Wayne Green

In the first few years of the Microcomputer revolution, 1980's, I had the honor and curiosity of being hired by Wayne Green of New Hampshire. I was in Virginia, and through an ad and a trip to N.H. I got a job selling software (Instant Software) and publications (80Micro, etc.) to the first computer stores in the mid Atlantic area. I got to meet and talk with Wayne Green, who was a bigger-than-life professorial man, who told us stories of how he had met with"the Steves" (Wozniak and Jobs) in their garage before they made it big, and how he had started Byte Magazine from scratch, only to have his wife and his lawyer run off together and through a maneuver stole the entire operation from him. He took it in stride and started up a whole new empire, including magazines and specialty software. He was a true innovator and entrepreneur , and thought BIG and smart (mensa). I was part of his first outbound sales force, that lasted a little more than a year. Exciting time, back when the computers available, mainly for pioneers and nerds, were Exidy Sorcerer, TRS80, Apple II, Timex Sinclair, Atari400, Comodore Pet, Altair, etc. Wayne Green was always a controversial figure, first nationally notable with his 73 Magazine, his Ham radio magazine in which his editorials were the most fun, informative and clever platform, forcing new ideas on a traditional bunch of CQ-ers. For instance he reasoned (argued) that the Morse code requirement for new licenses should be dumped, since nobody used it anymore, and new users were diminishing. The old timers were mad and resisted because, "If I had to learn it, the new guys will too."

Over the years, Wayne Green hung in there, sprouting new ventures and selling them later to other publishing outfits, writing and traveling, doing anything his heart desired, it seems. As his scientific and opinion editorials were sought out in the early years, and his intellect brought followers all along the way.

He developed a more controversial philosophy in his more recent years, some would put it in the conspiracy theory arena. There were mystical ideas,mixed with longevity hints, very far out predictions and explanations of things in the world with much more depth and information than the average person can handle. When I read a piece he wrote 5 years ago, I was shocked, because it seemed that he grasped and believed every wacky thing I had ever seen anywhere. He has predictably been a frequent guest of the Art Bell, George Noore (sp?) overnight conspiracy radio crowd, putting an unfortunate triviality to this man who has had an extraordinarily interesting and productive life.
I noticed on his website a listing of "Things I have done" that is worth a scan. Many people would find it a full life to have a few lines of this list in their memories.

• piloted a nuclear attack submarine 800 feet under the Pacific ocean.
• piloted an Air Force C5B (it's bigger than a 747).
• climbed the Great Wall of China
• visited the Chinese terra cotta army in Xian.
• operated a ham station from the famed American Embassy in Tehran.
• operated from the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
• operated for two weeks from King's Hussein's palace in Amman, Jordan.
• visited the lost city of Petra in Jordan.
• scuba dived in the Red Sea.
• visited 133 countries (so far).
• helped new technologies such as cellular telephones. personal computers, and compact discs to grow into major industries.
• represented the US at an international communications conference.
• represented New Hampshire for Governor Sununu at a governor's conference in Halifax.
• served on the New Hampshire Economic Development Commission.
• been a president of the Peterborough NH Chamber of Commerce.
• been on the board of directors of billion dollar IDG corporation.
• been a professional psychologist.
• had over 1,000 (long) editorials published - so far.
• started first digital communications magazine in 1951, (Amateur Radio Frontiers).
• started the first microcomputer magazine (Byte). )
• started the first computer magazine devoted to a single computer (80 Micro - for the TRS-80)
• started the first Apple magazine (InCider).
• started the first Commodore magazine (Run).
• started the first laptop computer magazine (Pico).
• started one of the first personal computer software companies (Instant Software).
• opened computer software stores - eventually sold a national chain of 58 stores.
• while in college started a broadcasting station (WRPI) which is now the largest student activity.
• served on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Board of Overseers and RPI Council.
• served as the First Executive in Residence at RPI.
• served as a consultant for the RPI Business Incubator - which won the 1996 prize as the best in the country.
• been a licensed amateur radio operator as W2NSD since 1940.
• pioneered amateur radio repeaters since 1969, starting with WRLAAB on Mt. Monadnock NH.
• established amater radio in Jordan in 1970 and wrote their rules and regulations.
• supplied and installed the first repeater in Jordan, J-Y73, in 1973.
• helped radio amateurs pioneer FM, radio Teletype, single sideband, and slow scan TV.
• bounced amateur radio signals off the Moon from the big dish at the Arecibo Observatory, PR.
• been editing and publishing amateur radio magazines for 47 years.
• a state-of-the-art digital recording studio.
• four record labels and produced over 150 CDs.
• helped re-popularize ragtime music and personally knows all of the top ragtime performers.
• started 25 successful publications in the radio, computer and music fields.
• published over 100 books.
• wrote one of the first books on digital communications.
• been on an African hunting safari.
• visited the ruins of Ba'albek in Lebanon, the Queen of Sheba's water catchments in Aden.
• visited the Pyramids, the Sphynx. the ruins in Athens, the Taj Mahal and Katmandu.
• visited the head-hunter longhouses in Sarawak.
• helped organize and lead trade groups of around 250 people to yearly electronic shows in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
• given keynote addresses to radio, educational, computer, and music conferences.
• helped invent a new kind of loud speaker - borrowed $1,000 on my car to start a manufacturing company and within two and a half years it became the largest speaker manufacturer in the country with seven factories.
• performed in The Mikado and Pirates of Penzance in high school
• served as president of radio clubs in high school and college.
• served in Navy 1942-1946 in WWII - electronic technician on USS Drum SS-228 (which is on display at Mobile, Alabama) for five war patrols.
• been a radio engineer and announcer in North Carolina, Florida and Virginia.
• been chief cameraman at WPIX-TV (11) in NYC.
• produced and directed network TV shows in Dallas and Cleveland.
• a reputation as a gourmet cook.
• served as president of Porsche Club of America.
• raced my Porsche on the Nurburgring and Solitude race tracks in Germany.
• both driven and navigated in many national SCCA car rallies.
• served as a founder and first secretary of American Mensa.
• a Ph.D. in Entrepreneurial Science.
• lectured on entrepreneurialism at Yale, Boston University, Case Western, Babson College, RPL and many other colleges.
• been on the first commercial airline flight between Philadelphia and New York in 1927.
• flown with father since 1922.
• served on the FCC's National Industry Advisory Committee (NIAC).
• served on the FCC's Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC).
• testified before a Congressional hearing on the music industry.
• had the usual toys: airplane, Porsche, yacht, Jaguar, Mercedes 600 Pullman limosine.
• worked on a Guggenheim grant on a color organ for the Guggenheim Museum on 5th Avenue.
• graduated Bliss Electrical SchooL Tacoma Padc MD.
• attended Radio Materiel School on Treasure Island, San Francisco and graduated as ETM2/c.
• served for five war patrols on SS-228 USS Dnun, made ETMI/c.
• taught electronics at Submarine School, New London CT.
• organized and run successful mail order Elm Stamp Company at age 12.
• sung in St. Pauls Church choir as boy soprano.
• sung in Philharmonic Choir of Brooklyn.
• sung in Erasmus High School Choral Club.
• pioneered the 6-meter ham band as the first New York City station on that band.
• run a 6-meter beacon station for several years in cooperation with the Radio Amateur Scientific Observations (RASO) program.
• for years had a VHF/UHF station on Mt. Monadnock NH; regularly heard for over 600 miles.
• been Excutive Secretary of the Music Research Foundation, Madison Avenue, N.Y.
• worked for GE as a test engineer on Army radio equipment.
• been an engineer at Airborne Instrument Laboratories in Mineola NY developing radar equip.
• tried marijuana in 1948 to see what it was like.
• tried LSD in 1960 to see what that was like.
• drunk with shipmates on liberty while in the Navy. Have seldom drunk since.
• tried smoking as a teenager, thought it was stupid. Ignored peer pressure.
• know the real dope on Amelia Earhart's last trip.
• been convinced that NASA had to have faked all of the moon landings.
• driven from Brooklyn NY to Peterborough NH (250 miles), averaging 100 mph one night - including a gas stop.
• interesting friends such as Barry Goldwater, King Hussein, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Rod McKuen.
• been convinced that with proper nutrition and avoiding poisons we ran dependably live to over 100.
• ridden Starlit Night, the Ringling Brothers top show horse.
• a professorship of horsemanship and taught riding instructors.
• a Hubbard Dianetic Auditor certificate and has processed over 100 patients, with some remarkable successes.
• swum the three mile length of Coney Island many times.
• investigated crop circles and a UFO hovering over a house in nearby Francistown NH.
• Other than all that I've been taking it easy and having a great time.

