The Woz on MeFi! October 4, 2006 9:01 AM Subscribe
<nerdalert>omfg, the Woz is here! the Woz is here! </nerdalert>
omfg I've never seen Matt so excited...Oxygen – quickly!
posted by i_cola at 9:05 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by i_cola at 9:05 AM on October 4, 2006
Is that post real? I mean, with the recent scams here, I have my doubts.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 9:10 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by SeizeTheDay at 9:10 AM on October 4, 2006
Uh, Mr. Wozniak?
Ask MetaFilter is as useful as you make it. Please limit comments to answers or help in finding an answer.
I keed, I keed.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:10 AM on October 4, 2006
Ask MetaFilter is as useful as you make it. Please limit comments to answers or help in finding an answer.
I keed, I keed.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:10 AM on October 4, 2006
Great, now Bill Gates is going to do the same thing, only years later and crappily.
posted by brownpau at 9:11 AM on October 4, 2006 [19 favorites]
posted by brownpau at 9:11 AM on October 4, 2006 [19 favorites]
It's really him, the paypal matches up with a woz.org address.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:12 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:12 AM on October 4, 2006
It's nice to know that even supercool famous smart people make as many typos and junk as the rest of us schlumps.
posted by DenOfSizer at 9:17 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by DenOfSizer at 9:17 AM on October 4, 2006
So is basicchannel going to mark that as Best Answer or what?
posted by vacapinta at 9:18 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by vacapinta at 9:18 AM on October 4, 2006
Jofus writes "Let's....let's....let's.....get him to....DO stuff...."
He's not a monkey we're going to make dance for us.
posted by orthogonality at 9:19 AM on October 4, 2006
He's not a monkey we're going to make dance for us.
posted by orthogonality at 9:19 AM on October 4, 2006
why don't you put it up on the sidebar, too?
posted by lester's sock puppet at 9:20 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by lester's sock puppet at 9:20 AM on October 4, 2006
What's the appeal of Scarlett Johanssen?
Worth a shot.
posted by Cyrano at 9:27 AM on October 4, 2006 [3 favorites]
Worth a shot.
posted by Cyrano at 9:27 AM on October 4, 2006 [3 favorites]
Woz is too chatty. Please delete and keep him on topic.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:28 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:28 AM on October 4, 2006
Sorry, I just thought it was kind of cool to have someone ask a question about a celebrity being on TV, and then having the guy show up to explain what happened behind the scenes.
He should have dropped a link to the book on amazon though.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:29 AM on October 4, 2006
He should have dropped a link to the book on amazon though.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:29 AM on October 4, 2006
Kind of cool? It's the coolest thing to happen round here since, er, well.
posted by bonaldi at 9:34 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by bonaldi at 9:34 AM on October 4, 2006
brownpau: "Great, now Bill Gates is going to do the same thing, only years later and crappily."
That was fucking perfect, brownpau. I for one, appreciated it.
And yes - very cool that Steve (can I call him Steve?) felt compelled to post here.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:39 AM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
That was fucking perfect, brownpau. I for one, appreciated it.
And yes - very cool that Steve (can I call him Steve?) felt compelled to post here.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:39 AM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
Wow! That's great. This is why I love the Intrerweb.
posted by timeistight at 9:41 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by timeistight at 9:41 AM on October 4, 2006
OMG I checked the whois record for woz.org and it is registered to someone is Los Gatos, California, which is at LAT/LON 37.189396,-121.705327, which I plugged into Google Maps, at which location is a house with a yurt in the backyard, and yurts were used as shelter by the Mongol horde and THIS MEANS SOMETHING!
Quick, find his blood type!
posted by Danelope at 9:41 AM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
Quick, find his blood type!
posted by Danelope at 9:41 AM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
I didn't know much about Wozniak before yesterday. But I read the thread, watched the painful Colbert clip, and then followed the link to the long Founders at Work interview. I read the whole damn interview, sitting in front of my computer, ignoring my wife and all my chores. It was a long interview. It was amazing.
I loved the insight into this guy's head. He's a frickin' genius, a man with a passion for one thing: engineering. Sure, he's childlike in many ways, but that's part of his appeal, I think.
I've been an Apple user ever since my father brought home an Apple II when I was in fourth grade. I typed in TONS of programs, including Woz's breakout. (Until yesterday I had no idea that he created the game.) I'm a Mac user today because of those early formative experiences on Woz's machine.
This has been a great thread. And like Matt, it makes me happy to see him visit us. Yay, Woz!
Now if only we could get other people to visit. I think Cyrano has a good idea...
posted by jdroth at 9:42 AM on October 4, 2006
I loved the insight into this guy's head. He's a frickin' genius, a man with a passion for one thing: engineering. Sure, he's childlike in many ways, but that's part of his appeal, I think.
I've been an Apple user ever since my father brought home an Apple II when I was in fourth grade. I typed in TONS of programs, including Woz's breakout. (Until yesterday I had no idea that he created the game.) I'm a Mac user today because of those early formative experiences on Woz's machine.
This has been a great thread. And like Matt, it makes me happy to see him visit us. Yay, Woz!
