I forget sometimes that my kids are as young as they are. And I’m also in the habit of packing as many interviews into a day as I can. Both of which explain why Computer History Day was both a success and a failure.
We made it on time to breakfast with Steve Wozniak, who very wisely arrived with magic tricks to entertain the kids. All of the carefully rehearsed questions for Woz were instantly forgotten, but we did come away having mastered a couple really good card tricks.
I did learn one new thing (at least new to me) from Woz. Steve Jobs told me in Steve Jobs — The Lost Interview that Woz had been thrown out of the University of Colorado after his freshman year for pulling pranks. The truth, according to Woz (the 4Square mayor of IHOP #651) is that he overran the department’s computer budget by 500 percent and was too embarrassed to return. Transferring to Deanza Junior College he got free use overnight of an IBM 360 and the rest is history. It was Colorado’s loss.
Doug Engelbart was in fine form but Cole was feeling a little puny and with Mary Alyce not wanting to feel responsible for killing the 86 year-old we kept the visit short. But still long enough for everyone to have a try on the chord keyboard.
We met Andy Hertzfeld at Google but forgot to take a picture with him. By this time the boys were fading.
So we met everyone we wanted to, came away with some good memories, but all those reader questions, well none of them were either asked or answered. Sorry.
I can’t say enough about how gracious these men were to my family. Walter Isaacson, in his book about Steve Jobs, talks about Andy arguing with Steve, trying to make him a nicer guy. And it’s true: nice men and women are the norm in this business. Some can be socially awkward or simply think too fast to interact well with the rest of us but there’s hardly ever any lack of goodwill, which is something I think the public doesn’t understand.
Next time we’ll try two computing pioneers, not three. Or maybe we’ll just try one. But we’ll be back.
Love the Batman shirt. Great post and photos. Please don’t retire this year.
Agreed — the Batman shirt is awesome.
Great to see you dragging the kids around. I does pay off in kids that grow up and can deal with people. True weather the parents are good or not so good.
You had a good day. That is great!
You had to roll with the situation, and you did (questions didn’t get asked). The important thing is you introduced your sons to some great folks who’ve changed the world, and they probably came away thinking highly of all of them. That’s got to be success!
Very very cool! Lucky kids.
Now teach them to code! There is a coderdojo starting in San Francisco
http://zen.coderdojo.com/dojo/25
Good to read about the human side of the business. Too often we hear only of the cat-fights, the big-number speak. That this whole business was built on the efforts of individuals is easily overlooked.
And of course it inspires kids to realise that the creators of the tech they take for granted are real, hard-working folk and not simply faceless corporations.
😀
Sounds like a fun day! I have to remind myself sometimes that my kids are not “little adults.”
Hey, you can’t retire while I get to live vicariously through your outings!
Visit Chuck Moore and Alan Kay next time and you’ve almost done the whole pantheon…
I agree. Chuck Moore and Alan Kay would be great candidates for your next outing. Btw, love the blog and I’ll be sad when you retire.
My father worked with a lot of the “big names” in the early Silicon Valley (and around the world). He told lots of stories about them, but I have always regretted that the circumstances didn’t permit me to meet many of the people he knew. Your kids don’t know it yet, but they are lucky!
bob (i say familiarly although we are strangers),
perhaps you have learned, yet not published, that you have an earned opportunity to share your time and your deserved, intellectual, celebrity relationships with your children alone. while our ‘modern’ social media allows us to act as a small social circle, it encourages us to forget the privilege of knowing special people in a comfortable, more appreciative, unrehearsed forum. while your father may have not introduced you to those as an adult you now regret having missed, your children may remember that their dad let them have a day with cool people that they later realize were famous and fabulous. a fan, jill
Thanks for the charming and gracious retelling and sharing of your private experience. It is generous of you to do so.
I used to visit Apple and other companies in the Silicon Valley area in 1979-80 and, like you, was alwaysoverall impressed with how nice everyone was to me. I’m from Ohio, thus highly influenced by the “niceness” factor in people.
Just a quick thanks.
Sounds like you had a blast. Please tell us more – these guys are our heroes.
Always thougth Steve Wozniak would be a superb guy to know. You’ve just confirmed it.
Thanks for sharing your day out.
I’ve had various opportunities to at least listen to persons I consider great, and more rarely, nearly up front and personal as you have arranged for your kids. Too often int the past I have let these opportunities slide and they never return. Now when there is such an opportunity to hear or see one of my heros I go; I don’t put off till the “next opportunity”. Recently it has been Warren Buffett and Edward Tufte. I still remember my time long ago in the presence of Linus Pauling, who was a charming and witty gentleman.
You rock Bob – thanks for the post. Oh, and I’m gonna need my Batman outfit back soon. 🙂
cool things you’re doing with your kids.
i’ve used a chord keyboard with the original 3 button SRI mouse, and it certainly forces you to think in ascii.
I really wish there was a commercially available one handed, wireless chord keyboard. Something the size and shape of a Wii nunchuck controller, including the little joystick.Seems to me like that would be great in combination with Googles upcoming glasses.
I still think you should home school your children, especially since you can give them days like that.
Bob, so why choose Batman over Superman or any other recently popular superhero? I prefer Batman so don’t worry I won’t ambush you. I have my reasons but I’ll list them if you respond so I don’t color your response with my own ideas.
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