Isn't that amazing? rgb

Sporting spirit?

I am not a regular sports fan, but I probably am like a huge block of people in the country, the fall baseball fans, taking interest in the playoffs and the series only, even though they have a casual favorite or interest in the regular season. I cherry pick from the sports smorgasbord, (to mix my metaphors). Basketball is even less on my radar screen, mainly because it has become such a physical game, relying on slam dunks and push push push hubris based contest of monster players. I sincerely hope and believe it is not a racial thing going on with me, but the dominance of the game by these huge muscular monster players does not make it more attractive to watch. It just is not interesting to me. For instance since I moved to Connecticut, I have loved watching and following women's college bball, with a national champ team up here. The girls are athletic but otherwise regular people, you feel that you might meet on the street. Great fun and rivalries, and skill levels more like I remember from high school. I know it's not fair to compare them to NBA players, but it is a big difference. It's a totally different sport.


This current NBA brawl controversy shines a spotlight on the issue that I think really is at the heart of this. These athletes have been plucked in many cases (not all) from a very crude and low point of culture which values fighting for your imagined honor, defending your manhood no matter what. Charles Barkley was interviewed about this. He has proven he will say his mind without fear of holding back. But probably reflects what others would say and think, but hesitate to say. He said that a player who has been hit or thrown at, or whatever by a fan has a right to "beat the hell out of them" no matter what "to defend his manhood.". He has NO concept of a gentlemanly, lofty alternative position of civilized men who rise above things by turning away from something like this, in everyday life let alone in a player/fan situation. (How a drunk fan throwing a drink, or a punch, or a cuss threatens someone's manhood, It's not clear).


This ghetto/macho "I'm gonna be badder than you, mf" mentality is embedded in these offending players probably because of their upbringing and background. Just because they are plucked out and paid three million a year to be stars doesn't change their mindsets overnight. Who knows, maybe it is this macho drive that makes their success in such a physically driven sport possible. In any case, it should not be tolerated, and our society should make a statement that it will not be tolerated.

It looks like NBA has done this with suspensions, very responsible actions, but the silly defenders of the players are coming out of the woodwork. They range from players, to announcers to pundits. Oh, they say first that the players were wrong and all that, then they launch into a defense, saying the fans started it, and they should be accountable too, and you can't blame these guys (even thought they made a mistake) for being worked up, etc. Baloney! Yes, if a fan crossed the line they should be ejected, fined, arrested or whatever if appropriate. But not by the players! What nonsense. And it's not just that the fans are paying millions to see these players, just because it is the civilized thing to do. The fans must be dealt with by security or whatever, geesh! Even if it can't be quickly done. The players should turn the other cheek, run from it, rise above it, take it like a man, not defend it like a pseudo macho man. Period.