Now if only we could get other people to visit. I think Cyrano has a good idea...
posted by jdroth at 9:42 AM on October 4, 2006
Maybe it's time to bump up registration to $10. You know, to keep the riff raff out.
OMG OMG OMG
posted by revgeorge at 9:46 AM on October 4, 2006
OMG OMG OMG
posted by revgeorge at 9:46 AM on October 4, 2006
mathowie : "He should have dropped a link to the book on amazon though."
Yeah, then we could see Woz fighting tooth and claw in a MeTa callout!
posted by Bugbread at 9:50 AM on October 4, 2006
Yeah, then we could see Woz fighting tooth and claw in a MeTa callout!
posted by Bugbread at 9:50 AM on October 4, 2006
Well, I softened Stephen up backstage before the show, with some $2 bill pads that look phony a million ways.
Woz sounds kinda like Little Nephew from Achewood.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:54 AM on October 4, 2006
Woz sounds kinda like Little Nephew from Achewood.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:54 AM on October 4, 2006
I saw the Colbert thing last week and I think that's the first time I've seen anyone leave him close to speechless.
posted by hwestiii at 10:05 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by hwestiii at 10:05 AM on October 4, 2006
I know Colbert is well loved around here but that interview showed up a pedestrian or amateur or unsophisticated side to him that doesn't sit well with me. I know it's within the purview of a fair number of interviewers to get a bit out of sorts when guests won't conform to the shtick that's desired but I felt that Colbert was mockingly trying to undercut Wozniak. "There's only 1 comedian allowed here!"
Anyway, cool that he turned up and a gold star for loquacious for emailing him.
posted by peacay at 10:06 AM on October 4, 2006
Anyway, cool that he turned up and a gold star for loquacious for emailing him.
posted by peacay at 10:06 AM on October 4, 2006
Great, now Bill Gates is going to do the same thing, only years later and crappily.
ok, THAT'S funny.
posted by mkultra at 10:11 AM on October 4, 2006
ok, THAT'S funny.
posted by mkultra at 10:11 AM on October 4, 2006
Fantastic seeing you here, Mr. Jobs!
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:15 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:15 AM on October 4, 2006
Some background on the $2 bill pads, btw. My favorite Woz prank.
posted by mkultra at 10:17 AM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
posted by mkultra at 10:17 AM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
brownpau: "Great, now Bill Gates is going to do the same thing, only years later and crappily."
Doubtful. Gates is more likely to buy MetaFilter from Matt, then sign his name to all the best comments.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:17 AM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
Doubtful. Gates is more likely to buy MetaFilter from Matt, then sign his name to all the best comments.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:17 AM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
It's only a model.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:18 AM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:18 AM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
I want to know which MeFite notified him of the thread. Or... how long as he been lurking?
posted by dobbs at 10:23 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by dobbs at 10:23 AM on October 4, 2006
Stupid malformed link. http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/47835#727903
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:26 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:26 AM on October 4, 2006
Did he pay his membership with two and a half $2 bills?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:26 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:26 AM on October 4, 2006
"That fellow over there is 'Woz'."
"Lets give a welcome to Woz, here. Welcome to America and the real world of MetaFilter!"
posted by Senator George "Macaca" Allen
posted by orthogonality at 10:27 AM on October 4, 2006
"Lets give a welcome to Woz, here. Welcome to America and the real world of MetaFilter!"
posted by Senator George "Macaca" Allen
posted by orthogonality at 10:27 AM on October 4, 2006
Colbert asks all his guests to play it straight and not try to be funny.
posted by empath at 10:27 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by empath at 10:27 AM on October 4, 2006
FINALLY! A MeFite who's bound to have some great inline images to post in threads.
Welcome, Woz. And thanks for all the good woork and good will. :)
posted by Smart Dalek at 10:43 AM on October 4, 2006
Welcome, Woz. And thanks for all the good woork and good will. :)
posted by Smart Dalek at 10:43 AM on October 4, 2006
Colbert asks all his guests to play it straight and not try to be funny.
Woz jammed his radar. At 1:06 into that interview, Colbert stutters "You you you you..." a dozen times while he tries to get his brain back into gear.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:45 AM on October 4, 2006
Woz jammed his radar. At 1:06 into that interview, Colbert stutters "You you you you..." a dozen times while he tries to get his brain back into gear.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:45 AM on October 4, 2006
Damn it, now I wish I'd posted in that AskMe thread about what a genius he is.
mathowie posted "omfg, the Woz is here! the Woz is here!"
What were you saying about no members being able to afford that inflated property?
mkultra writes "Some background on the $2 bill pads, btw."
That is hilarious. A buddy can make up holograms, I think I'm going to get him to make me a few for some IDs.
posted by Mitheral at 10:48 AM on October 4, 2006
mathowie posted "omfg, the Woz is here! the Woz is here!"
What were you saying about no members being able to afford that inflated property?
mkultra writes "Some background on the $2 bill pads, btw."
