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AMERICA ONLINE Macintosh Communications Forum Conference Log, Wednesday, October 14, 1992 10pm EDT Special Guest: Steven K. Roberts, the Hi-Tech Nomad Forum Leader: George Thornally (AFL George) Forum Consultant Ellen Zuby (AFC Ellen) Forum Consultant Sarah Edwards (AFC Sarah) Forum Consultant Dan Fishbach (AFC Dan) ----------------------------------------------------- Wordy : Phew! AFL George : We are pleased to introduce Wordy, Steve Roberts! Wordy : What a nightmare, trying to sign on! EarleLA : What timing! AFC Ellen : ::dusting Wordy off and shaking his hand:: Wordy : <bowing> <wiping sweat from brow> AFC Ellen : talk about dramatic entrances!!! H factor : We were getting restless. Wordy : I've been in a frenzy, with 2 people at customer service, trying to use a QBlazer... and finally moving to my host's Mac, whose modem is on ADB, requiring CDEV change... etc etc etc. AFL George : By the way, you may contact Steve after by using his Internet address: wordy@lorien.qualcomm.com EarleLA : Hi Steve: How was the Seattle Kayak Symposium re MicroShip project. Wordy : Yes... most direct [address]-- it now links to the bike via satellite directly, or queues for POP session. Symposium was great, Earl! Stayed with Kitty, and found new boat sponsor! EarleLA : Neat. My boat should be here next week. AFL George : Announcement - One of the best ways to keep up with Wordy is to subscribe to Hi--Tech Nomadness It is only $15 a year and a mine of information Wordy : Thanks, George! AFL George : Besides it is extremely well written. Interesting photos and straight talk about high tech and life its ownself Wordy : (are my Bikelab postings still being archived here?) AFC Ellen : You bet they are, Wordy! We have 'em all in our "Nomadic" library [Ed. note:To find Wordy's files, from the main Forum menu, click on "Special Interest Groups" and then on "Nomadic". Look in the Software Library.] Wordy : Ah, good! I guess it'll have to become Boatlab soon... EarleLA : For a full dose, buy all the old copies of Nomadness. It's like current history being written. Wordy : Thanks George! Glad you like it... The new publishing partner is doing a great DTP job (Doug)\ AFL George : Subscribe by sending $15 to Nomadic Research Labs, Box 2185 El Segundo, CA 90245 H factor : Wordy, what are you doing with boats? Wordy : I'm retiring BEHEMOTH (who is now on a speaking tour; I'm his agent... ;-) and moving... to a computerized amphibian kayak-trimaran with solar and pedal drive as well as sail. AFC Sarah : Cellular modems? new life for PB100s...wrist computers that expand to desk models? what are you playing with,Steve? Wordy : besides, the road is 1-dimensional... water is 2-dimensional and relatively quiet (though with its own hazards) EarleLA : 3 dimensional Wordy Wordy : Well, air would be 3D.. if I leave the 2D world of water, I have sunk. So the new system.... is a product of all the lessons learned from BEHEMOTH, including the dreaded BEHEMOTH effect. (where the design goal changes from... "what do I need to solve this problem?" H factor : what is the effect Wordy : to "how much neat stuff can I integrate into this machine and still sorta have it portable?" <grin> AFC Ellen : We're going to be talking to Steve Roberts (Wordy) the Hi-Tech Nomad. Almost 10 years ago, our guest, Steve Roberts (Wordy) sold his possessions and hit the road Wordy : (mid-life crisis in suburbia) AFC Ellen : riding a recumbent bicycle. Not unlike many other famous and infamous wanderers :) Wordy : Ah'm just a yuppie hobo... AFC Ellen : BUT, there was one major difference, Steve never really left "home" --- he had a computer and a modem and every night he'd plug into the "net" and keep in touch with his friends and his work Steve's a writer, and an excellent one, BTW. I'll have more to say later, but right now I'd like Wordy : (never could quite escape the work) AFC Ellen : Steve to take the story from here, starting with the Winnebiko and working up to the BEHEMOTH :) Wiz of Odd : Is this Wordy, bicycle god of America? Wordy : <giggle> Moi? AFC Ellen : <----turning it over to Steve! Wordy : Thanks, Ellen! Well, I don't want to do a long narrative on the history...this is a slow medium for a long rhapsody...The Winnebiko wouldn't let me type while riding...So I built the Winnebiko II AFL George : One thing, Steve - I loved your latest news letter, particularly the article Education & Technomadeness which is about Steve's on education Wordy : (thanks, George) which had a handlebar keyboard. It worked fine, but was architecturally inflexible...So I built BEHEMOTH. The current, and recently retired machine. Estimated value is $1.2 million, and it's 580 