Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense • Hacker News Board

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#61

Post by ax0n » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 8:14 PM UTC

rikthevik wrote: post #33

elblanco wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What beautiful devices.

Yeah, nixie tubes are the perfect blend of Soviet-era impracticality and elegance. Now that I think of it, it's pretty impressive that there's circuitry to get up to 120V or whatever it is to drive those tubes right on his watch.

It's not nearly as much power (watts) to drive, but many of the EL backlight panels in cheapo digital watches require 60-100vac to drive them.

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#62

Post by jacquesm » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 8:25 PM UTC

risotto wrote: post #59

I have a new theory about life that hasn't let me down yet. It's a variant on Occam's Razor that I call Zoschke's Razor: The most boring explanation is usually the correct one. Let me apply it here... -- Gray has talked to his supervisors, and his job is secure because he's the same talented engineer today as he was last week. Gray's career options are unaffected by this because who wouldn't want to hire an iPhone en…

Gizmodo will not be charged, but they probably will be sued in civil court. Just to discourage 'repeats'.

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#63

Post by ErrantX » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 8:27 PM UTC

risotto wrote: post #59

I have a new theory about life that hasn't let me down yet. It's a variant on Occam's Razor that I call Zoschke's Razor: The most boring explanation is usually the correct one. Let me apply it here... -- Gray has talked to his supervisors, and his job is secure because he's the same talented engineer today as he was last week. Gray's career options are unaffected by this because who wouldn't want to hire an iPhone en…

The only slight hitch I see in your points is the police investigation; but I suspect it will come to nothing (from the perspective of - they had to make some form of response and the media seized on it because it was the story/scandal they wanted).

At the end of the day; Apple are on such a high at the moment it will almost certainly have been "forgiven"

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#64

Post by jacquesm » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 8:36 PM UTC

rikthevik wrote: post #33

elblanco wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What beautiful devices.

Yeah, nixie tubes are the perfect blend of Soviet-era impracticality and elegance. Now that I think of it, it's pretty impressive that there's circuitry to get up to 120V or whatever it is to drive those tubes right on his watch.

Soviet Era? Nixies were produced all over, it's just that the Soviet Union continued to produce them longer than the rest.

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#65

Post by tptacek » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 8:46 PM UTC

risotto wrote: post #59

I have a new theory about life that hasn't let me down yet. It's a variant on Occam's Razor that I call Zoschke's Razor: The most boring explanation is usually the correct one. Let me apply it here... -- Gray has talked to his supervisors, and his job is secure because he's the same talented engineer today as he was last week. Gray's career options are unaffected by this because who wouldn't want to hire an iPhone en…

Maybe Apple is a very cool company, but I've watched people get fired for far less significant data loss incidents. I hope you're right.

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#66

Post by jacquesm » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 8:50 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #31

anigbrowl wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it were anyone else, I would agree. But Steve Wozniak being who he is, I think it's a signal of 'all's well that ends well.'

I'm really picking up an undercurrent of "Steve Wozniak being who he is in relation to Apple, this joke probably means that Apple has gotten over it". I don't see the evidence to back that argument up.

I think the simple fact that Wozniak (who as far as I know is one of the nicest really rich people out there, by his deeds, not by his words) is willing to do this in a way suggests that it could have happened to anybody. Shit happens, prototypes get lost.

Stuff happens to prototypes quite frequently, especially car prototypes that suddenly and unexpectedly highlight both the existence of the prototype and the unfortunate person in possession of it, you can't have the one without the other.

Keep in mind that it wasn't Wozniak that released Grays name, effectively he's saying it could have been him, since he goes out drinking as well.

Maybe I'm giving Wozniak too much credit based on his past, but I can't imagine him doing this out of malice.

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#67

Post by prodigal_erik » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 9:20 PM UTC

unignorant wrote: post #8

This seems to me rather insensitive -- more importantly, it's probably not worthy of Hacker News. Edit: Given the downvotes, I'd be quite happy to hear any legitimate grounds for disagreement. I consider the widely disseminated mocking of someone who hasn't knowingly signed on as a public figure to be insensitive (independent of how funny or clever that mocking might be, and independent of whether being insensitive w…

Tragically, our civilization has lost the capacity to forgive and forget, and the target doesn't qualify for witness protection, so further damaging his career is no longer possible. After Apple, he's going to have to go smith for the Amish or something.

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#68

Post by sp332 » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 9:49 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #64

rikthevik wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, nixie tubes are the perfect blend of Soviet-era impracticality and elegance. Now that I think of it, it's pretty impressive that there's circuitry to get up to 120V or whatever it is to drive those tubes right on his watch.

Soviet Era? Nixies were produced all over, it's just that the Soviet Union continued to produce them longer than the rest.

In this context, "Soviet-era excess" is a jab at the culture of the USA around the time of the cold war. Some of the time periods in US history are named for the war we were fighting around that time. Revolution era, Civil War era, WWI and WWII era, cold-war/Soviet era, Vietnam era.

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#69

Post by lallysingh » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 10:01 PM UTC

philk wrote: post #7

tptacek wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strong disagree.

Would you care to clarify why? Apple is either upset with Gray or it isn't. Woz wearing an irreverent shirt won't change it either way.

Culturally I doubt Apple's that mad if their cofounder's joking about it.

Re: Steve Wozniak has a little bit of fun at Gray Powell’s expense

#70

Post by CamperBob » Sat, Apr 24, 2010, 10:13 PM UTC

ErrantX wrote: post #63

risotto wrote: post #59

I have a new theory about life that hasn't let me down yet. It's a variant on Occam's Razor that I call Zoschke's Razor: The most boring explanation is usually the correct one. Let me apply it here... -- Gray has talked to his supervisors, and his job is secure because he's the same talented engineer today as he was last week. Gray's career options are unaffected by this because who wouldn't want to hire an iPhone en…

The only slight hitch I see in your points is the police investigation; but I suspect it will come to nothing (from the perspective of - they had to make some form of response and the media seized on it because it was the story/scandal they wanted). At the end of the day; Apple are on such a high at the moment it will almost certainly have been "forgiven"

At the end of the day; Apple are on such a high at the moment it will almost certainly have been "forgiven"

Historically, counting on Apple to be a gracious winner is risky.