I was an early adopter of what were once called “online information retrieval” services, which (back in the 1980s) were powerful tools for accessing databases on distant servers. These are less in the public consciousness now, of course, with Google and other search engines giving the illusion of access to all information, but structured data…

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This is of a different breed from the usual newspaper article… a very well-written and thoughtful piece in the Guardian, covering not only the Winnebiko II but the adventure story itself.  by Hugo Cornwall The Guardian December 1, 1988 Steve Roberts had the fantasy of becoming a hi-tech nomad. Hugo Cornwall reports on the machine that…

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At the very beginning of the BEHEMOTH project, I landed in Silicon Valley… and my first corporate host organism was Information Appliance, the playground of Jef Raskin (who started the Macintosh project at Apple in 1981, along with countless other fascinating creations over the course of his life). He offered lab space as I was…

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by Steven K. Roberts Palo Alto, California November 3, 1988 Photo above is with Chuck Moore (on left), author of the FORTH language, during a stand-up session at the end of the conference. I have to stop now — ignoring the jazz improv in the next room, the food, the naked poolsplashes of frolicking loonies, the…

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I don’t know this publication, but have to chuckle at the comment near the end in which they say I must have a thesaurus with which I choose big words for effect. I have found that such comments only come from folks who are a bit vocabulary-challenged… they even misspelled “recumbant.” I last owned a…

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Steve Roberts aboard Winnebiko II on cellular phone

This article came at a pivotal time in both the evolution of the cellular industry and the design of my bike. Added to the Winnebiko II for testing, the Oki 491 phone did so well that it became fully integrated into BEHEMOTH… even to the point of deriving an RJ-11 phone line and distributing it…

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This article is about HF amateur radio on the Winnebiko II back in 1988, and is one of my favorites from the 73 Magazine series. It discusses the rig and antennas on the bike, of course, but also rhapsodizes about being a roving guest-op, cultural issues, expressiveness in CW, learning, techno-passions, and so on. This…

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photos by Steven K. Roberts Camp Swig above Saratoga, CA October 29, 1988 I have donated the original of this photo to the Computer History Museum, but also wanted to place it in my timeline here… a moment at a conference of übergeeks. This is Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari) playing with the VPL EyePhone (the…

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Steve Roberts, KA8OVA and his Winnebiko are scheduled to be at the convention. At the time of preparation of this program we have only his word that he will be here. Steve told us that he will be here, but he did not tell us if Maggie Victor, KA8ZYW would accompany him to San Jose.…

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Amateur radio was a huge part of my bicycle travels. I used local repeaters for logistical support, packet to stay in touch with distant friends, HF for entertainment while camping, and 2-meters to stay linked to my YL while pedaling. My hospitality database was full of interesting hams, and we would drop in to share…

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