That is hilarious. A buddy can make up holograms, I think I'm going to get him to make me a few for some IDs.
posted by Mitheral at 10:48 AM on October 4, 2006
man, those 40k-ers sure are full of themselves, eh?
posted by muddgirl at 10:54 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by muddgirl at 10:54 AM on October 4, 2006
Whoa. That's cool as all get-out.
posted by brundlefly at 11:02 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by brundlefly at 11:02 AM on October 4, 2006
Now invite Colbert so he can tell his side of the story.
posted by timeistight at 11:06 AM on October 4, 2006
posted by timeistight at 11:06 AM on October 4, 2006
mathowie, thank you for posting this here; I wouldn't have checked that thread anymore.
Hooray for public figures who are weird in a good way!
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:06 AM on October 4, 2006
Hooray for public figures who are weird in a good way!
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:06 AM on October 4, 2006
Awesome. He's even more reliable than Beetlejuice.
Though I did have to sacrifice my antique wood-boxed Sol microcomputer over a burning pyre of copies of paper punch tapes obtained from the Homebrew Computer Club.
It's ok. They were just copies of the proto-DOS that Bill Gates "borrowed", and well - the Sol sucked.
posted by loquacious at 11:29 AM on October 4, 2006
Though I did have to sacrifice my antique wood-boxed Sol microcomputer over a burning pyre of copies of paper punch tapes obtained from the Homebrew Computer Club.
It's ok. They were just copies of the proto-DOS that Bill Gates "borrowed", and well - the Sol sucked.
posted by loquacious at 11:29 AM on October 4, 2006
OMG OMG OMFG HE WROTE ME BACK!!! *swoooooon*
posted by loquacious at 12:43 PM on October 4, 2006
From: [loquacious] jason23 at gmail.com Mailed-By: gmail.comOMG did you see how he used 1/4th the chips on that board? Sooooo dreamy.
To: Steve Wozniak < [redacted] at woz.org>
Date: Oct 4, 2006 12:08 PM
Subject: Re: Hello there. I thought you might like this like from MetaFilter.
Thank you very much for your reply - both here in email and on
MetaFilter. You just made a whole bunch of proto-nerds who grew up on
your hardware *very* happy and surprised.
And I cannot pass by this golden opportunity to thank you personally -
as personally as I'll ever likely be able to - for the Apple. I stated
this in the Ask.Metafilter thread, but I'll say it again: Like
millions of others, I don't know where I'd be today if it wasn't for
your Apple. I don't even know where to begin, words fail, much freely
given bowing and scraping, etcetera, etcetera. Thank you.
Frankly, I don't know how you can stand it. :) My head would simply explode.
In the highly unlikely chance you ever need or want for anything at
all, feel free to ping me for whatever reason. I may be money-poor,
but I'm time-wealthy and novelty-rich, and it would be nothing but an
honor. (Technology in education is one favorite topic among many, to
be sure. If you're ever stumped and want an outside sounding board,
try me! :) )
Thanks again. Good luck with the book!
-Jason/loquacious
(No reply is expected to this email. You're very busy. I type too
much. One reply is more than enough!)
- Hide quoted text -
On 10/4/06, Steve Wozniak < [redacted] at woz.org> wrote:
> At 11:13 PM -0700 2006.10.03, slide wrote:
>
> >
> >...but first, apologies for the small email alias bomb. I couldn't
> >find an email for you on woz.org, and I'm just assuming you have one
> >of those sane mail-handling daemons that catch even erroneous email
> >packets.
> >
> >http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/47835
>
> thanks
>
> I posted
>
> This book tour has me in about 7 events a day in various cities and I can barely keep up with life.
> --
>
> -- tv is wake zone
>
posted by loquacious at 12:43 PM on October 4, 2006
good thing that thread didn't get prematurely closed as being chatfilter
posted by caddis at 12:46 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by caddis at 12:46 PM on October 4, 2006
Geek idol worship, now this is fun!!
posted by wheelieman at 12:52 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by wheelieman at 12:52 PM on October 4, 2006
I cannot resist a "meta" observation about the original AskMe thread. Steve Wozniak was not the person who "invented personal computing pretty much." That's an historical fallacy which sticks in my craw, made more annoying because the claim came from an admin, and even more annoying yet because it was marked a best answer. (Or perhaps that's the subtle point with the best answer mark; Woz is special for the mythos which has sprung up concerning his efforts).
Woz inventing personal computers? No, it just didn't happen that way. Personal computing not only would have been invented, but was being invented outside of the Woz world while he was doing his work. I lived through the early mainstreaming of personal computers, working on Apple II's for a living and owning a TRS-80 Model I, and I remember it fairly well. Not that my experience itself is any distinction: there are others posting here who lived through the Imsai and Altair days before my time and interest, computers which were arguably forerunners to all of today's personal computers. There are even some 60's mainframe jockeys here who have claim to greater computing chops that any of the rest of us.
But returning to the claim of invention, Woz had quite a bit of early competition for his company, and not because of cloning or design rip-offs (e.g. the Z-80 chip was generally more powerful than the 6502). Although now a joke, the TRS-80 was a strong contender before IBM's PC entry, with the Commodore PET an early dark horse candidate (a bit later to become the vastly more popular C-64). Plus there were a large number of CP/M machines and vendors. All of those PC's were contemporaries of the early popular Apple models. For a while it wasn't clear who would survive the early PC wars; the computing community was rife with speculation.
