The Spark

Here is the product -- and the magazine cover -- that started the revolution.

Reading this article sent Gates and Allen into developing a BASIC programming language for the machine (after having picked up the phone and telling Altair officials that they had already done so).

It also sent the geeks at the Valley-based Homebrew Computer Club into a frenzy. Here, in kit form, was the answer to their dreams. By the time Wozniak showed up for a meeting, one was there laying spread-out across a folding table for all to inspect.

The company that made the Altair 8088, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), was a garage startup just like its more famed follower-firms that would come along a few years later. Founded by former Air Force engineers, its initial products were radio transmitters and the heavy-duty programmable calculators of the day. Its mail order approach gave it tremendous advantage on delivering the first desktop PCs to the massive starving geeks demand.

The early units are now collector items.

Was Rick Perry shitfaced?

It's the question raging among the netaholics and political junkies today: was Rick Perry drunk when he made this speech on the New Hampshire campaign trail or not?



Two scenarios:

- If Yes: is getting one's drink on a good idea for a presidential candidate? What does this say about his capacity for sound judgement?

- If No: This is what the guy acts like when he's sober? What other excuse can he now fall back on?

Joe's Bruno's Ghost - Halloween Edition

You Got Questions? Uncle Joe Has Answers.


Dear Joe,

I see where disgraced Congressman John Sweeney is actively practicing law. He was recently hired by some big shot Albany firm, even. Seeing him back working full time, I was wondering if you have thought about doing the same?

Pete


Dear Pete,

Sweeney is practicing law again? You gotta be shitting me! Can you imagine having this guy as your attorney? I mean, come on: he'd stand up to say something and the whole joint would burst out laughing. You wouldn't be able to shut up the giggles coming from the jury box.

Speaking of Sweeney, there's something that's been bugging me for awhile now. Remember that last DWI, where he was pulled over on the Northway with the young barmaid "on his lap?" What the hell does that mean, "on his lap?" I mean, was she sitting there butt-to-lap? If so, what direction was she facing? Was she driving the wheel, like a little baby? Or are we talking some other part of her being "on his lap?" Details, we need details! Jesus Christ, if I were still in charge here we'd have a full blown investigation into this matter, a commission or whatever. Instead, we don't know ooo-gots! This place has really gone to hell.


Dear Senator J,

What do you make out of the Occupy Wall Street thingamajig?

Bernie Samuels


Dear Writer B,

I actually went down there last week to check it out for myself. At first, I thought it was just a bunch of bored college kids who were trying to live out the 60's that they just read about in some class they took. But then I heard them yelling 'Fox News Lies!' and I knew they were my kind of people. I mean, look at the hatchet job the media did on me! That made me fall right in line with them. But five minutes later, I needed to take my afternoon nap.


Hey JBG,

How can I get a no-show job at the State, like your daughter supposedly got?

Frank A Tomlin


Hey FAT,

How about you meet me in the squared circle at the gym tomorrow morning?


Dear Ghost of Joe,

I hear you're a pretty good cook. Do you have any special recipe for doing up a good plate of lasagna?

Phyllis B,


Dear Ghost of Phyllis,

Sure thing. Here's how I make that happen. First, I lay out the plates and silverware. Then I open up a nice bottle of red wine. Then, I pick up the phone and call the boys down at one of the pie palaces I used to flood with state business and say "Hey Paisan: Uncle Joe here. Do me up a tin of the best lasagna you know to make down there and get it over to the ranch, on the double." It's funny, though - one of them told me to go take a flying leap the other night. He must have been having a bad day, I guess.



Dear Joe Bruno,

Knowing that you were a big shot at an Information Technology firm after leaving office, I thought I would hit you up for some advice on a computer problem I'm having. My Google searches are taking forever in Internet Explorer. But not Yahoo or Bing. I think it has something to do with some browser plugins that were added. How do I go about unloading all of them? Thanks in advance.

Rudy Lindahl


Dear Rudy Lindahl,

WTF are you talking about? Google? Bing? Yahoo? Your making sounds a little baby would make. What are you, one year old or something? How did you learn to write if you're only one. I know, someone wrote this letter for you, didn't they? I'm on to your act. You can't bullshit a bullshitter, you little punk.

Dumb Ain't Good

talk talk talk

Listening to sports talk radio in the Boston market these days -- where you'd think the Red Sox committed the worst atrocity in the history of mankind by not making the playoffs -- makes me realize how similar these on-air blabbermouths are to the right wing sociopaths (Beck, Savage, etc) that dominate the political talk shows:

The more they keep talking, the further divorced from reality they become.

