SteveWozniak
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Woz was scammed out of Bitcoins now worth over $70,000
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has demonstrated the issue of bitcoin fraud by falling victim to an old school internet scam. Speaking at The Economic Times of India's global business summit this week, he said that someone bought seven bitcoins from him using a credit card, but canceled the card after the bitcoin was transferred, so the payment failed to process. And of course the card was stolen, so there was no way to retrieve his lost assets. He bought when the cryptocurrency was priced at $700, but the loss would be worth the equivalent of $71,400 today.
Steve Wozniak just created his own online university
Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak has just launched Woz U, a new digital institute designed for those eyeing a career in the tech industry. "Our goal is to educate and train people in employable digital skills without putting them into years of debt," Wozniak said in a statement. "People often are afraid to choose a technology-based career because they think they can't do it. I know they can, and I want to show them how."
Hawking, Musk and others call for a ban on autonomous weapons
If you don't like the thought of autonomous robots brandishing weapons, you're far from alone. A slew of researchers and tech dignitaries (including Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking and Steve Wozniak) have backed an open letter calling for a ban on any robotic weapon where there's no human input involved. They're concerned that there could be an "AI arms race" which makes it all too easy to not only build robotic armies, but conduct particularly heinous acts like assassinations, authoritarian oppression, terrorism and genocide. Moreover, these killing machines could give artificial intelligence a bad name. You don't want people to dismiss the potentially life-saving benefits of robotic technology just because it's associated with death and destruction, after all.
Wax Woz is coming to Madame Tussauds in San Francisco
Step inside the Madame Tussauds in San Francisco and you'll find waxworks of Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg and other American icons. Steve Jobs is also present, but for many Apple fans there's something amiss about his model. The problem? There's no Steve Wozniak standing alongside him. Following a public competition to decide the next "tech innovator" waxwork, Madame Tussauds has agreed to immortalize the Apple cofounder next to his friend and fellow tech visionary. Woz now needs to visit the museum and conduct a two to three hour sitting, during which 250 measurements will be taken to ensure his model is accurate. Sculpting should take three to four months, and when the finished article is unveiled in the fall, Woz will be there for a quick side-by-side comparison. "I can't wait to see my figure next to Jobs – it'll be just like old times," he says.
Steve Wozniak calls Apple's legendary garage 'a bit of a myth'
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has never been shy to talk about the company he helped create, regardless of whatever the topic may be. Most recently, in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Wozniak touched briefly on a few topics from the early days of Apple, ranging from the vision of his long-time partner and friend, Steve Jobs, to how many Apple I and Apple II units were sold in the beginning. Wozniak was also asked a question regarding the legendary Apple garage, which has become known as the Cupertino firm's birthplace -- it's an iconic place, to say the least. To this, he said, "The garage is a bit of a myth."
Steve Wozniak thinks Apple should build an Android smartphone
Yes, folks, this is real life. In an interview with Wired, at the Apps World North America conference, Steve Wozniak revealed his belief that Apple should create a phone using Google's Android operating system. According to him, "There's nothing that would keep Apple out of the Android market as a secondary phone market ... We could play in two arenas at the same time." As Wired's Mat Honan notes, the idea of such a handset wouldn't be technically impossible, but anyone who's familiar with the Apple of today knows that the chances of this actually happening are slim to none. "We [Apple] could compete very well. People like the precious looks of stylings and manufacturing that we do in our product compared to the other Android offerings," Wozniak stated during the interview. Of course, this isn't the first time (and very likely won't be the last) in which the great, legendary Woz has spoken openly about his thoughts on Apple- and Android-related affairs -- still, it's always interesting to hear his perspective on the tech industry. Wozniak also spoke to Wired about the film Her, Moore's Law and even why he thinks the Cupertino company has yet to release a smartwatch or TV. You can check out the full interview right here.