I don't say this to denigrate Steve Wozniak. I too admire him and consider him one of the few good guys who still enjoy a mostly unsullied reputation from then to this very day. He is almost unique in the respect and if only for that alone -- discounting his many other major accomplishments -- he gets a tip of the hat from me.
Which leads to a second observation about an annoyance in the original topic and here. People are now behaving in an exactly opposite way to that which made Woz so well-liked across multiple platforms and their advocates. Wozniak didn't gratuitously bad-mouth the competition. Yet already to honor Steve Wozniak I see stupid jokes posted about Bill Gates and Microsoft, as if people just can't let it go, even when cheering on the one figure who typically rose above that sort of nonsense. And a mean-spirited part deep inside keeps egging me on to point out that the person running Apple, one Steve Jobs, has ample evidence to show he is at least as much the evil thieving lying bastard as Bill Gates ever was. Jobs just did it with a lot more style.
I suppose my observations here would have fit better in the original AskMe early on, but after the Apple fan-base came in and the best answers were marked, it would have been swimming against the tide; no more than a gesture of pure petulance. Now with the presence of Steve Wozniak there, the topic gains stature and direction far beyond any bleating on historical inaccuracy I might make. So I carp and cavil in the one place reserved for such nattering.
Oh well, an enthusiast exaggerates the historical importance of a pioneer in the industry. It's neither the first nor worst time a best answer deviated from strict accuracy. And yet the world spins on.
posted by mdevore at 12:56 PM on October 4, 2006 [3 favorites]
Woz inventing personal computers? No, it just didn't happen that way. Personal computing not only would have been invented, but was being invented outside of the Woz world while he was doing his work. I lived through the early mainstreaming of personal computers, working on Apple II's for a living and owning a TRS-80 Model I, and I remember it fairly well. Not that my experience itself is any distinction: there are others posting here who lived through the Imsai and Altair days before my time and interest, computers which were arguably forerunners to all of today's personal computers. There are even some 60's mainframe jockeys here who have claim to greater computing chops that any of the rest of us.
But returning to the claim of invention, Woz had quite a bit of early competition for his company, and not because of cloning or design rip-offs (e.g. the Z-80 chip was generally more powerful than the 6502). Although now a joke, the TRS-80 was a strong contender before IBM's PC entry, with the Commodore PET an early dark horse candidate (a bit later to become the vastly more popular C-64). Plus there were a large number of CP/M machines and vendors. All of those PC's were contemporaries of the early popular Apple models. For a while it wasn't clear who would survive the early PC wars; the computing community was rife with speculation.
I don't say this to denigrate Steve Wozniak. I too admire him and consider him one of the few good guys who still enjoy a mostly unsullied reputation from then to this very day. He is almost unique in the respect and if only for that alone -- discounting his many other major accomplishments -- he gets a tip of the hat from me.
Which leads to a second observation about an annoyance in the original topic and here. People are now behaving in an exactly opposite way to that which made Woz so well-liked across multiple platforms and their advocates. Wozniak didn't gratuitously bad-mouth the competition. Yet already to honor Steve Wozniak I see stupid jokes posted about Bill Gates and Microsoft, as if people just can't let it go, even when cheering on the one figure who typically rose above that sort of nonsense. And a mean-spirited part deep inside keeps egging me on to point out that the person running Apple, one Steve Jobs, has ample evidence to show he is at least as much the evil thieving lying bastard as Bill Gates ever was. Jobs just did it with a lot more style.
I suppose my observations here would have fit better in the original AskMe early on, but after the Apple fan-base came in and the best answers were marked, it would have been swimming against the tide; no more than a gesture of pure petulance. Now with the presence of Steve Wozniak there, the topic gains stature and direction far beyond any bleating on historical inaccuracy I might make. So I carp and cavil in the one place reserved for such nattering.
Oh well, an enthusiast exaggerates the historical importance of a pioneer in the industry. It's neither the first nor worst time a best answer deviated from strict accuracy. And yet the world spins on.
posted by mdevore at 12:56 PM on October 4, 2006 [3 favorites]
mdevore, first off, unclench. I knew I was making a grandiose statement and generalizing over all the little details of the past 30 years but from ten miles up, he had a great deal to do with the first personal computer people like my dad could buy and bring home.
He invented personal computers for the home for me personally, because I got to have one in the house when I was 8 years old and I was extremely happy about it and it changed the direction of my life.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:34 PM on October 4, 2006
He invented personal computers for the home for me personally, because I got to have one in the house when I was 8 years old and I was extremely happy about it and it changed the direction of my life.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:34 PM on October 4, 2006
Well said, mdevore. Mea culpa.
I'm allowed to make fun of Gates. Providing support for his products have actually caused me to lose non-trivial amounts of blood. More than once.