Fixing the OTB Mess

Privatize all the parlors / franchise the service to tracks


The Problem:

NYC OTB is closed. No longer can people walk to the neighborhood parlor to place a bet on the ponies running at the three NYRA tracks, Finger Lakes, the in-state harness tracks and out-of-state races. As a result, the handle (the amount of money wagered)is negatively effected to all those racing operations. Of importance to New Yorkers is the in-state tracks. In addition, funding to the New York State racing breeding programs are negatively effected.

Granted, NYRA immediately stepped-up with proactive initiatives after the NYC OTB doors closed. The result has been an uptick in on-track attendance and handle, which is a good thing.

But much like the old Sales School 101 rule to "never leave any money on the table" when closing a deal, the fact remains that a significant amount of wagering money is being lost to the state racing coffers as a result. This is not to wax nostalgic for the old OTB, by any means. On the contrary: the business model on which OTB operates (and arguably: was founded on) is a total mess.

Various plans are being floated as to "what next?" for NYC OTB. Given that at least two of other regional OTB corporations are in poor financial health as well, the question becomes a statewide concern. Suggested options include:

- Do nothing and operate without an OTB framework in NY
- Re-open NYC under a new efficiency model
- Re-open NYC and merge the separate OTB corp's into a single entity
- Allow NYRA to operate its own OTB operation in NYC

The Fix-It Man has a better idea...


The Solution:

The State / the OTB's / NYRA / whoever does not need to be in the business of operating OTB parlors.

Instead: open the opportunity for doing so to the private sector.

Setting: stop into any "neighborhood" type of bar or restaurant some weekday at lunch time and what do you see? Answer: a bunch of locals hanging out, with many of them occasionally buying a Keno/Lottery ticket from the barkeep. Come Sunday, that same crowd is gathering to watch NFL football, often tossing a few bucks at the "$10/square" grid behind the bar or making sneaky bets with fellow fans.

In other words, there are thousands of gambling dens already operating all across NYS, and they are all owned and operated by private business men and women. Horse racing needs to become embedded into these facilities.

How? That part is easy to answer. All we need to do is pick up a self-service betting machine from one of the race tracks, put it in a truck and deliver it to a bar that has paid to have one. Hook it up to the AC and the internet, and it's ready to go. OK, maybe not that simple, but it's awfully darn close! The machine vendors will gladly get involved in making the necessary firmware modifications, given the bonanza they are now sitting on.

So there you have it: walk into a bar, and there is a NYRA machine. Right next to the jukebox and the terminal that tells you that lottery ticket you bought last week is worth nothing. The bar gets a piece of the action.

Next comes the question of "who maintains the machines?" That answer is easy as well: the nearest race track. Take a map of NY, plot out the existing thoroughbred and harness tracks, and draw a circle around each one. That becomes their franchise area. The tracks already have the expertise in the care & feeding of the wagering terminals--now they just need to buy a few trucks to service their partners in the field.

But how does the money get divvied up among all the players -- the originating track, the private facility, the local franchise track, the breeding industry, the state?

Someone else figure all that out. I've just outlined the new paradigm. Details are not my forte.

Now, let's get on with it!

Girls Can Play Guitar, Too!

Debbie Davies: Friday, October 21

Blues Artist of Year to Play @ Saratoga


Growing up in LA in the 1960’s, Debbie Davies found that being a female guitar player meant only one thing: strumming an acoustic model. The electrics were still toys meant only for boys. But when she heard the British blues-rock bands, particularly the driving sounds of Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, she became completely captivated.

Going against the grains of society’s accepted roles of the time, Debbie pursued her dream with the passion of an artist and the soul of a rebel – by plugging in and turning up the volume. That path would eventually lead her to winning two Blues Music Association Awards in the ensuing years, including her latest in 2010.

Debbie Davies brings her supercharged electric blues band into Saratoga's Parting Glass Pub music room for a 9PM show on Friday, October 21.

Davies cut her teeth playing in blues and rock ‘n roll bands in California until1984, where she landed the lead guitar spot in Maggie Mayall and the Cadillacs, an all-female band led by the wife of John himself. In 1988 she was recruited by Albert Collins to join the Icebreakers, and for the next three years she was a featured guitarist performing behind one of the most innovative bluesmen of all time.

“I stepped through a door into the real blues world when I joined Albert’s band,” Davies says. “It’s one thing to listen to the records and pull off the licks, or sit in the audience watching these artists play. But actually going out and touring with one, turned the blues into something completely three-dimensional for me. I knew then what a special opportunity this was, but I know it even more now.”

“It was the most powerful band I had ever played with, so I learned to dig even deeper into myself to pull out the music. Albert was a man of so much grace and kindness, so I can only hope that I was able to absorb some of his humanity too.”

