Icrontic Man of the Year 2011

primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
edited July 2011 in Community
This year's Icrontic Man of the Year is Nick "mertesn" Mertes

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/icrontic/5914232825/&quot; title="Expo_Icrontic_2011_0089_DxO by Icrontic.com, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5079/5914232825_04475b90d0_z.jpg&quot; width="640" height="427" alt="Expo_Icrontic_2011_0089_DxO"></a>

It's been a bit of a rough year for Icrontic; we lost Thrax and UPSlynx as authors, and Lincoln and I have been incredibly busy at our jobs. CB went back to teaching, and content slowed to a trickle.

When we lost Rob as our lead hardware writer, Nick stepped up and spent tons of his own money to build an Icrontic test bench computer, bought a bunch of hardware for review parts, and trudged along, sometimes all alone. For weeks at a stretch, the bulk of Icrontic content was solely Nick Mertes' doing.

Well, because of his persistence, we were able to maintain our relationships with our awesome sponsors and start getting things back to even keel.

Besides the work stuff, anyone who's met Nick knows what a great guy he is. Always smiling, he's just a genuinely nice guy. He represents exactly what Icrontic is all about. A cool guy who likes geeky stuff and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.

Thanks Nick, for everything you've done. We're honored to call you Man of the Year for 2011.

Comments

  • JokkeJokke Bergen, Norway Icrontian
    edited July 2011
    Congrats, Nick! Well deserved, keep at it!
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited July 2011
    When I learned that the 2011 MoTY was being picked, Nick was one of the very first people that came to mind for me. There were a few so deserving of the award this year, but Nick's relentless--not to mention expensive--dedication is what sold me. He kept the business end of our ship afloat.

    So, from one IC MoTY to another, congratulations.
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited July 2011
    He is an awesome guy besides all the work he's done of Icrontic...
  • AnnesAnnes Tripped Up by Libidos and Hubris Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited July 2011
    Well deserved! Hip hip hooray!
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited July 2011
    Nick, I think it goes without saying that you are very much an inspiration for myself and the rest of the staff. You've certainly set a standard to rise to, and I thank you for that. You may not want the spotlight, but you've certainly earned it.


    I'm embarrassed and ashamed to admit how unaware of your contributions (and both the extent and expense you carried them out at) I was. Congrats, sir. You've definitely earned this.
  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited July 2011
    Congrats Nick. I don't think many people realize the full extent of his contribution. The time it takes to do reviews is something most people don't realize. In Nick's case, he spends hours upon hours assembling test rigs/hardware, formatting, installing programs, running tests, re-running tests to ensure accuracy, compiling data, photographing hardware and editing images, and then finally writing the pieces. A single processor review can be three full days of work. Do people realize how boring Crysis benchmarks are? How monotonous it is to PCMark rigs? It's both cool and mind-numbing at the same time. Nick's dedication to providing quality, accurate reviews is hard-freakin-core.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited July 2011
    Buddy J wrote:
    Congrats Nick. I don't think many people realize the full extent of his contribution. The time it takes to do reviews is something most people don't realize.

    I heartily second this - it takes hours to test a piece of hardware, even a case, and that's before a single word of the review is written.

    Thank you, Nick. :thumbup
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