By Lawrence I. Charters
Washington Apple Pi Journal, Vol. 15, no. 1, January 1993, pp. 11-12.
On the evening of October 28, Columbia Apple Slice served as “host” user group to Apple’s satellite broadcast at Apple’s office in Columbia, Maryland. In addition to a large contingent from Columbia (surprise), there were representatives from Annapolis Slice and a number ofWashington Apple Pi regulars. Apple Columbia, which was the real host, supplied Coke and cookies, plus a display room loaded with every model of current Mac. The new Power Books seemed to collect more drool than the new Macintosh Ilvx.
The Columbia office has a magnificent briefing room featuring a great sound system, remote-controlled drapes, and two video projection units which can show TV-style video or computer generated video. While no one made a big deal out of it, all the equipment in the room-from the drapes to the video projectors to the lights to the sound system- is controlled from a HyperCard stack running on a Macintosh. It was an ideal spot to watch a live satellite feed, not to mention a great spot to showcase Apple technology.
Apple User Group TV (UGTV) has a reputation for being “different,” and this night was no exception. Instead of a test pattern, the video feed rebroadcast random screen saver modules from Berkeley System’s award-winning After Dark. Transcontinental screen savers are an interesting technological “advance.” There are limitations, however: when the gentle, silent screen savers (Rose, Life, Lissajous, Satori) were replaced by Mowin’ Man, and the sound of the lawnmower blasted out of multiple speakers around the room, several people suffered minor heart attacks.
At 9 p.m. (6 p.m. in Cupertino), the broadcast began in a “garage” filled with the usual clutter: bicycles, paint cans, beer kegs, tires, a one-person band with synthesizer and Mac, a studio audience- your typical California garage. The hosts, User Group Connection Manager Ray Kaupp and Community User Group Manager Rye Livingston, explained the setting as “appropriate” given the origins of Apple and the origins of user groups. Scattered around the “garage” were signs of user groups participating from remote locations, including “Columbia Apple Pie” [sic] posted right behind the hosts.
The broadcast had three parts: live interviews with Apple product managers (for the “consumer” Performas, the new Mac II
Washington Apple Pi got quite a bit of exposure through video clips of Sandra Bozek (Annapolis Slice), Ambrose Liao (office helper and QuickTime SIG leader) and Tom Witte (volunteer coordinator at the time the clips were filmed). Ambrose appeared several times in clips filmed at Mac World Boston talking about why people should join user groups and what makes them interesting. Tom was filmed at a SeniorNet conference this summer and talked about the joys of volunteering. He also had one of the best ·reasons for joining a user group: “A user group is a way to avoid dumb mistakes.”
The live questions were a mixed bag, and included (sigh) two crank calls from Washington, DC from a Pi member. On the other hand, Tim Childers, President of Columbia Apple Slice, did manage to get an answer on upgrade paths for the new Performas (the answer: it may be possible to put a faster CPU in a Performa 600).
Other Highlights
- The Newton product manager turned on a VCR across the room using a prototype Newton. She resisted several efforts to donate the Newton to the end-of-broadcast raffle, and avoided committing herself or the Newton group to anything, and yet still managed to make the Newton sound like a “gotta have;”
- One SeniorNet member offered this bit of wisdom: “A computer is my RV. I don’t have a boat, I don’t have a camper, I have a Macintosh;”
- The Power Book Duo project was known internally as “Bob W.” This was not the name of Perot’s first choice as Vice President, but an acronym for “Best Of Both Worlds;”
- A user from San Diego had this comment on why he got involved in user groups: “I was getting too much sleep;”
- The founder of SeniorNet placed a strong plea that user group representatives post their club calendar of events in the SeniorNet folders on America OnLine. In addition to being a great idea, it illustrates one problem facing user groups around the country: we know we exist, but most users don’t;
- While Apple will charge for Macintosh System 7.1, it has no plans to charge for future versions of the Apple II and IIGS system software.
The broadcast came to an end with a drawing for two PowerBook 145 computers. One went to “the fifth caller” who turned out to be a non-user group member. Since the PowerBook could only be won by a user group – not an individual – the hosts told him how to join a user group.
The other PowerBook winner was selected via clothes dryer, which actually made sense given the garage theme. Videotapes sent in by participating groups were tossed into a dryer, and then the dryer was turned on. It sounded terrible; even Ray and Rye seem surprised by how bad it sounded. Then a videotape was pulled out. While the Pi didn’t win, it was an entertaining way to randomize the entries. [It also pulverized several of the videotapes.]
After the broadcast, several of us went back to the display room and took apart one of the new Mac II
Meanwhile, others were enchanted by the new Power Book 180. And many others were lusting after the PowerBook Duo 230. Yet others were lusting after the Quadra 950 system over in the corner. In the spirit of compromise during the middle of a contentious election, I wanted them all.
So many temptations, so little time.