer and created his first account for an ISP, he had found images of the Subaru fire from years before, and, failing to think of a better screenname, he picked "subaruxtblazing". Amazingly, another user already picked that name, and after a few tries, "xtsubarublazin" became the screenname he would use on almost every internet account.

[edit] Hobbies, interests, projects

Goldstein is very interested in architecture. At age 7, he was given his first Lego set, which sparked his interest in building designs and structural techniques. In 2002, a family friend gave him a copy of SketchUp, which further interested him in architecture. His first large-scale model on SketchUp was a model of a local defunct mall, Cinderella City in Englewood, Colorado. The mall was first displayed to the public in 2004 on www.mallhistory.com/sonic. This page has since been replaced with another displaying almost all of Goldstein's 3D creations using SketchUp.

In 2005, Goldstein was approached by his high school librarian to design a slight remodel of the library. One portion of the library would be cordoned off and turned into a computer lab with a capacity of 30 computers. Goldstein jumped at the opportunity and became relatively famous in his school for his first "real" design. He was approached again just a few months later with an even larger project, taking an old classroom space and renovating it into a credit union office. Designing the new Arapahoe Credit Union office space took almost almost 6 months, and contacting vendors and developing a preliminary budget another 2. Through the process, Goldstein managed to acquire a full set of McGraw Hill's Sweets Construction catalogue for free, and a version of AutoDesk's AutoCAD. The project was designed primarily with SketchUP and AutoCAD. Construction is scheduled to start in the coming weeks on the credit union, marking the success of Goldstein's biggest architectural project at age 16.

In early 2006, Goldstein's original Cinderella City 3D renderings were featured at an art exhibit in Syracuse alongside photos of the real mall taken by a professional photographer.

All renderings mentioned can be viewed on www.mallhistory.com/gaa.

[edit] MallHistory.com

Goldstein's additional interest in abandoned malls led him to found www.mallhistory.com in 2003. The website, which was originally conceived on the premise of www.deadmalls.com, but more focused on Colorado malls, has received mixed reviews over the years.

The design of the website remained mostly unchanged since its debut, featuring a forest-green index page with italicized text. The individual pages consisted of a dark blue or dark red background, depending on the type of page, with hard-to-read italicized text with unprofessional writing. Goldstein received many complaints on the overall design scheme on the website, but it wasn't until 2006 that the website underwent a major overhaul.

Currently, all articles written by Goldstein on the website in 2003 have been deleted and replaced with a temporary notice that the article should be replaced soon. All articles submitted by fans over the years were kept, and slightly proofread. The design consists primarily of a white background with normal 12-point font and minimal images. The overhaul of MallHistory took over a week to finalize, but the "new" MallHistory look has been online since late May. Goldstein is currently asking viewers to submit more information and pictures on malls from all over the globe to gather more material for the site as a whole, making it look less desolate.

[edit] Recent work opportunities

In addition to working with a local Re/Max commercial real estate team drawing floor plans for buildings, Goldstein has recently landed a job at Alberta Development Partners, LLC. He is currently working as an "Assistant Project Manager" on the Streets at Southglenn project, which involves the demolition of the former Southglenn Mall, replaced by an open-air, pedestrian-friendly shopping center. Goldstein also acts as "Project Historian" for the Southglenn redevelopment, taking photos and writing monthly updates for the City of Centennial.

[edit] Personal

Goldstein lives in Littleton, Colorado, and attends high school at Englewood High School in Englewood, Colorado. He lives with his mom, constantly doing small renovation projects around the house to better the atmosphere and touch up on his architectural talents.