And as I've actually used/operated many of the pre-Apple systems from Altair to Z80 - even having had the honorable experience of entering code via switch-bank on an IMSAI, I feel at least partially qualified to comment and snipe - and I snipe only because I love.
Sure, it could have been Commodore, IBM, Altair, IMSAI. It certainly wasn't going to be Cromemco. It could have been different. It could have been vastly different. It could have sucked.
But it wasn't. And it didn't.
It wouldn't be any sort of stretch to identify Wozniak as the inventor of the personal computer - as we know and love it today.
It's more than just the concept of the integrated video display and other integrated, on-board I/O. It's more than the modularity, the openness of the original Apple machines. It's more than elegant hacks of doing much more with much less.
Besides being an ethos. it is also a mindset, a set, and a setting.
It was something that worked, and it worked fantastically well.
Very, very few of these earlier microcomputers worked as well as the Apple 1 and 2 did. (Work is more than simply getting things done, remember. It's also about pleasure, thinking, satisfaction and the freedom for those little "Eureka!" moments.) They were microcomputers, not personal computers. They had little to offer to the average person.
Even the more commercial and less hobby-oriented micros like the PET and the various incarnations of the Sinclair/Z80 were not very personable at all.
Apple changed that. Wozniak took a bunch of incredible magic and stuffed it in an incredibly simple/small little mainboard. Jobs took that and (eventually) packaged it into something shiny and friendly with lots of documentation, and then went into salesman mode. (Sorry. Does that imply modality?) Sure, this reeks of pie-eyed sentimentality and is dripping in hyperbole, but... damn. They got it right, and it had everything to do with the product and very little to do with marketing, style, or anything else.
It was indeed a better mouse trap, and what a path we beat to that door.
So... is history fair? No. Does anyone really remember Lee Felsenstein? The SOL? The PennyWhistle modem? Not really. Some of us do, I guess.
Should we be sad for them, or worse, reverent? Nah. They each played their parts, and served their purposes.
And some of us remember, anyway.
posted by loquacious at 1:41 PM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
I'm allowed to make fun of Gates. Providing support for his products have actually caused me to lose non-trivial amounts of blood. More than once.
And as I've actually used/operated many of the pre-Apple systems from Altair to Z80 - even having had the honorable experience of entering code via switch-bank on an IMSAI, I feel at least partially qualified to comment and snipe - and I snipe only because I love.
Sure, it could have been Commodore, IBM, Altair, IMSAI. It certainly wasn't going to be Cromemco. It could have been different. It could have been vastly different. It could have sucked.
But it wasn't. And it didn't.
It wouldn't be any sort of stretch to identify Wozniak as the inventor of the personal computer - as we know and love it today.
It's more than just the concept of the integrated video display and other integrated, on-board I/O. It's more than the modularity, the openness of the original Apple machines. It's more than elegant hacks of doing much more with much less.
Besides being an ethos. it is also a mindset, a set, and a setting.
It was something that worked, and it worked fantastically well.
Very, very few of these earlier microcomputers worked as well as the Apple 1 and 2 did. (Work is more than simply getting things done, remember. It's also about pleasure, thinking, satisfaction and the freedom for those little "Eureka!" moments.) They were microcomputers, not personal computers. They had little to offer to the average person.
Even the more commercial and less hobby-oriented micros like the PET and the various incarnations of the Sinclair/Z80 were not very personable at all.
Apple changed that. Wozniak took a bunch of incredible magic and stuffed it in an incredibly simple/small little mainboard. Jobs took that and (eventually) packaged it into something shiny and friendly with lots of documentation, and then went into salesman mode. (Sorry. Does that imply modality?) Sure, this reeks of pie-eyed sentimentality and is dripping in hyperbole, but... damn. They got it right, and it had everything to do with the product and very little to do with marketing, style, or anything else.
It was indeed a better mouse trap, and what a path we beat to that door.
So... is history fair? No. Does anyone really remember Lee Felsenstein? The SOL? The PennyWhistle modem? Not really. Some of us do, I guess.
Should we be sad for them, or worse, reverent? Nah. They each played their parts, and served their purposes.
And some of us remember, anyway.
posted by loquacious at 1:41 PM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
Not clenched; I seldom clench over posted remarks. It's all pixels and fairy dust in the end.
I simply wanted a common and inaccurate historical claim (you are not the first to make it by a few million) to have a counterclaim on record in close proximity, and perhaps also to reduce a few of the "you are great because they are awful" remarks by others, which I find extremely tiresome to read.
Egotistical of me, no doubt, but I too suffer the human condition.
posted by mdevore at 1:41 PM on October 4, 2006
I simply wanted a common and inaccurate historical claim (you are not the first to make it by a few million) to have a counterclaim on record in close proximity, and perhaps also to reduce a few of the "you are great because they are awful" remarks by others, which I find extremely tiresome to read.
Egotistical of me, no doubt, but I too suffer the human condition.
posted by mdevore at 1:41 PM on October 4, 2006
mdevore: "Yet already to honor Steve Wozniak I see stupid jokes posted about Bill Gates and Microsoft, as if people just can't let it go, even when cheering on the one figure who typically rose above that sort of nonsense."