In September 1993 she struck out on her own, with the debut release, Picture This. Nine solo and two collaborative CD’s have followed, including her latest, the highly acclaimed and rocking Holdin' Court. She has received multiple nominations for Blues Music Awards, and in 1997 won the award for Best Contemporary Female Blues Artist. This past year, she won as Best Traditional Female Artist.

The local show has as a unique feature its 'Kids Under 16 Free with Adult' component, part of the Let Kids Hear The Music! initiative seeking to expose a new generation to genres not receiving air play across the modern radio dial. Adult tickets are $16 in advance (available thru the Parting Glass website) or $20 at the door.

REVIEWS

"Davies exhibits guitar playing virtuosity with the likes of Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray." (Music Connection)

"She pulls out all the stops. She can play it all: seductive, soulful material, down-home delta blues, or humorous tales of life on the road." (Blues Review Magazine)

"Once in a rare while I hear a musician of such talent that I want people to know. I believe my reputation backs up my ability to recognize exceptional blues guitarists. Such a one is Debbie Davies." (John Mayall)

“She wields an electric guitar as if it were a wand.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Davies playing is extraordinary - full of propulsion and energy and melodic invention.” (People Magazine)


SHOW DETAILS

Debbie Davies Band

Friday, October 21 – 9PM

The Parting Glass - 40-42 Lake Ave - Saratoga Springs, NY

518-583-1916 – www.PartingGlassPub.com

$16 Adv / $20 Door / Under 16 = Free

Tix on Sale Here

Online Energy Usage: the clouds help

From the EarthTalk Files...


Dear EarthTalk: What is the environmental impact of so many people now using sites like Facebook and spending so much time online? (Bob Yearling)

The environmental impact of so much online time really boils down to energy usage, which in turn affects the amount of greenhouse gases we pump into our atmosphere. For one, each of us can help by limiting computer time (whether surfing the ‘net or not) and shutting them down or putting them into sleep mode when we aren’t using them (this can be automated via the computer’s power management control panel).

Also, when shopping for a new computer, consumers and businesses alike can opt for models certified by the federal government as energy efficient with the Energy Star label. If all computers sold in the U.S. met Energy Star requirements, Americans could pocket $1.8 billion annually in saved energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to taking some two million cars off the road.

Individual responsibility aside, the creation and management of more efficient data centers by the major online hubs—especially as we enter the age of “cloud” computing whereby most of the software, content and services we look to our computers for resides online and is served to us as-needed—is what can have the biggest impact. Google, Facebook, and Amazon.com are already deeply committed to the cloud computing model, with Microsoft, Yahoo and others following suit accordingly.

For its part, Google has been a real leaderin the building of green data centers, even powering them with renewable energy. The company recently released environmental footprint scores for several of its data centers. While the energy usage required to run its cloud services (Google Search, Google+, Gmail and YouTube) seems huge in the aggregate—it used 260 megawatt hours to power its data centers in 2010—it boils down to only 7.4 kilowatt hours worth of energy annually per user. Google reports that to provide an individual user with its services for a month uses less energy than leaving a light bulb on for three hours. And because the company has been carbon neutral since 2007, “even that small amount of energy is offset completely, so the carbon footprint of your life on Google is zero.”

In an April 2011 report entitled “How Dirty is your Data?” the non-profit Greenpeace examined energy sources for the 10 largest IT companies involved in cloud computing, finding Apple, Facebook and IBM especially guilty of getting significant amounts of power from coal-fired power plants. (Facebook had come under fire earlier this year when reporters uncovered that the company planned to buy electricity for its brand new eco-friendly data center in Prineville, Oregon—one of the greenest such facilities ever designed and constructed—from a utility that derives most of its power from coal.) Yahoo, Amazon.com and Microsoft scored best in use of renewable alternative energy sources for cloud services.

In the long run, analysts think that the widespread shift to cloud computing will be a great boon to the environment. A report released in September 2011 by Pike Research, “Cloud Computing Energy Efficiency,” predicts that because of the shift to cloud computing and increasing efficiencies, data center power consumption will decrease by 31 percent between 2010 and 2020.


EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

The Education of Steve Jobs

I never met Steve Jobs. But then again, I didn't need to -- I know pretty much exactly where he was coming from. After all, I grew up in the constant company of people just like him.

Jobs was born in the same exact year as was Bill Gates. If one goes in to "plus or minus a year or two" mode, we'd ensnare the names of many more of the early movers and shakers of the desktop computing revolution. That is not an accident.

