Steve Roberts and Winnebiko at Maroon Bells - Jeffrey Aaronson, Aspen

This 1984 photo session was by Jeffrey Aaronson of Aspen, and yielded some gorgeous images as well as nonstop interesting conversation. He was originally hired by National Geographic to do the shoot for a book on computers, and this additional image from the same day was used in Hewlett-Packard press releases about their Model 110…

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Popular Computing - High-Tech Nomad - page 1

This was one of the first substantial articles detailing my newly minted technomadic lifestyle, and it was enriched considerably by excellent photos. The piece ran 7 pages in what was then a high-profile personal-computing magazine, and laid out many of the defining principles of life as a paleo-technomad. For context, it’s worth remembering that back…

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Popular Science cover - July 1984

I have fond memories of this widely read article, written on a Key West beach in January, 1984. I remember that day… thinking about deadlines, cash flow, and how to get back to the mainland without retracing my path up Highway 1. In other words, I had gotten into the groove, and was using new…

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One of the key enabling technologies of my paleo-technomadic life (in addition to CompuServe, solar panels, and a recumbent bicycle) was my little Radio Shack Model 100 computer, a primitive laptop that was earth-shaking for its time. Made in Japan by Kyocera, it was really the first practical and affordable portable computer… though when I…

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The stories at this point in the timeline mention late-night wiring marathons. I found this drawing by Walt Spicker in the archives, the only known surviving documentation of the first version of the bike. This includes battery management, the little switch box under the seat for the lights, security system with pager, and CB. So…

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