Three Questions For...

Steve Roberts, Tech Nomad, Gonzo Engineer

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:55:09 +0000

Legendary hardware hacking pioneer Steve Roberts wrote his first self-published book, Computing Across America, from the “Captain’s Chair” of a self-built, Internet-connected bicycle, while riding it 17,000 miles all across the United States. More than two decades and several literally outlandish projects later, the founder of Nomadic Research Labs and “original high-tech nomad” (Make: magazine) is back with a new volume: Reaching Escape Velocity – Launching Gonzo Engineering Projects with Sponsors, Media, Volunteers, and Other Potent Forces.

Gonzo Engineering Manifesto: Steven K. Roberts' "Reaching Escape Velocity"

It must have been about 15 years ago, back in Germany, when, as a journalist, I first got in touch with Steve Roberts in Silicon Valley to write about him and his mobile-computerized, solar-panel and GPS-equipped über-bicycle “Behemoth” for a German magazine.

Together with a more Internet-savvy friend (who since has moved to Silicon Valley as well – hi Terra) on the “outside”, and a few fearless co-workers on the inside, in Germany we had just launched the first, very basic homepage of a large news magazine on what was rapidly becoming famous as the “World Wide Web” at the time. Where we were back then, that was enough to earn yourself a solid – and quite undeserved – “geek” reputation.

To introduce first my bosses, then our readers to the idea that individuals like myself were actually pretty harmless harbingers of much bigger things to come (in hindsight, of course, that was exactly what they were afraid of), I wrote an illustrated piece about Steve Roberts: the epitome of Geek-dom.

Steve Roberts' Behemoth

This guy was actually living the dream: staying healthy in a human-powered, solar-supported, GPS guided mobile office, hammering away at the keyboard of a clunky Hewlett-Packard portable (which qualified as ultimate computer mobility at the time), and responding to his email through a wireless Internet connection while cruising America. While, at the same time, I was trying to convince some higher-ups that it could actually be beneficial for the magazine to respond (revolutionary concept!) to email from its readers.

Fast forward to 2010: “Behemoth” found a final resting place in the Computer History Museum in Mountain View / Silicon Valley, just around the corner from where I live since 1997. Recently, I browsed through the January issue of Make: magazine (motto: “technology on your time”). As time has passed, The New Yorker, AOPA Magazine, Flying, and Make:, in that order, are the only print magazine that I personally still consider worth paying for. The iPad certainly won’t change that. Getting to the “Make Looks at Books” section, I was thrilled to find a short book announcement for Steve’s new Gonzo engineering manifesto, Reaching Escape Velocity.

It seemed like a perfect hook for catching up with the author on this blog. The Techno Nomad certainly looked like a good interview candidate, who would be open to pushing the boundaries of technology – and be it, like in this case, only with Skype. My thanks to Steve for his patience. We’ll have to live with the echo in the Skype interview. 15 years from now, it will look stone-age authentic…

Following a Skype-cam tour of his Nomad Research Labs on Camano Island off the coast of Washington, including a glimpse at the Microship – an amphibian pedal / solar / sail micro-trimaran – and his current project, the S/V Nomadness – an 18-ton steel pilothouse cutter with 60-foot bridge clearance and a 77-horse turbo diesel auxiliary – the tinkerer-in-residence sat down for Three Questions For: Steve Roberts:

Thanks, Steve! Viewers who would like to order the book directly from Steve instead of Amazon, can do so here – you heard it, the author will sign it for you!

Recent Interview Tweets

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:05:19 +0000

Below is a summary of tweets from February 5th, 2010

@vodburner: RT @3Q4: Skype Interview with Couchois (annotated version) http://bit.ly/ae5KNh – vid recorded with VodBurner for Skype http://bit.ly/4e5tGo – 05 Feb 10 00:51

Recent Interview Tweets

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:11:24 +0000

Below is a summary of tweets from February 4th, 2010

@PJCouchois: RT @3Q4: Skype Interview with Couchois (annotated version) http://bit.ly/ae5KNh – 04 Feb 10 22:46

Couchois – the Band

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:23:57 +0000

On January 26th, 2010, “Couchois”, the 1979 Warner Bros. record of the West Coast band by the same name, was re-released on CD by Wounded Bird Records. Three questions via Skype for Chris, Mike and Pat Couchois:

Fast Tube by Casper

Full disclosure: The only other band interview I ever did before this one must have been in 1980, for a local newspaper. A year before, “Couchois,” the first album of the rock band-of-brothers “Couchois” was released on vinyl in the U.S.. The 1979 record features Chris Couchois (lead vocals, guitar, drums), Pat Couchois (guitar, background vocals), Mike Couchois (drums, percussion, background vocals), Howard Messer (bass, background vocals) and Chas Charlson (keyboards, background vocals).

More than 30 years later, “Couchois” is still active. They are the Rock’n Roll class act of choice for many community and corporate events in the Greater Los Angeles area – and for kicking off my experimental video interview blog. Thank you, bros!

My Video Interview Blog Experiment

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:22:09 +0000

Three Questions For… (3Q4) is a Skype-based video interview blog experiment. I launched it to learn from people I am curious about. Here’s more about me, and how it works.

My three questions to the expert – that could be you! – will address current affairs and topics in his or her field of expertise, in a short form that will hopefully be interesting and entertaining for others as well. Because I have a day job, interviews will run no longer than three minutes, or at least that’s the plan…

Suggestions and comments welcome. Enjoy!