I'm in there as well, although my badge would read Foot Soldier instead of mover & shaker. Heck, I can even lay claim to having almost been Employee #100-and-something at Apple. Unfortunately, my final interview took place in New Orleans, and let's just say I didn't show up to meet Mr VP with my 'A' game, for the predictable reason. But hey; being young and stupid leads to becoming wise and experienced, hopefully. In my case, it didn't, as I doubled-down on the stupid part a few years later by turning down the offer to be Employee #8 at a little local startup called MapInfo. That was two cups of coffee wasted, sealing my fate for a career in the mid-minors, so to speak.

But back to the shared experiences thing. Guys our age grew up in a continuous "hacking" mode. That term is defined here a bit wider than its popular current usage with its deviant connotations and all . Rather, it refers to the hobby of either building things -- especially electronic things -- or tearing them apart, usually for the sake of repairing them. Pre-teen years were spent building little DIY kits bought at Radio Shack (crystal radios, Morse code tap-taps), where any self-respecting 12yo knew his way around a soldering gun and a circuit board down in the basement. The ensuing teenage years has us neck deep into stereo systems and musical equipment, where we'd be slicing wires, replacing fuses and swapping woofers. The more advanced among us would even dive into the crazy stuff, like adjusting the currency flows of guitar pedals or adding oscillation to synthesizers. All in search of the most spaced-out sound, of course.

Growing up in this type of culture made for an easy transition onto the early world of PC's. Heck, it really wasn't even a transition; it was just another set of toys. Swapping mother boards in a chassis really wasn't that much different than replacing a blown crossover in a speaker cabinet. So when Jobs or Gates or Wozniak or Allen and all the others from that Boomer 2.0 wave ran across the older guys from the ham radio and punch card worlds with these new transistor boxes that had a little bit of decision-making power to them -- just like them big ass computers down at the lab -- it really wasn't such a big ass deal to them.

These 'born in the mid-50's and later" guys were different from their older, Boomer 1.0 brothers in another key aspect as well. That was their having what we might call a "software mindset" to complement their hardware-hack skills. Whereas the early pocket protector-wearing code jockeys were diving mostly into machine and O/S level projects, the new breed realized that the game was all about user interfaces and soon thereafter: applications. Applications, as in department- and personal-level programs that best complemented the now-affordable system configs available to the masses. Jobs got that part, although not quite as quickly as Gates. But he'd catch up real well eventually, especially when he tweaked the concept of applications into something more akin to delivery models.

So where did this embedded soft-side smarts come from, then? That's an east answer, too. Go back to the 'teenage years' reference, where every red-blooded young American male of the 70's was in Music Mode. The device management was mastered, but the party didn't cook without the music -- the software of its day. Content is king, and this demographic bought into that notion hook, line and sinker. I know that Steve Jobs was, for his whole life, heavily into music. I'd be willing to bet that he obsessed over Sgt Pepper and Dark Side of the Moon, like we all did. I'd also be willing to bet a bundle he also took a shot at playing in a band as well, like we all also did. This obsession (for lack or a better word) was unique to this/our specific demo-age. The automatic tie-in of hardware (stereos and musical instruments) to software (recorded and performed music) had as its natural progression the marriage of computers and application software in the ensuing years.

Steve Jobs, like all of us then, was a creature of his time. If he'd been born even five years earlier, none of this would have gone down for him. (Note: the drug experimentation of the day should not be ignored here either, as Jobs himself often pointed out). He (like us) was also a creature of his own place within that time. It likewise wouldn't have happened had he been hanging in Albany instead of in the Bay Area, or if he hadn't caught the rampant phone-hacking bug going thru his posse at the time, which in turn locked his elbows with his pal Woz in the pursuit of profits. Then there is the concept of good old fashioned luck: what if Markkula had declined to get involved? We likely would never have heard of any of these people if that happened.

So yes, I know an awful lot about the guy without ever having met him. It could have just as easily have been any one of us, cut form that same cloth. I also get his personality, and how it was so common to our tribe. I speak here of the black aspect and well as the white. Yes, the temper, the naked ambition, the way he ripped-off Woz early-on, the ignored first child. The O/S that for all intents and purposes was ripped-off from the PARC and Xerox. I recognize all that: my generation didn't pick up and carry on the noble traditions of our parents, and those kinds of actions are way too common and oh-so very familiar.

But Steve Jobs was us. Plain and simple, the good and the bad. His achievements were our own individual and unfilled ambitions. That's why today's news gives such pause.


UPDATE

With all of the Steve Jobs quotes now floating about, this one caught my eye and best reflects the spirit of what I was talking about above:

" Our goal was to bring a liberal arts perspective to what had traditionally been a very geeky technology.. "

Keep that in mind when the debate turns to the need to emphasize math and science as our primary education tracks. This guy went to school to study Easter philosophies.





..and of course, the Final Thoughts from Fake Steve Jobs.



rm