Personal computer users, a breed apart back then (despite that phrase sounding absurd today) were fascinated by the implications of this newfound technology. In 1984, it was still somewhat radical to think of working “at home” instead of “at the office,” so taking it to the next level and working on the road was newsworthy.…

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This cover piece with short descriptive text came my way through the Computer History Museum, which received this as a donation in 2015. The photo itself is by Jeffrey Aaronson, with whom I spent a most interesting day in a shoot around Aspen, Colorado. Those stunning mountains are the Maroon Bells, and elsewhere in these…

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I left the bike in Telluride and flew cross-country to speak at the Carolina Computer Expo in Charlotte. Here is a snippet from the book… A life online is a life outside the strictures of physics—at least the conventional physics that make a country seem big. The network is a village shaped like a map…

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Occasionally I rubbed elbows with the education community, and this little story triggered a few inquiries from teachers. I’m saddened by the front-page article about NASA’s quest for a teacher to fly on the Shuttle. Christa McAuliffe became that person, and was killed in the Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. Judging by the dateline…

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A short little piece in Enter Magazine, by Children’s Television Workshop… and the image above is from the Sunday Comics of September 30, 1984. Enter — October, 1984 You’ve heard of people who peddle their goods. Well, here’s an example that might make you blow a circuit. Steve Roberts, 31, of Columbus, Ohio, wanted to find…

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With the Winnebiko in northern New Mexico

The timing of my Computing Across America adventure was no accident; it was the convergence of portable computing, networks, solar power, and recumbent bicycles that made it possible. The technology was very much in the news, given how much it was radically impacting the lives of journalists… this article focuses on that angle, with my…

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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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This brief story appeared during my stay in Aspen, a dreamy interlude in the Computing Across America adventure. Staying with fascinating people, doing a gorgeous photo session in the Maroon Bells, exploring the street life of an upscale town, and even profiling a fancy restaurant for USA Today… it was quite a week. Logs Cross-Country…

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This interview took place the day after a terrifying event… losing my brakes on McClure Pass and flying down the mountain, out of control, watching my life flash before me just as they say it does…. I leaned hard into a hairpin turn, squeezing the one brake lever and sensing only the slightest deceleration. This…

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In the collection of around 200 newspaper articles from my years of technomadic cycling, this one has always held the crown for the most delightfully alliterative title. I spent a week or so in Crested Butte, Colorado (leading to a passionate book chapter), and every day was filled with something wonderful, intense, or beautiful. On…

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