pounds of networked machines....with 660 meg of hard disk, a satellite data link to the internet...cellular phone with modem, fax, credit card reader, and answering machine..ham station, helmet cooler, heads-up display... AFC Sarah : Yowie...... Wordy : speech I/O, Mac, SPARC, and DOS; embedded FORTH controllers, and so on. Fun contraption -- 105 speeds, disk brakes, pneumatic landing gear. All electronics run on 72 watts of solar panels. Wiz of Odd : Landing Gear? Wordy : Yes... they deploy when I'm cranking up a steep hill in granny gear (7.9 inches) (Or when I park) The whole system is networked with audio, serial, and power under software control. Wiz of Odd : Like an industrial grade kickstand? Wordy : (yes). And, the most important thing -- a CD player with dual 18-watt amp! Gets me up the hills ;-) Wiz of Odd : Awsome dude Wordy : I've done about 17,000 miles on the 3 versions, but am now yearning for the water. Wiz of Odd : Then stop at a Wendy's and get a cup AFC Sarah : I suppose this all comes with its own guard dog...or do you use another type of burlar alarm? Wordy : We just finished the new code for the satellite link -- will demo next week at INterop in SF. AFC Ellen : Steve, tell Sarah about the Bike's defenses :) Wordy : Sarah -- yes, good security system with microwave proximity, motion, wheel movement, access panel, and sensor for lat-long change without the right password (GPS).... If that happens, it beacons via satellite, pages me, and calls 911 on the celphone and... EarleLA : Did you mention bike is recumbent type? AFC Sarah : Ohh, Steve, very nice! Wordy : uses the speech synth to say "Hello, I am a bicycle. I am being stolen. My coordinates are..." AFC Sarah : yes...Steve obviously slept his way through all this ! ;) (EARLE) Wordy : Ah yes, it's a 13-foot recumbent/trailer combo. Comfy. Under-seat steering. So the bottom line in all this has been fun... and my physical location has become irrelevant because of the network connections. AFC Sarah : Steve what were your best/worst experiences? Wiz of Odd : <after Steve's impressive description of bike> So, what's Donahue REALLY like? Wordy : Sarah -- worst experience was the frenzied attempt to sign on tonight <grin>... H factor : Wordy, were you using GIS w/GPS? Dark1 : LOL! AFC Sarah : :::::snickerZ:::::: Wordy : Donahue is actually quite interesting -- high energy guy, into computers and yachting. NO GIS yet -- but I will on the boat. Looking at C-Map and CDROM charts. I have DeLorme CD, but haven't tied it to GPS. H factor : Digital chart of the world?? Wordy : Yes.... multiple CDs, but perfect images of NOAA charts. Dave RH : Steve - let's hear about the high-tech bike Dark1 : (Didn't we just?) Wiz of Odd : Will the boat become totally self-contained, like a submarine, in case of sinkage? Wordy : The boat has to be totally waterproof -- electronics will be pressurized... with a minimum of interconnects. Some distributed microcontrollers will be in an oil bath.\ H factor : How will you pressurized the electronics? Wordy : The console is a Mac PowerBook 170, repackaged of course.... One Horse : Thanks. Where is Wordy located right now, as we speak so to speak? Wordy : Santa Cruz, CA -- quick visit! H -- a small compressor with dessicant cartridge, dryable on a campfire. A pressure transducer on the boat control processor net will detect leakage. One Horse : Where do you bike to, Nomad? Wordy : I've done about 17,000 miles around the US... lately, though, I've been cruising the country... in the Mothership, a mobile lab pulled behind a diesel truck. (This is NOT what I call travel,... but is the biz part -- speaking gigs and lining up sponsors for the boat system) sponsored by Sun Microsystems. The new project will be built in Seattle, probably at UW. One Horse : I'm contacting you here from quite a ways away, I'm in Fargo, North Dakota. EarleLA : Are you still planning to have the kayak pods detachable for exploration? AFL George : Wordy - why not think of it as the "floating" version? This will suggest more possibilities maybe floating in air and in space as well as on water Wordy : Earle -- no, it's changed to an integrated trimaran. Dark1 : What are you doing with the SPARCs? Wordy : The main SPARC apps are graphic, and I also use it for PPP. Good for CAD and still video. AFC Sarah : <<,envisions Steve in a Jib flyer rig, computing and modeming away! Wordy : George -- floating? It better float! <grin> Might be a tad heavy for the air, though... AFL George : I'd go for a house boat version Wordy : the satellite link has really made a difference... we not only use it for email, but there will be telemetry blocks every 2-4 hours that are internet-passed to mission control. We'll