Kickstarter to reunite original members of the Homebrew Computer Club more than doubles fundraising goal
A Kickstarter campaign to reunite the original members of the Homebrew Computer Club humbly began last week with a project goal of US$16,000. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Kickstarter campaign had easily eclipsed its $16,000 target with approximately $36,539 pledged from 353 backers. This is particularly cool because event organizers previously indicated that if they reach the $30,000 mark, they'd be able to hire a professional photographer to document the event and license the photos under Creative Commons. If the campaign is able to hit the $40,000 mark by October 29, a professional videographer will be commissioned to create a "micro documentary" of the event. What's notable about this Kickstarter campaign, aside from the fact that nerds are willing to plunk down big money in order to bring a group of famous nerds together, is that all of the Kickstarter incentives are completely sold out. For example, users who pledged $4,096 or more were promised eight tickets to the event along with their company logo on the event program. There were three slots available for that top-tier incentive, and all sold out out rather quickly. As for event details, the event will take place on November 11 and will feature "dozens of original surviving" Homebrew Computer Club members, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Woz, Kottke, Hertzfeld discuss the 'Jobs' movie
John Vink, who was an Apple engineer between 1996 and 2012, managed to grab three of the people portrayed in the 2013 movie Jobs for a long discussion about the movie and Steve Jobs. It's an episode of John Wants Answers with Daniel Kottke, Andy Hertzfeld and Steve Wozniak. Kottke was a friend of Jobs from Reed College who traveled to India with the Apple co-founder, and later became an early Apple employee and Macintosh team member. Hertzfeld wrote much of the original Macintosh operating system software and later went on to co-found three companies, and Wozniak needs no introduction. The team tells some fascinating stories about Apple and Jobs, and it's well worth your time to watch the video for an Apple history lesson. [via The Mac Observer]
Kickstarter launched to reunite the original members of the Homebrew Computer Club
A cool new Kickstarter campaign was launched today. Its goal? To reunite the original members of the Homebrew Computer Club. In case you're unfamiliar, the Homebrew Computer Club was a hobbyist group formed in the mid '70s for computer enthusiasts in Silicon Valley. Some famed alumni of the group include Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs and famed programmer John Draper, aka Captain Crunch. The Kickstarter page for the project reads in part: Please join us on November 11th, 2013 for a historic event -- the Homebrew Computer Club Reunion. The legendary Homebrew Computer Club was a grassroots group of hardware hackers who kickstarted the personal computer revolution, and forever changed the course of consumer technology--and in the process--the world. For one night in November, dozens of original surviving Homebrew Computer Club members will reunite to celebrate their legacy and to impart their wisdom to the next generation of hackers and creators whose innovations will shape the future. Guests will include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Hypertext pioneer Ted Nelson, and Homebrew original and sometimes "moderator" Lee Felsenstein. The project goal to get this event up and running is US$16,000. Money donated to the campaign will be used to cover costs associated with booking a venue, security, staffing, food and drink and of course, travel arrangements for Homebrew members. If the amount donated reaches $30,000, a professional photographer will be hired for the event. And if the amount donated reaches $40,000, a small documentary on the gathering will be commissioned. Per usual, there are incentives associated with donating at varying monetary levels. Cleverly, though, the levels for this kickstarter project come in the following dollar increments, $4, $64, $128, $512, $1,024, $2,048, and $4,096. Users who donate $4,096 will receive eight tickets to the event along with "your company logo on the event program." You can read more about the planned event on the Kickstarter page over here. If all goes according to plan, which is to say that the fundraising goal is met by October 29, the reunion will take place on November 11, 2013. Notably, the organizers already have 25 original members on board.
Steve Wozniak headlining Apps World Europe in London on October 23rd
iOS developers in and around London might want to take note: Steve Wozniak will be the keynote speaker for Apps World Europe on October 23rd. Apps World Europe is now in its 4th year and is quickly becoming the conference of choice for mobile developers in Europe. The two day event sees over 8,000 developers, mobile marketers, mobile operators, device manufacturers, platform owners and industry professionals meet for workshops and discussions. Of notable interest this year will be a heavy focus on iOS 7, its hundreds of new features, thousands of new APIs, and brand new look. In announcing his keynote role, the Woz said. "I'm delighted to be speaking at Apps World, sharing my experience of 30 years in the mobile and computing industry, as well as learning from and feeding off the passion and enthusiasm of the app developer community in attendance." In addition to Wozniak, leaders from Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Shazam, the BBC, and dozens more will be in attendance to share their latest thoughts about mobile. Apps World Europe takes place from October 22nd-23rd at Earls Court 2, Warwick Road, London SW5 9TA. Tickets can be purchased here. And if you're an iOS developer who's going, I'll be wandering around both days, so give me a tweet during the event if you'd like to share what you're up to.
Early Apple employees comment on 'Jobs' movie
Jobs, this year's non-comedy Steve Jobs biopic, opened in theaters today. The film stars Ashton Kutcher and follows Jobs from his humble college days through his rise, fall and eventual return to power at the company he helped found. Reviews have been mixed on the film itself, but how do the people who were there at the beginning of Apple react to the film? Early Apple employees Daniel Kottke and Bill Fernandez spoke with Slashdot's Vijith Assar about what Jobs got right, and wrong, about their time with the company. Kottke worked with Apple on hardware, while Fernandez was a part of developing user interfaces for the company. Of the two, only Kottke has actually seen the movie, which he worked on as a script consultant. For his part Fernandez says he sees the film as a work of fiction and has no desire to see history reworked. So what did the filmmakers get wrong? The portrayal of Steve Wozniak. According to Kottke, this scene involving Jobs convincing Wozniak that home computers are the wave of the future while walking through a Hewlett-Packard garage "rings false." The complaint that people would rightly have about the film is that it portrays Woz as not having the same vision as Steve Jobs, which is really unfair. Woz's reply this morning was, "If I see it at all, I'm going to have to see it alone." The film also heavily dramatizes Wozniak's exit from Apple, a scene that Kottke sees as one of the film's best even though it has no basis in reality. Kottke says "that was a complete fabrication."