For the record, my stupid joke about Bill Gates and Microsoft was not to honor Steve Wozniak, it was because I'm an attention whore and I tell stupid jokes about everybody.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:51 PM on October 4, 2006
For the record, my stupid joke about Bill Gates and Microsoft was not to honor Steve Wozniak, it was because I'm an attention whore and I tell stupid jokes about everybody.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:51 PM on October 4, 2006
*focuses eyes on IRFH*
posted by sonofsamiam at 1:57 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by sonofsamiam at 1:57 PM on October 4, 2006
So henceforth he has to be known in public as "MetaFilter's own Steve Wozniak", right?
posted by briank at 1:58 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by briank at 1:58 PM on October 4, 2006
Don't forget that Microsoft and Apple were intimately entwined almost from the very beginning, to the great benefit of both companies.
posted by timeistight at 2:01 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by timeistight at 2:01 PM on October 4, 2006
loquacious is right. Woz helped bring the fire down from the mountain for the rest of us.
mdevore is also right. Woz is above the petty "[Gates|Jobs] is an asshole" bullshit. Unlike the rest of us, he actually knows Jobs and (I assume) Gates. If any mefite has a right to bitch about those two, it is him by like 17 million percent.
Welcome to Metafilter, Mr. Wozniak. I'm glad that you are here.
posted by SteveTheRed at 2:08 PM on October 4, 2006
mdevore is also right. Woz is above the petty "[Gates|Jobs] is an asshole" bullshit. Unlike the rest of us, he actually knows Jobs and (I assume) Gates. If any mefite has a right to bitch about those two, it is him by like 17 million percent.
Welcome to Metafilter, Mr. Wozniak. I'm glad that you are here.
posted by SteveTheRed at 2:08 PM on October 4, 2006
I notice there's not a section of the site named for Steve Wozniak, but you do have one named for Steve Jobs.
WHAT'S THE DEAL MATT?
posted by Captaintripps at 2:09 PM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
WHAT'S THE DEAL MATT?
posted by Captaintripps at 2:09 PM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
Slight correction: In my last post, I assumed that no one else on MeFi knows Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. Since I have no idea of who else is lurking, I could be seriously wrong.
posted by SteveTheRed at 2:13 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by SteveTheRed at 2:13 PM on October 4, 2006
It's all pixels and fairy dust in the end.
If MeFiCo. were to explode today, I'd want this on the tombstone.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 2:14 PM on October 4, 2006
If MeFiCo. were to explode today, I'd want this on the tombstone.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 2:14 PM on October 4, 2006
Woz helped bring the fire down from the mountain for the rest of us.
And Bill Gates pecks out my liver every day.
posted by horsewithnoname at 3:14 PM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
And Bill Gates pecks out my liver every day.
posted by horsewithnoname at 3:14 PM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]
In my last post, I assumed that no one else on MeFi knows Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. Since I have no idea of who else is lurking, I could be seriously wrong.
Well SteveTheRed, that depends on how you mean knows... do you mean, like in the biblical sense?
posted by R. Mutt at 3:24 PM on October 4, 2006
Well SteveTheRed, that depends on how you mean knows... do you mean, like in the biblical sense?
posted by R. Mutt at 3:24 PM on October 4, 2006
Ok, I'm not ashamed to admit that I hyperventilated a little bit seeing Woz posting on MeFi.
The Meta is turning into a veritable clearing house for celebrities. And, because you know they do research here, one of Colbert's people should really get him an account.
[waves arms]
Hey Colbert's intern! Yeah you. Get your boss to start posting! You've been stealing our best lines for a while, and the time has come to pay us back!
posted by quin at 3:43 PM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
The Meta is turning into a veritable clearing house for celebrities. And, because you know they do research here, one of Colbert's people should really get him an account.
[waves arms]
Hey Colbert's intern! Yeah you. Get your boss to start posting! You've been stealing our best lines for a while, and the time has come to pay us back!
posted by quin at 3:43 PM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
Posting History:
MetaFilter: no posts and no comments
MetaTalk: no posts and no comments
Ask MeFi: no questions and 1 answer
MeFi Music: no songs and no comments and no playlists
MeFi Projects: no posts
Favorites: none saved and contributions from stevewoz saved by others 83 times
Ok Steve, here's the deal. We're going to need one FPP, one flameout/callout, one question, one song (rap ok) and one project (I'm sure you'll think of something). We'll give you a week and re-evaluate your membership. If the high council approves, we'll bump you to Gold Member status.
Good luck!
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 3:46 PM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
MetaFilter: no posts and no comments
MetaTalk: no posts and no comments
Ask MeFi: no questions and 1 answer
MeFi Music: no songs and no comments and no playlists
MeFi Projects: no posts
Favorites: none saved and contributions from stevewoz saved by others 83 times
Ok Steve, here's the deal. We're going to need one FPP, one flameout/callout, one question, one song (rap ok) and one project (I'm sure you'll think of something). We'll give you a week and re-evaluate your membership. If the high council approves, we'll bump you to Gold Member status.
Good luck!
