Discussions

I have been intrigued by all things electronic since a very young age. Even before I started grade school, I can remember taking apart my brothers' AFX cars to see how they worked, and modding the electrical contacts on the underside of the cars, in the trigger throttles, and on the track to make the cars go faster. I would pull apart transistor radios, walkie-talkies, old calculators, you name it. I found it interesting and fun, and still do today, although now I'm ripping apart notebooks, netbooks, graphics cards and the like.

Few things got put back together properly back then, but over time I got more adept at understanding the inner-workings of many electronic devices. Soon I was able to not only reassemble things correctly, but to repair and modify them as well. Through trial and error I taught myself to solder, to use a multimeter, and to identify and replace marginal components in many different devices. In high school I got a bit of "formal" training by taking a semi-advanced electronics class, and even got a part-time job at Radio Shack, but by that point I already had the basics down pat.

It turns out I have a lot in common with one of my idols, Steve "Woz" Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. I'm finally getting around to reading Steve's autobiography iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It and can closely relate to many of the stories he tells in the book. He too had an ingrained curiosity of electronics and taught himself many of the same things I did when he was young. Of course, while I was making simple solder connections Woz was designing advanced logic circuits and TV Jammers, but I can still totally relate to the sense of accomplishment Woz writes about after completing a particularly difficult project.

Woz's Signature On A Limited Edition Apple II GS: The System Still Works To This Day

Reading through the stories of how Woz's father taught him many of the basic principles of electronics and physics, and then reading of the numerous science awards he had won and the relatively complex devices Woz had made prior to even entering eighth grade was downright amazing to me. By the time Woz was finishing high school and entering college he had already re-designed many of the prominent mini-computers of his day using far fewer chips and components than the original engineers could. And he did it all for fun. The man is simply a genius in every sense of the word. I already knew that, but reading his book further cemented my opinion of the man.

Woz eventually went on to singlehandedly design the first truly usable personal computer--the Apple I--and used his skills to further refine the design numerous times. His skills, along with Steve Jobs' personality and salesmanship, were--and perhaps still are--the foundation of one of the most respected companies around today.

Woz is now the chief scientist at Fusion-IO, a company that specializes in enterprise-class solid-state technology and high-performance I/O solutions, but part of me wishes he would re-focus his attention on personal computing. Think of the impact a man with Woz's talents would have on the mobile computing market. Imagine an Eee PC comprised of 1/3 fewer chips, that's lighter, faster, has longer battery life, and is more affordable than the current models. If he was able to do that to the mini-computers available during his youth, perhaps he could do the same today.

What would you change in regard to the current crop of notebooks / netbooks? Share your ideas with us.