be able to remotely update embedded control system code, plot location, detect problems, etc. H factor : What kind of SPARCs? SPARC 2? SPARC 10? Wiz of Odd : telemetry blocks? Dark1 : Sounds cool... ;) Wordy : I have a SPARCBook laptop, an IPC on the back of the bike with 424 Meg of disk....and a 1+ at the office in LA. Also a 4/260 at San Diego... H factor : with the CDROM on the SPARC? for the Delorme CDs AFC Sarah : Steve..for the less technically inclinded maybe you could address the nature of SPARC..." Wordy : yes. SPARC apps as well as DOS emulation, and the CD can switch to the MAc. Wiz of Odd : Do you take photos or videos of your travels? Sell them on CD ROMs? Wordy : SPARC>... long story -- basically a blazing fast UNIX multitasking machine with great color graphicx. (BEHEMOTH became a Unixcycle) AFC Ellen : Steve for the really less technically inclined (you might even say technically crippled) could you address the romance of the "road"? :) Wordy : Ah, the romance of the road.... It's like relationships and learning curves... I have this constant craving for discovery that has become an addiction. The slope of the learning curve has to be steep...and being in one place for too long drives me crazy. BTW, I'm actively interviewing for a full-time traveling companion... Wiz of Odd : In other words, ladies dig the dude on the bike, eh? Wordy : <grin> Well... <blush> um... occasionally.... MegSaint : What are the job quailifications? AFC Ellen : (Wordy is given to understatement, LOL!) Wordy : Wit, intelligence, sensuality, business experience, good with the media, online and tech savvy,..craving adventure and learning curves, a few good biz specialties like freelance photog... you know, the usual. Cwarden : Wordy-my mom saw you on Phil and bought your book. She thinks you're cool. MegSaint : So where do we send applications? Wordy : Cwarden -- <smile> thanks. Cwarden :She especially liked your views of the sociological aspects of online friendships. Dark1 : (gee.. sounds like my resume..) AFC Sarah : Ok...sounds good...ripping job posting off wall...sauntering over by Steve.... Wordy : Meg -- to wordy@lorien.qualcomm.com, or the above NRL address! Should be a great shared adventure, and one of my sponsors has already offered a boat to the successful, er, candidate. AFC Sarah : Just kidding....maybe... ;) AFC Ellen : Wordy, I should think being able to swim would help :) Wiz of Odd : It sounds like a fascinating lifestyle.. ever any regrets? Dark1 : what does Qualcomm do? Wordy : <grin> Ach -- 3 at once! No regrets.... Qualcomm makes the satellite link I use between Mac and internet... Dark1 : Ahh.. :) Wordy :And yes.. online friendships portend great changes ahead... Wordy : Ellen -- yes, a useful skill I hope we won't need! AFC Sarah : <<<gee, I wonder if these gills I have would be a job hazard....ahh, probably AFC Ellen : Let's have a brief commercial break here Steve's written a book, "Computing Across America" about his beginning adventures. He has a newsletter "Hi-Tech Nomadness" which comes out about 4 times a year - with pictures and lots of stories. Also, there are old issues of his adventures available. You can order them all from (or get info from) Nomadic Research Labs P.O. Box 2185 El Segundo, CA 90245 AFL George : Highlights from current issue: Layers of Nomadness The Mother of All Layovers Nomads in Dataspace Education & Nomadness Access to Tools and more. Very well written and worth the price AFC Ellen : this information is posted in our "Nomadic" SIG (Special Interest Group) Wordy : future issues have a LOT of how-to's that deal with technomadic methods...the assumption being that lots of people want to be more flexible, and not nailed to the desk. AFC Ellen : now, back to our regularly scheduled programming :) AFL George : :) Wordy : (if this were Donahue, I would have just had my glossy advancing pate powdered) AFC Ellen : BTW, the Newsletters are a mix of adventure and technology. Can be quite addicting :) Highly recommended! Wordy : <smile> for the writer, too. Dark1 : ROFG! AFC Ellen : Steve, by some cute young thing? ;) AFL George : Steve - we are really pleased to have you back at AOL - visit more often AFC Sarah : Dark..."G?" guffawing? Wordy : er, as a matter of fact, yes. Dark1 : G = <<giggle>> AFC Ellen : hehehehe... Wordy : George -- thanks! Good to be here -- it's been almost a year. Wiz of Odd : Like what we've done with the drapes? VANZ : Do you think remote computing will become an accepted "work style" Wordy : VANZ -- absolutely. It's inevitable, given the costs of dragging entire bodies around... just so they can manipulate weightless information. AFC Ellen : Steve, tell us more about your future plans