Skip to content

Blog

Thanks Steve

The internet is buzzing with thank you’s, tributes and more about the passing of Steve Jobs yesterday.

I was 11 or 12 when we got our second computer – the brand new Apple //c.  A portable version of the Apple IIe, for the first time in the Apple II line it included a built in 5.25 disk drive and ports for a mouse / joystick, external disc drive, modem and more.

It was on this computer that my formative years were spent – learning BASIC, LOGO, messing with Apple Paint, and playing Choplifter, Bards Tale and Lode Runner (among others) for hours (and days) at time.  Lode Runner was the first game I played where I could create my own levels and I would spend days devising clever ways to trap that little guy.

Most importantly, this was the computer that got me online.  We had a 300 baud modem, and later purchased a 1200 and then 2400 baud modem which seemed liked the fastest thing ever.  I remember begging my dad to let me spend more time on CompuServe, back when it cost $6 / hour to be on the service, just so I could play text adventure games.

Later I would discover the wonderful world of BBSes, and play games online, download software and interact with online communities, all while tying up the one phone line we had in the house.

Almost 10 years ago I bought an Apple //c on Ebay, which has sat in my closet since.  Ironically, two weeks ago I decided to pull it out and hook it up, only to realize I didn’t buy any software.

SDC10798

 

It wouldn’t be until years later that I would buy an Apple product again.  This past January, frustrated with my PC for not playing MP3s out of the blue, I grabbed my wife in the middle of a snowstorm and we drove to the Apple store.  User her education discount, I bought an iMac and was blown away by the experience – both the shopping experience at an Apple store and OS X.  It just worked.  I can’t say I’m a fan of iTunes, but thankfully Banshee is available on OS X.  Using iMovie, I was able to quickly jump in and edit my home movie footage from Christmas.  I imported my photos into iPhoto and quickly and intuitively created a photo book for my wife for our 15th wedding anniversary.  Apple’s focus on making products easy to use is phenomenal.

In April, I bought an iPad, and over the summer bought the new MacBook Air.  Apple’s combination of software and amazing hardware is a combination that no one can match.  Having worked with Apple when the original iMac was first launched, their business practices can leave something to be desired – but they do everything for one reason – their focus on the customer experience trumps everything, and it shows in the products they bring to market.

And the focus started with Steve Jobs, and for that I’m thankful.

IMG_20110723_142836

 

  • in Books
  • 1 min read

Ready Player One is the best book you’re not reading

If you grew up in the 80s like me, especially as a teenager, Ready Player One is a book for you.

For fans of retro arcade games, 80s music and movies, MMOs, cyberpunk, roleplaying and early computers like the TRS-80, it weaves them all into a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I can’t do it justice, so read the summary here.  And then buy it and read it, you won’t be disappointed.

  • in General
  • 2 min read

Going to see Wits

This Friday, my son and I are going to the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul to see the season finale of Minnesota Public Radio’s Wits series. Each performance features an interview with a cultural icon, a musical guest and other guests. I purchased tickets for this one specifically because of the featured guest: Neil Gaiman. Mr. Gaiman is touring in support of the tenth anniversary of his first novel, the class American Gods.

I vividly remember the first time I read American Gods. I knew of Neil Gaiman through his groundbreaking comic, Sandman, but American Gods blew me away. I remember thinking, “How does this Englishman know of all these Midwest landmarks?!” And when they stopped at a Culvers just outside of Madison… It wasn’t until a few years later than I learned he had relocated to Wisconsin, not too far from the Minnesota border. The book’s take on mythology and its plot quickly made it a classic.

I had the opportunity to see Neil Gaiman speak and do a book signing a few years ago when his last collection of short stories, Fragile Things, was published. He’s an engaging speaker and listening to him read from his stories is a thrill in itself. (I also won the raffle in support of the CBLDF):

DSC00872

This week’s musical guess is Josh Ritter and the hosts are John Moe of MPR and John Munson. Mr. Munson was formerly in the bands Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic. Back in (probably) 1994, for the only time in my life, I won concert tickets on the radio from Mary Lucia at Rev105 to see a showcase of Minnesota acts at First Avenue. One band in particular, Pleasure, just blew me away – it was one of the tightest bands I’ve ever seen, and I didn’t know a single song. I moved out east and never heard about the band again. A year or two later, a friend from the Twin Cities moved out east to work with me, and I asked him about Pleasure. He excitedly informed me they had changed their name to Semisonic and I bought their debut album the same day. (You probably know them from their big hit, Closing Time).