'Jobs' actor knew next to nothing about Apple prior to the iPod
Today marks the release of the highly anticipated Apple origins flick Jobs, and while actor Josh Gad will do his best on the silver screen to emulate a young Steve Wozniak, Gad himself knew very little of Apple's history prior to reading the script. The 32-year-old actor spoke with Mashable about his experience with the company his character helped create, admitting that before being brought into the project, his familiarity with Apple was strictly post-iPod. Of course, this experience isn't unique to Gad, and only serves to further highlight how Apple's portable gadgets, starting with the iPod, helped to reinvent the company's image as a leader in consumer electronics. Personally -- and I'm 28, for the record -- I recall my only experience with a Mac being isolated to the computer labs at school, and even those machines were being gradually swapped out with Windows-based hardware. With a total of 76 reviews tallied thus far, Jobs currently holds a 25 percent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, being described as a shallow look at very complex characters in the two Steves.
Scanadu Scout tricorder tops $1 million in funding, now comes in black
Scanadu clearly knows to tap into our collective Star Trek dreams, as the company just reached $1 million in funding for its Scout tricorder. The backing so far comes from people in 91 countries, including luminaries like Eugene Roddenberry (who else?) and Steve Wozniak. That figure is more than symbolic, we'd add -- backers who've paid for a Scout can now get theirs in black rather than a clinical-looking white. Should the new color option prove tempting, it's not necessarily too late; as of this writing, there's still a few days left to make a pledge.
The Daily Roundup for 05.28.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Steve Wozniak discusses his dependency on a MacBook Pro and his affinity for transistor radios
Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire. Steve Wozniak pioneered the personal computing industry with the Apple I and II. In a throwback to our 31st issue of Distro, we'll take a very thorough look at the mind and habits of the Woz. Spoiler alert: he has a thing for the bitten fruit.
Functional Apple 1 auctioned off for $671.4K, sets new record (updated)
With $671,400, you could buy roughly 2,040.7 base-model iPad minis before taxes. One unnamed buyer, however, just laid that amount out for a single Apple 1 from 1976. Auctioned through Cologne, Germany-based Auction Team Breker Sotheby's, the price beats out its $640K record from another unit last November. Interestingly, the seller refurbished this latest Apple 1 to working condition, after paying only $40K for it privately. While it doesn't seem to have the original enclosure, we'd be remiss not to mention that the seller also had Steve Wozniak grace the motherboard with his signature. You'll find more info at the source, while we wrap our heads around how this makes last summer's Sotheby's auction price of $374.5K look like a relative steal. Update: We initially reported that the auction was held through Sotheby's, when it was actually done by Auction Team Breker. We've corrected this in the post.
Rare Apple-1 hits the auction block
There are only six known working Apple-1 computers in the world, and one of these units will go on sale later this month. According to a report in Computerworld, German auction house Breker will be auctioning off the machine that was owned by Fred Hatfield. The Apple-1 includes the original manual, a letter signed by Steve Jobs and a circuit board that bears the name "Woz" on the back. The vintage computer is expected to fetch up to US$392,000 when it hits the auction block on May 25. You can check out the Apple-1 in the video below and hop over to Breker's website for the detailed photos of this classic machine. [Via AppleInsider]
Woz, Wigginton videos surface in 1984 user group talk treasure trove
TUAW reader Vince Patton provided us with several links to videos that he's uploading to YouTube. Patton's father had saved a VHS tape of a talk made by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to the Denver Apple Pi computer club at the Colorado School of Mines on October 4, 1984, which Vince uncovered and is digitizing, cleaning up and uploading to YouTube for posterity. Among the gems on Patton's YouTube channel is Woz leading the attendees in the "Pledge of Apple Allegiance," which you can watch below. Another fascinating bit shows Randy Wigginton, Apple employee No. 6 and a key member of the original Macintosh team, telling the story of how the Finder software couldn't even copy a disk just four hours before the deadline for shipping the initial Mac software. Many thanks to Patton for doing such an incredible job of preserving these wonderful pieces of Apple history.
Macintosh pen holder holds your writing utensil in a classic way
Sure, at over US$53 it's a little pricey, but I am completely charmed by this pen holder shaped like an old Macintosh. Maybe it's that Susan Kare face, or the floppy drive slot, or just the reassuring, all-in-one, boxy shape, but there's something about this little 3D-printed desktop decoration that I really like. Even if it's a little expensive for my own desk, it seems like it would make a nice gift. And if you want something perhaps a little more decorative and a little less practical, the same 3D printer can deliver busts of either Steve Jobs or Steve Wozniak, each available for about $100. Both are painted in a pixel-art style, and both look pretty darn cool as well.
Woz: Apple 'somewhat behind' on smartphone features
Woz he talking about? Steve Wozniak recently gave an interview with German business weekly Wirtschafts Woche in which he contended that the company he co-founded has fallen behind its competitors when it comes to its flagship product, the iPhone. According to Woz, Apple is "somewhat behind with features in the smartphone business," adding that "others have caught up. Samsung is a great competitor. But precisely because they are currently making great products." Unfortunately, there's no additional context for Woz's comments, so we're left wondering precisely what he believes iPhone is lagging behind in. Since he mentions Samsung outright, we're thinking that maybe he's referring to things like screen size, since he has opined in the past that he's not exactly a fan of the iPhone 5's taller-but-not-wider format -- but who knows? What are some things the iPhone is "somewhat behind" the competition on, in your opinion? [Via Electronista]