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 3:46 PM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]
oh woz from now on every single askme thread without you is just going to feel so *empty* inside...
posted by naxosaxur at 3:58 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by naxosaxur at 3:58 PM on October 4, 2006
Woz helped bring the fire down from the mountain for the rest of us.
And Bill Gates pecks out my liver every day.
posted by horsewithnoname at 3:14 PM PST on October 4 [+] [!]
And then your liver reboots every night so you can suffer again the next day?
posted by freebird at 4:04 PM on October 4, 2006
And Bill Gates pecks out my liver every day.
posted by horsewithnoname at 3:14 PM PST on October 4 [+] [!]
And then your liver reboots every night so you can suffer again the next day?
posted by freebird at 4:04 PM on October 4, 2006
I don't know about your liver, but if I wasn't religious about rebooting my liver I'd never get any serious drinking done.
posted by loquacious at 4:13 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by loquacious at 4:13 PM on October 4, 2006
Booting, sure. But re-booting? That's just gross.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:22 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:22 PM on October 4, 2006
Peacay: I can't speak for Colbert, exactly, but I don't think that was meant as an undercut. His entire comedic background in improv, and he's said in almost every interview that he's ever given (plus the Knox College commencement) how strongly he believes in that ethos, that essentially is to go along with your partner and accept. ("yes-and.")
Personally, I didn't think it was "awkward," exactly. I think Dr. Colbert is just flabergasted at the sheer eccentricity of the Woz and it just floored him. Or, that was my take. Clearly, I have my biases.
posted by absalom at 4:23 PM on October 4, 2006
Personally, I didn't think it was "awkward," exactly. I think Dr. Colbert is just flabergasted at the sheer eccentricity of the Woz and it just floored him. Or, that was my take. Clearly, I have my biases.
posted by absalom at 4:23 PM on October 4, 2006
(shakes head sadly over the remains of his Amiga, wondering what if)
posted by evilcolonel at 4:26 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by evilcolonel at 4:26 PM on October 4, 2006
Unfortunately I don't have any good young pictures of Woz, so he is spared the following embarassment.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:26 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:26 PM on October 4, 2006
I'm glad that I'm not the only one dorky enough to add him to my contacts. I am amongst my people.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 4:28 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by LittleMissCranky at 4:28 PM on October 4, 2006
Another historic day for Metafilter!
And loquacious, you little star-effer! Come on over here and lemme give you a hug! You rock!
posted by snsranch at 4:39 PM on October 4, 2006
And loquacious, you little star-effer! Come on over here and lemme give you a hug! You rock!
posted by snsranch at 4:39 PM on October 4, 2006
That "interview" wasn't bad really, Woz is just a friggin handfull and Colbert wasn't prepared for that.
posted by snsranch at 4:43 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by snsranch at 4:43 PM on October 4, 2006
And then your liver reboots every night so you can suffer again the next day?
So long as I'm chained to my company's Windows platfo...
Ouch! I think I hyperextended a metaphor.
posted by horsewithnoname at 5:03 PM on October 4, 2006
So long as I'm chained to my company's Windows platfo...
Ouch! I think I hyperextended a metaphor.
posted by horsewithnoname at 5:03 PM on October 4, 2006
I have never seen the nerds so atwitter!
posted by found missing at 5:04 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by found missing at 5:04 PM on October 4, 2006
I thought that interview was not the best (though not the worst either) because they just had such different sensibilities. Colbert is usually doing satire or parody, or being kind of a smart ass, whereas wozniak's humor was based on a kinda "quirky prankster" mentality. And also the delivery is totally different - colbert is king of deadpan, whereas wozniak is like a kid on christmas morning, bursting with excitement about his goofy joke. I have plenty of respect for the Woz, and it's awesome he posted here, but I can't say I find him the least bit funny... Kinda reminded me of that viggo mortensen interview on the daily show.
posted by mdn at 5:07 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by mdn at 5:07 PM on October 4, 2006
I need some "do not flush over cities" stickers.
posted by A dead Quaker at 5:15 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by A dead Quaker at 5:15 PM on October 4, 2006
I have never seen the nerds so atwitter!
I'm still spinning. I keep pinching myself. I want to throw the moistest panties. Seriously, the ability to thank Woz for the Apple and everything else is worth so much.
Thanks to hackers large and small everywhere, of course, but, damn. Hot damn.
posted by loquacious at 5:40 PM on October 4, 2006
I'm still spinning. I keep pinching myself. I want to throw the moistest panties. Seriously, the ability to thank Woz for the Apple and everything else is worth so much.
Thanks to hackers large and small everywhere, of course, but, damn. Hot damn.
posted by loquacious at 5:40 PM on October 4, 2006
Whatever you may think of his other accomplishments, there's no denying that Woz's 10,500%-- and climbing-- has surpassed everybody (yes, even you, jonson) in most-favorited per # of comments ratio.
posted by dersins at 6:04 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by dersins at 6:04 PM on October 4, 2006
I had one favorite fake ID that I'd used for almost every airplane flight, domestic and international, that I'd taken for many years. It says "Laser Safety Officer" and has a photo of me with an eyepatch.
posted by blag at 7:01 PM on October 4, 2006
heh - userno 43565.
that's approaching three times mine.
