My name is Rick. I live in the Kansas City, MO area. I'm a Certified Instructor for the RoboHelp and Captivate products.
Why did you create this site?
I created this site to share knowledge and workarounds that others may find useful.
Are you an Adobe employee?
No, I'm not an employee. However, as an Adobe Community Expert (ACE), I have enjoyed a reasonably close relationship with some of the folks that are. I can only hope this remains unchanged with the recent acquisition of Macromedia by Adobe. Some have accused me of being a "blind cheerleader" and being "in the company's pocket". But I've been smitten with these products since I was a RoboHelp newbie back in version 2 around 1992 or so.
Is there any charge for what you do?
While there are certainly costs associated with keeping this site operational, I do not charge any fees for using it or downloading the materials I make available. I can't say it will always be that way, but it's how I intend to keep it, as long as I'm financially able to do so. I would only ask that you use what I provide in the spirit in which it is intended, then at some point help someone else down the line. Sort of like the philosophy of the movie "Pay It Forward".
Having said that, I have been known on occasion to work as a contractor or consultant in addition to my normal job. If you are interested in this, by all means conjure me and we will talk.
So why the name "RoboWizard"? You must think you are a real hotshot or something.
I selected the name because it handily combined two very important elements of this stage of my life's journey. RoboHelp and Wizards! My significant other introduced me to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival a few years ago. As an extension of that, I have developed a fascination with Wizards. My daughter refers to me as a "RenFest Geek". I tend to view myself as somewhat of an "HTML and JavaScript Alchemist", because while I seldom create anything from scratch, I'm fairly adept at knowing the right combination of elements to use to achieve a desired effect.
No, I never claim to be a hotshot. Actually, a former co-worker illustrated something I will share here. It was forever burned in my mind and I found the principle fascinating and very true. I like to think of it as "The circle of knowledge".
Imagine a small circle. The INSIDE if the circle represents what you actually know about a given subject. The outside border of the circle represents everything you ARE AWARE that you DON'T know about it. Now, let's assume you learn a great deal more about the subject. Look how big the circle of knowledge has become! However, look at how much more that you are aware you DON'T know!
The tone of this site seems rather dark. You aren't like a Satan worshipper or anything, are you?
As I designed the look and feel of the site several months after I had selected and secured the domain name, I decided to find and use mystical and "wizardly" like images and verbiage to perpetuate the theme. No, I am NOT a Satan worshipper, nor would I ever choose to be one. (Although I have been known to have sacrificed many a chicken alongside heaping portions of mashed potatoes and dark gravy.)
Before I began to read about wizards and such, I always considered pentagrams and pentacles a purely Satanic symbol. However, there are other beliefs that use them as well. From what I understand, the five points represent the four elements (Earth, Wind, Fire, and Rain) combined with the fifth element of Spirit. Although I don't subscribe to any one particular sect of organized religion, I fundamentally believe we should respect the earth, other individuals, and animals. I further believe we should attempt to leave the world and our dealings with others a bit better and more enhanced than they were before we found them. My favorite phrase is derived from the Rede: An it harm none, do what ye will.
May peace be with you.