In addition, guests at Wits this week appearing via the phone include Wil Wheaton, Adam Savage, and more.

Can’t wait – both for the show and to introduce my son to seeing Neil Gaiman live.

Roundup 6/17/11

A few links to wrap up your week:

  • in music
  • 1 min read

Round-Up

Some links to get you through your day:

  • in music
  • 1 min read

Round-Up

Here’s some music news from the last few months you may have missed while I was being a slacker and not blogging.

  • in music
  • 2 min read

Join the Album Club


One of the things I’ve been enjoying as I took a blogging break (that’s over, I swear!) is enjoying Album Club. What is Album Club, you ask? Every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. CDT, listeners gather on Twitter and listen to the same album and tweet their thoughts, remembrances and more about the album. The tweets range from information about the recording of the album to humor to scathing criticism.

The album is picked out a few days before and announced on the Album Club blog. Follow Album Club on Twitter as well as the #albumclub hashtag and at 9pm Tuesdays the tweets roll in!

Album Club is hosted by Steve Nelson, former morning co-host at Rev105 in the 90’s, former music director at 89.3 The Current, and now news director at Minnesota Public Radio. Mr. Nelson picks the albums and hosts the session each Tuesday. Since Album Club started in April, the albums listened to and tweeted about include:

  • Pixies – Doolittle
  • Radiohead – OK Computer
  • Bjork – Post
  • Prince and the Revolution – Purple Rain (hosted live Aster Cafe)
  • Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
  • Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

Last night’s Rumours session was guest curated by John Moe – and a good time was had by all as Mr. Moe shared background on the album, the challenges Fleetwood Mac was going through when they recorded this classic, and his disdain for Christine McVie.

See you Tuesdays at 9pm!

  • in General
  • 1 min read

On to greener pastures

Yesterday was my last day at Novell. I enjoyed the 1+ year I spent working there – helping to ship SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop to millions of end users through OEM partnerships was a fulfilling experience in knowing it helped Linux on the desktop grow.

To those of you I worked with and didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to yesterday, it was a pleasure working with you.

If anyone is looking for a product management / business development professional with open source experience, let me know. My resume is available here and you can reach me at paul dot r dot cutler at gmail dot com.

  • in music
  • 2 min read

Layne Stayley 4/19/02

Today is the ninth anniversary of the day Alice in Chains lead singer, Layne Staley, was found dead in his Seattle apartment. Layne had been dead for two weeks, dying of a heroin and cocaine overdose on April 5th, 2002.

I saw Alice in Chains twice growing up. The first time was in a small club, the Eagles Ballroom, opening, believe it or not, for Extreme in the fall of 1990. The show was terrible. We got there early as we usually did, and the club was fairly empty as Alice in Chains took the stage. Grunge wasn’t mainstream yet and the Seattle explosion was still six months away from taking over the airwaves. Standing five feet away from the band, we could see that Layne was high as a kite – I vividly remember seeing how dilated his eyes were and as he growled out the lyrics to their first album, the crowd eventually booed them off the stage while we waited for the hair metal headliner Extreme to take the stage.

A couple years later I saw Alice in Chains open for Van Halen at the Marcus Amphitheater. The show wasn’t much better, though the crowd at least knew who Alice in Chains was. As much as I loved the grunge movement, being an early fan of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, and more, Alice in Chains was one band I just couldn’t get into because of the bad taste in my mouth from seeing them perform so poorly early in their career.

When Cameron Crowe’s second movie, Singles, came out, Alice in Chains was prominent as the live act in the club the main characters go to. I remember watching the concert footage and not being able to reconcile that this powerful show that was depicted in the movie was not the experience I had had in seeing Alice in Chains perform live twice.

In 1995, Mad Season’s Deceit album was released. Featuring Layne Staley on vocals, Mike McMcready of Pearl Jam and Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, the album was a hit. I loved this album and didn’t even realize at the time that it was Layne Staley singing.

About five or six years ago, a co-worker who is a good friend of mine were reminiscing about our favorite bands from the grunge days. She loved Alice in Chains – I shared this story with her and she was shocked at how much I disliked Alice in Chains. On her advice, I gave them another try, and listened to Alice in Chains again, this time focusing on the music and putting my preconceived notion and memories out of my head.

And she was right – Alice in Chains was a great band who we lost before their time. Another example of drugs taking another artist before their time.

In Layne Staley’s memory, I’ll be listening to some Alice in Chains today.