Wordy : Ellen... future plans...for one year, about, I expect to be an associate prof at UW in Seattle, working with a team...of EE, CS, and ME students on the Sea Moss Microship. I will launch, if all goes well, in Spring of 94. I don't want to spend 3 years on this one like I did on BEHEMOTH. AFC Ellen : Sounds like a great break - a little time to rest up and think and then, back to adventure :) Wiz of Odd : Instead of breaking a bottle of champange on the bow, smash a keyboard against it Wordy : Well, yes... though the BEHEMOTH development was enough of a break to create serious tire itch...and wandering since then, but for the 1000 mile shakedown, has been via motherhship. Wordy : Wiz - <grin> yes, we'll drink the champagne. Wiz of Odd : Is that frustrating? The mothership, not the champange Wordy : Besides, Seattle is a great place for kayaking, and there's a lot of espresso. It's an espresso-based economy. MegSaint : One can never have too much espresso Wordy : Wiz... yes... it has been interesting, but hardly the flavor of nomadness. Still... I've had 6 months of amazing adventures in that, covering about 16,000 miles. VANZ : What is the cost of the satalite transmitter you had on Donahue. Where is the technology going? Wordy : The satellite unit is about $5,000 plus 2/10 cent per transmitted character. We got the gateway working seamlessly from Eudora, a POP client for the Mac. There are other methods, but this best suits my needs (also location-stamps all email) H factor : what do you think of eudora Wordy : I LOVE Eudora -- it's a perfect mail system. Wiz of Odd : Are medical conditions (blisters, hemmeroids, etc.. ) a problem? Do you have trouble finding doctors when on the road? H factor : what do you need to set it up Wordy : Wiz -- not at the moment, though I recently discovered that cuts and seawater are a ghastly combo. Wiz of Odd : OUCH!! Wordy : I do carry a fairly comprehensive first aid kit. VANZ : Healing power of Mother N. Wordy : Well, it doesn't really hurt -- it just gets infected. Lots of nasties live in seawater, and blood is a similar environment, so they move right in. A minor cut on my heel from a barnacle...had me limping for over 2 weeks. Dunno how people deal with shark bites! Wiz of Odd : ICKY! Wordy : H -- set what up? AFL George : Steve - think of the sea as being medicinal Wordy : Well, nice in theory... but tell the microbes that! Wiz of Odd : They usually just die from shark bite...that seems to prevent infections Wordy : The sea is, however, psychologically soothing. Much more so than the road! H factor : Wordy, give us some words of wisdom about future technologies. AFL George : Humm - never thought I hear that from you Wordy : Smaller. Lighter. Faster. Cheaper. Better function-to-weight ratio. Niftier. Easier to use... AFL George : . . . add less expensive? Wordy : Cheaper. Yes indeed. Just look at what's happened, and extrapolate... AFL George : :) Wordy : I carry more horsepower in my backpack than I had on the Winnebiko. Dark1 : Easier to use? In what direction? New interfaces? Hardware? AFC Ellen : Steve, I'm wondering how much hi-tech you'll be able to pack into your boat. Water still gets you wet :) AFL George : What do you have in the backpack, pray tell? Wordy : And packet networking is a reality. You can send internet mail to my HP95 via RF link now. Wiz of Odd : 2 years from now should be amazing VANZ : Still seaking ideas for income at sea. But not yet at 2/10 cent per char. Too bad they call you wordy Wordy : <grin> Yes -- it is expensive. Land-based comm when near shore is cheaper and faster.... I have a CellBlazer on the bike/boat, which runs 10-20K baud....and a cellular beam antenna for 130+ mile range to a cell site. Dr Cerny : Are you looking at integrating PDAs Wordy : I use the satellite for the urgent real-time stuff, and the phones for large files. Also AMTOR and..packet for telemetry backup. H factor : What baud rate do you use, Wordy? AFC Sarah : Ellen, Motorola, I think, is the company now publicly marketing an underwater cword processor Wordy : PDA -- yes... I'm playing with a few. Still awaiting the first truly useful calendar and notebook... H -- baud in which environment? Dr Cerny : They are suppose to have RF/ No? Wordy : Yes, most do. I'm nervous about widespread use of spread spectrum, though.. noise floor will go crazy H factor : from BEHEMOTH; and later, SEAKAYAKMOTH Wordy : I use 9600 baud Motorola RNET links between backpack, bike, boat, etc. H factor : ok Wordy : H -- depends on the mode. 165 bps via satellite, 10-20K baud via phone, 1200-9600 packet, etc. Dr Cerny : Looking at selling FCC bands Wiz of Odd : Ever travel thru Georgia, Atlanta? You'd be a BIG hit at the