Glad to hear you’re still among us. I have fond memories of reading The Cuckoo’s Egg as a teenager in the 90s. It for sure played its part in steering me towards a CompSci education. Thanks and greetings from Switzerland!
Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
181–190 of 266 posts
Re: Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
#182the real test is whether the Klein bottle business got a sympathy bump in sales
And yep, there was a huge bump in sales today. Almost a dozen orders. I'll have to buckle down and stop reading Hacker News.
Re: Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
#183I picked up a klein bottle at your house and it was a bucket list moment and one of my best memories. I'm glad AI was wrong, and I am also glad it nudged me to tell you this.
Thank you -- one of the joys of running this zero-volume business is meeting visitors to the Bay Area. Every few days, someone stops by. Much fun!
Cheers, -Cliff
Re: Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
#184So grateful you're okay - this week's been rough enough without hearing of another hero's demise.
I'm grateful to be OK as well. Close call there...
Re: Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
#185I've never heard of you Cliff, but still glad to hear you're still with us lol
It's a shame, he's a genuinely cool guy! If I wasn't convinced that my kids would find a way to break it when I wasn't looking I'd definitely have an Acme Klein Bottle by now.
Re: Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
#186I'm not anyone you would know, so this probably isn't worth a whole lot, but you're one of my favorite people (in the set of people I'm not personally familiar with).
I really appreciated everything you did for young students in science and your position on the role of computers in schools. You're a brilliant human and a good human. It's a treat to see both in the same package.
Re: Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
#187For those who haven't read the Cuckoo's Egg: Stop what you're doing right now, and order it! It is a page turner, a great story. Thanks Cliff!
Thanks, oh unclothed robot.
What brought it all home was when I sent a copy of the almost-finished manuscript to my mom. She called long-distance (an absolute luxury for her) and said, "I really like it -- I couldn't put it down"
I've received accolades and awards, but there's nothing like hearing praise from your folks. Forty years later, that phone call still echoes.
Re: Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
#188I hope the 'slightly' in the title is a rhetorical device and wish you the best of health.
Thank you Two-Bee. I'm happy to report that aside from insomnia, I'm doing well.
Needless to say, this silly incident has a serious subtext for me.
Re: Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
#189Outside of the funny aspect, I do find that concerning. Assuming Cliff Stoll would have been using AI to answer their email, it is possible the agent would have answered that yes, the business does still exist even if the original owner unfortunately passed in May 2024, how can I help you today?
Naw, I answer all my emails (and HN postings) by hand, using this trusty Mac. Well, usually trusty.
And yep, the dozen or so people who ordered Klein bottles this morning received photos showing that either I'm alive or someone's doing a good job of imitating a 75 year old hacker...
Re: Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated
#190I now have reason to loathe, randomly, the month of May from 2024. My heart skipped a beat before I started reading third paragraph. I'm also reminded that I need to order a Klein bottle. I don't think I need one, and I am not sure that I know what I'm going to do with one, but I am going to make a list of ideas.
Do it. I got one for my kid over Christmas (he really wanted one) and ended up corresponding with the legend himself. Truly, what a hero.
Sure - if you can buy a few hundred Klein bottles, you'll help my kids with their tuition and whatnot...