This article by John Hillkirk was hugely pivotal in my early media coverage… and it set the stage for a series that I wrote for USA Today over the next few months. The idea of staying connected with a portable computer while traveling was just starting to filter in to public consciousness, and my quirky…

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This 1984 article was in one of my unexpectedly favorite towns. All I knew about Hammond before arriving was a song by the Roches, but before long I had met a fellow cyclist who remains a friend to this day, over 3 decades later. I stayed for two or three weeks, relaxed, getting to know…

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I had a most enjoyable visit in Slidell, Louisiana – including a visit to the National Weather Service center where my host worked. This led to a chapter in the book called “The Winds of Change.”  These two articles were published on the same day, and a longer one appeared earlier in the Slidell Daily…

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One of my fond memories of Slidell was getting a tour of the National Weather Service facility… which ended up becoming a chapter in the Computing Across America book. This is the local newspaper coverage of my visit to town in April, 1984… a couple of others are here. Timeline date adjusted to compensate for…

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Above: cyclist-writer Steve Roberts and his recumbent bicycle (Photo by Joe Rayos) By Joe Rayos Pensacola News March 30, 1984 Corporate America, watch out. The administrative workplace of the future just might be the “Winnebiko,” especially if Steve Roberts has anything to say about it. Roberts is a freelance writer who has taken the newest…

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The end of March, 1984, was a flurry of activity… my house sold, magazine articles were happening, I was meeting interesting people on the road, and local contacts led to a media dance in Pensacola. The best of those was this relaxed 10-minute interview with Phil Burger of the local NPR affiliate, WUWF. The photo…

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Photo by Louise Allen Franklin County News March 29, 1984 Steve Roberts, of Columbus, Ohio is a really “laid-back” person. Even the bicycle he rides on his round the States tour is totally laid-back, and he rides it in a reclining position with feet forward, steering with handlebars under his seat. He, and his custom-made bicycle,…

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by Keith Blackmar Wakulla News March 29, 1984 There are many people in the world today that seem to be tired of the grind of a nine to five job. The number of people who actually do something about their complaint are small. One individual who has done something about his situation, came pedaling through Crawfordville…

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I happened to capture this short snippet on my little cassette recorder, which was having some noise issues… but hey, it’s historical data! I spent a few days in Pensacola at the end of March ’84, got to know a local attorney who helped with the sale of my house in Ohio, and stayed with…

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My first significant corporate sponsor, way back in 1983 when I started on this adventure, was Solarex. Starting with a 5-watt photovoltaic array for the Winnebiko, they took care of my electrical power generation needs for over a decade… 20 watts for the Winnebiko II, 82 watts for BEHEMOTH, and 510 watts for the Microship.…

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