Olympics Wordy : Lotsa politics ahead in that arena (electromagnetic spectrum slices) Never been to olympics -- I hate crowds, but it could be fun. Water is appealing... Stoney : Steve, do you enjoy pioneering the technology more or meeting different people on the road? Wordy : since I can distance myself a bit. I've gotten seriously burned out on being in constant contact with people while traveling. Can't come out of a restaurant without giving a lecture to a crowd! Fun long ago, now fatiguing. Water gives me SPACE. Dr Cerny : You have personal experience to help decipher though AFC Sarah : Wordy, with your telemetry hookup, you could charge for transmitting temperature, salinity, etc. on a periodic basis Wordy : Stoney -- yes! IT's all integrated in the adventure (and despite my negative comments about people, the real pleasures are there as well. So I still love it... just want more control) Wordy : Sarah -- I'll actually do that with the university as part of the student project platform... Stoney : I would think the integration of it all would be the real kick. Wordy : not hard science because my route is random, but good fun. Radiation, lots of other data. Dr Cerny : I know this is a BAD question, but any interest from the government like DOT/Smart Highway? Communikat : steve...just got on a while ago...hope i'm not redundant...did u use a powerbook on the road? Wordy : Comm -- yes -- just got a 170 8/80, and will tear it apart and build into the boat. The bike console is a Mac Portable, with HyperTalk as the front end running FORTH control systems. Stoney -- yes, that's the fun part. Well, ONE of the fun parts! DR -- some. I was invited to speak at the Pentagon next time east...could be amusing, but I'll have to charge them a LOT of money since it will be consulting instead of.. entertainment <grin>. Communikat : i work a 170...plan on roading it 4 some projex...will definitely pik up your book....thanx AFC Ellen : (no new taxes?) Wordy : Thansk! Enjoy.... <grr> Not sure I'll accept that gig, mind you... H factor : Wordy, will you be around San Jose area during the second week of November for GIS/LIS 92 Conference? Wordy : Hmmm... I speak at COMTEN in Monterey, then go to the Hackers Conference in Tahoe... then a live British satellite broadcast on 11/8. Plan to head east then, or poss to Seattle.... Dr Cerny : I know the Army is trying to track supplies all the time/ as usual they think it is hard to do/ Communikat : steve...were u serious...about pentagon?? Wordy : but if the conf is a gig potential, then I might stay around. Email me for fees.... Comm -- not very. They sent me email, but I haven't decided yet... Communikat : careful....!!! Wordy : INdeed. The lion's den. Dr Cerny : You need to show them (Pentagon) real high tech Wordy : Anyone going to Interop? Wiz of Odd : What is it? VANZ : Since I got here late, what will the range of the Boat or whatever you describe it be? AFL George : <--- Interoped out Wordy : The big TCP/IP internetworking conference -- in SF/Moscone all week, week after next. I'll have the bike there and will chair a session on the interneto connections. Wordy : the range? Geographically? VANZ : On water what kind of conditions will it handle and what will its range be geographically Wordy : VANZ -- must be seaworthy, open-water compatible. Wiz of Odd : I need to go... It's been an honor talking with you Steve... I'll order the newsletter.. email? Wordy : Open-ended travel is the plan... Wordy : Wiz -- check to base office is best... we can take plastic but it's a resource waste. Wiz of Odd : Will do. THANKS!!!! Wordy : Thank YOU. Communikat : steve ... thanx 4 opening some envelopes 4 us all...will look forward to following your publications1 VANZ : Thanks for the opportunity steve. Wordy : Thanks, all -- it's been fun! Now to see what mail has arrived in the last year...I've been so busy on internet that I've cut my time on other systems way back. AFC Ellen : Promise us you will come back Stoney : Thanks Steve, good fortune. Wordy : I will! I like it here.. just been overloaded. Wiz of Odd : We'll leave the lights on for you AFC Ellen : Maybe in the spring, to tell us about your progress Wordy : <smile> Ellen -- you're on. Maybe then I'll have it working through the new modem.... H factor : Wordy, thanks and good luck on the seas. Stop by the Loxahatchee River on the Intracoastal Waterway. Dr Cerny : Steve you are what America's about / night --------------end of log------------------------------ Members who dropped by: KAS44 Bradley EarleLA Hfactor Reinfeld1 LHNISHIDA Evilpyro MichaelRR Wiz of Odd Muser Greg25 MegSaint MarkYang CWarden OneHorse DaveRH Vanz MacManPA JLSweeney Stoney LorettaG Communikat Excelmacro