How I killed Europe’s Largest Computer Company In 1973 I took a train to Appledorn,the Netherlands. The CEO of Philips asked me to give him my opinion about the viability of his company’s Computer Division. Philips at that time was one of the leading electronic companies in the world and extremely important in Holland where … Continue reading
Category Archives: Avram’s Past
Life Blues: My reaction to Outlaw Blues by Jonathan Taplin
In reading Outlaw Blues by Jonathan Taplin, I realized how easily my life could have gone in a different direction. Maybe, if I liked the music better, I would have become part of the rock music scene. My management and leadership skills might have taken me on a path similar to Jonathan and eventually my creative side might have emerged as it did for him. I had a similar experience reading Holy Beggars by Aryae Coopersmith whom I recently met. In reading Aryae’s book, I realized that I could have easily continued to explore the spiritual side of myself and may have ended up in Israel as a Rabbi. But I fell in love with technology. By 1966, I was working at the Langley Porter Institute, UCSF Medical School, designing equipment for brainwave bio feedback. From that point on, I had a continuing connection to technology. Now I am back to studying music. Jonathan is a Professor at USC. Continue reading
Hong Kong and Me: How I became the highest compensated advisor in the world (for a little while)
Here I am in Hong Kong some 49 years after I first arrived here. I wrote about that experience recently here. In looking for photos to use with this post, I found some that were taken in 1963 by a family that actually traveled on the President Cleveland,the ship on which I worked. I … Continue reading
How I got the iPad right in 1994 but was wrong about the Information Furnace
Now before you think this post is all about how insightful I was, and I was, it is really about how things turned out differently than I thought and wanted. It really is about a failure to implement a vision and an exploration of the possibility that things could have ended up differently.
In that very same article (again 1994), I coined the term i-pad (see the Article). Sixteen years later, Apple announced the iPad on Jan. 27th, 2010. Coincidentally, it happened to be my 65th birthday. Continue reading
Rotterdam 1969-1974: The Thoraxcenter
Towards the end of 1968, I accepted a position at the Thoraxcenter in Rotterdam. My task was to create and run the computer dept. It was actually two depts. One was part of the medical school at Erasmus University and the other was part of the Dijkzigt University Medical Center. Accepting the position was both … Continue reading
Promise we make to our future selves
We make trade offs all the time between what we would want now and what we will want later. Human beings have a pretty good ability to project into the future. But I am also interested in the relationship and obligation of our future self to who were are now and what that means for our future self. Continue reading
Avram, the Merchant Seaman
Reading the Steve Jobs bio made me want to share a bit more about my past just in case Walter Isaacson does not write my bio. Continue reading
Steve Jobs and me
I am left feeling sad for his death, admiration for his accomplishment and frankly, disappointment that I was no Steve Jobs. And grateful that I am still alive to love my wife, children and friends Continue reading
The Idea Man by Paul Allen
Just read the Idea Man by Paul Allen. I don’t usually review books and certainly not here on my blog. And this post is not really a review as much as it is a commentary. The first 50% of the book deals mostly with Paul’s experiences with Bill Gates including the formation of Microsoft and … Continue reading
Intel Alumni Panel Discussion
Last month, I chaired a panel at an event held by the Intel Alumni Group. Like many companies with strong cultures, the alumni still identify with the company and therefore with each other. I am still not sure why I agreed to chair the panel Maybe it was because I feel I owe Intel much and the much of the Intel that I owe is now alumni. But probably it was just that I was asked and asked in such a nice way by Bruce Schechter, the founder and president of the Intel Alumni Network. Continue reading
Two Thirds Done 