Thursday, September 19, 2013

73 Wayne Green

http://blogs.computerworld.com/pcs/22826/goodbye-wayne-green-and-thanks-memories

www.waynegreen.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Green

I first came upon Wayne Green's publications at the very beginning of the revolution.

As the article states, "Before there was a PC revolution, before the days of PC Magazine and MacWorld, before COMDEX, there was Wayne Green."

Byte magazine was the first computer mag, and the first one I picked up to teach myself about these new computers that we're going to revolutionize Music Production with Digital Audio. 80 Micro, Kilobaud were both favorites. I found his editorials to be especially compelling. Kind of like that favorite professor in college, Wayne's editorials were wide-ranging, informative AND entertaining. Sometimes, they were even about computers... ;-) I do remember I would often disagree with some of his opinions back when I was in my twenties. Even so, when the next issue came out, I turned to the editorial first.

Fast forward 20 years and a favorite technology author, who I first found in a Wayne Green mag, mentioned in his column that the FCC WAS DROPPING THE code requirement for Technician Class Amateur Radio licenses. Back in the '70s, I had attended some local Hamfests, but only to shop for computer parts. Hams, ever the early adopters/experimenters with tach, were using micros in all kinds of creative ways. I even picked up a ham radio mag back then, but for the computer articles. The code had been my bane since my first interest in a radio ticket back in Junior High. Now, I was in, and like many computer aficionados/professionals, took to the VHF airwaves, helping to develop digital modes of communication that are the basis for many of the technologies we all use today. After all, the geeky hams developing repeater towers and using handie-talkies in the '70s paved the way for the cell phones we all started carrying in the '90s. Yes, the geeks have taken over the world, and for a while, some of you even had phones with push-to-talk buttons!

And as I started into the ham culture, there was 73 magazine and good 'ol Wayne, still writing those same editorials!

I was amazed at how much wiser he had gotten over the years. I agreed with almost all he wrote I. My '40s... ;-)

Wayne was always out-spoken and unique. I learned not only technology, but philosophy and even religion from him. In many ways, Wayne Green influenced the man I have become.

My only regret in our 'relationship' is that I never had the pleasure of meeting him, at least in this life.

The other day I was going through some older CARP (it's an anagram) and I ran across a collection of Wayne's editorials I had purchased from his website. That's right, they are so good, he could sell them as a product independent of their original publication. Once again, ever the innovator, Wayne invented content creation, before the Web, or even the Internet, and found every possible way to monetize that content.  

RIP Wane Green, although, given your time here, and given the freedom from pain and fatigue there, I doubt there is much resting going on. I look forward to all the heavenly publications you are starting up...

73 

Now, I have to go find those editorials and read some again...