*feels smugly superior to this n00b*
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:15 PM on October 4, 2006
that's approaching three times mine.
*feels smugly superior to this n00b*
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:15 PM on October 4, 2006
This makes me really really really wish the Mac 512 that I grew up on was still functional so I could join in the fangirling. I miss playing Airborne.
posted by casarkos at 8:34 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by casarkos at 8:34 PM on October 4, 2006
aaaaaahhhhhhiiiighhhhh!
ahhhhhhggghh!
*gasp*
aiiiiiiggghhhhh!
posted by mwhybark at 8:56 PM on October 4, 2006
ahhhhhhggghh!
*gasp*
aiiiiiiggghhhhh!
posted by mwhybark at 8:56 PM on October 4, 2006
I dunno, I thought Woz hung Colbert out to dry.
Colbert asked Woz for a computer joke, and Woz said "256. That's a computer joke." And Colbert didn't even realize a joke had been told, and kept on badgering Woz to tell a joke.
Ah well. I guess I too know who my people are. If I'd known Woz was going to read my reply in the original thread, though, I'd have tried to make it more clear that he was my very first hero when I was just a kid, thumbing through old computer manuals looking for evidence of intelligent life in the universe.
posted by ikkyu2 at 10:12 PM on October 4, 2006
Colbert asked Woz for a computer joke, and Woz said "256. That's a computer joke." And Colbert didn't even realize a joke had been told, and kept on badgering Woz to tell a joke.
Ah well. I guess I too know who my people are. If I'd known Woz was going to read my reply in the original thread, though, I'd have tried to make it more clear that he was my very first hero when I was just a kid, thumbing through old computer manuals looking for evidence of intelligent life in the universe.
posted by ikkyu2 at 10:12 PM on October 4, 2006
We're all woz at heart.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:46 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by five fresh fish at 10:46 PM on October 4, 2006
SteveTheRed, you are, in fact, wrong about that. But little else.
posted by Dunwitty at 11:52 PM on October 4, 2006
posted by Dunwitty at 11:52 PM on October 4, 2006
Question: is there anyone else besides Woz with a comparably big footprint on the nerd radar who might call forth this sort of outpouring of respect and affection? I frankly don't see it happening in the same way for the other Steve, who was always more of a businessman and is now of course strongly identified with non-computer stuff like music/video players and movie studios. Other legends like RMS would get plenty of respect, sure, but a lot of more conflicted responses also. Maybe Linus, if he happened to turn up one day. Anyone else?
posted by jfuller at 10:53 AM on October 5, 2006
posted by jfuller at 10:53 AM on October 5, 2006
Well, asavage's stock just plummeted.
posted by Durin's Bane at 11:25 AM on October 5, 2006
posted by Durin's Bane at 11:25 AM on October 5, 2006
> I want to throw the moistest panties.
Ok; I'm fairly open-minded and a little kinky, by common standards... but, um, "ick". :-)
And about user numbers? Sit, Ubu, sit.
posted by baylink at 12:39 PM on October 5, 2006
Ok; I'm fairly open-minded and a little kinky, by common standards... but, um, "ick". :-)
And about user numbers? Sit, Ubu, sit.
posted by baylink at 12:39 PM on October 5, 2006
Anyone else?
Tim Berners-Lee?
Doug Englebart?
The Ghost of John Von Neumann?
posted by forrest at 1:59 PM on October 5, 2006
Tim Berners-Lee?
Doug Englebart?
The Ghost of John Von Neumann?
posted by forrest at 1:59 PM on October 5, 2006
jfuller: I can't speak to the nerd footprint, but imagine if Bill Clinton posted here. This place would blow an O-ring.
posted by found missing at 4:16 PM on October 5, 2006
posted by found missing at 4:16 PM on October 5, 2006
Well, something would get blown, anyway...
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:24 PM on October 5, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:24 PM on October 5, 2006 [1 favorite]
I have five bucks just burning a hole in my pocket, that Clinton thing is sooo tempting.
posted by caddis at 5:27 PM on October 5, 2006
posted by caddis at 5:27 PM on October 5, 2006
You'd need to get Matt in on it. Few would have believed it really was the Woz if Matt hadn't verified the email address.
jfuller writes "Anyone else?"
James Doohan if he wasn't dead, Matt Groening?
posted by Mitheral at 7:08 PM on October 5, 2006
jfuller writes "Anyone else?"
James Doohan if he wasn't dead, Matt Groening?
posted by Mitheral at 7:08 PM on October 5, 2006
Just a follow-up to my post about Woz:
My MacBook Pro died (no power on/POST/etc... nada) shortly after I made that post.
I blame all you zealot lunatics!! And Woz!!
posted by basicchannel at 3:59 PM on October 13, 2006
My MacBook Pro died (no power on/POST/etc... nada) shortly after I made that post.
I blame all you zealot lunatics!! And Woz!!
posted by basicchannel at 3:59 PM on October 13, 2006
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by riotgrrl69 at 9:02 AM on October 4, 2006