Last Wednesday night I posted my most recent column, turned out the lights in my office, walked down eight stone steps, tripped and smashed my face into the side of our house with a thunk that brought everybody running. Ten stitches and two days later I took the picture you see here in which I look way better. So if anybody wonders why I was a no-show tonight at the Computer History Museum’s reunion for the Homebrew Computer Club, this is my excuse. I can’t see well yet and I sure as heck can’t drive. Woz didn’t make it either I’m told.
I wish I had been at the museum, of course. Those who were there, please call or write and tell me about it.
What’s an old hack to do if he can’t see to read or type? I tried getting Fallon, my seven year-old, to practice reading to me but you know it’s just not the same.
Alas, this is a busy week, too, with huge news coming in this space on Wednesday Thursday. By then my stitches will be out, my head injury somewhat better, though all hopes I had of an NFL career are forever dashed. So please come back here Wednesday Thursday, okay?
I really mean it: something very special will be happening right here on Wednesday Thursday.
I’m not the only person to have an accident. My eBook editor Parampreet Singh took a very serious header from his bicycle in Toronto and is still under the weather which is why I’ve done such a poor job of publishing those eBooks I promised awhile back. But I’ve found a new editor to take up the slack and our first volume The Decline and Fall of IBM will hit Amazon right before Christmas. Buy it for all your friends.
I finished the book before hitting my head, so it will definitely appear, black IBM helicopters or no.
— Typed by Fallon Cringely
Hope you’re back to 100% health soon Bob, looking forward to the IBM book.
That’s a “me too” for old and disreputable Charles.
Ugh! Don’t do that again. I’ve enjoyed your writing for quite some time, and expect that trend to continue! 🙂
Thank you Fallon for typing your dad’s column for him today. My cats couldn’t be bothered to clean out their litter boxes, let alone manage my e-mail for me.
Bob,
Sorry to see your misfortune. Look forward to your news on wednesday.
Hope all’s well otherwise
Oh dear, get well soon! Good work Fallon with the typing 🙂
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I came from the Homebrew reunion a few hours ago (I was an original member in 1975). Steve Wozniak (by his own acknowledgment a low-key member of the Club in its mid-1970s heyday) did indeed attend, and got lots of attention from younger guests, as well as press. Gave a rousing brief speech.
I recall you writing about the Club after the fact, and wondered if you had attended any of its meetings in the 1970s.
Bob –
Please take better care of yourself 🙂
Ouch. I had a similar accident a couple of years ago, but thankfully a bit higher up on the skull so no vision problems. Which is just as well because my kids can’t type anywhere nearly as well as Fallon! Hope you feel better soon, we can’t have young Mr.Cringley developing RSI while trying to keep up with your output!
Falling Cringely, typed by Fallon Cringely.
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Perfect chance to say you were protecting your family from a wandering bear or something! We’d have believed you. Best speed in your recovery.
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Shame about missing the home-brew reunion. It’s something that I’d have liked to attend just to say hi to Woz, who wasn’t there anyway.
Get well, soon. Great job, Fallon.
There’s hope that as I sit drooling in a nursing home somewhere, I can still read a Cringely column, even if the mighty Robert can no longer answer the bell.
3 cheers for Fallon with our thanks.
Get well soon!
Glad you’re more or less OK. I wish you a speedy recovery. A couple of days away from computers might even do you some good!
Just remember: it only hurts until the pain goes away!
I hope things heal quickly. I ran into the basement door a few years ago but that’s what happens when you’re walking around with all the lights off.
Sorry to hear about your accident. Be careful, Bob! At our age we hurt worse, heal more slowly, and people get less sympathetic with each incident.. Hope you’re better soon!
Even with all the bang-up, take heart, for you’re still a good-looking guy for your age (important qualifier). I always wondered how a guy like you got all the good looking younger chicks back in the day. Now I know it was your looks, because it certainly never was your money 🙂
So what does the other guy look like 🙂 ?
I have been reading you columns since the beginning. It’s like your family or an old, old friend. So in that spirit I have to ask, as I would of my brother, why did you do that you dumb@$$?! Get better soon! Way to go Fallon.
Was that Kim Carnes back in the day? And was it Betty Davies Eyes?
Get well soon.
Looking forward to Wednesday.
Thanks Fallon! 🙂
DUUUUUUDE!
I hate that this happened to you and I really hope you feel better soon. Once you’re all healed up, you should come up with a much better story than, “I tripped and face-planted into a wall”. How about “I fought off a group of crazed terrorists that were about to blow up a bus full of nuns and orphans and then disarmed the bomb”? Or, “I was asked to test pilot a new top-secret spy plane. The instrument panel caught fire at mach 3.5 and I had to punch out at 10,000 feet over shark-infested waters. While I was waiting for the rescue helicopter I had to fight off three hammerheads with a pocket knife.”
Looking forward to your new book!
Feel better soon sir! Not for nothin’ but Fallon’s typing is faultless. He could teach us both a thing or two.
How well does the winner write?
Why not tie this in with your previous column on healthcare/insurance in the US? Did you get “the bill” yet? Are you Obamacared? Ten stitches at a zillion bucks a stitch is…you’re gonna have to sell the kids for medical research! (Monty Python reference)
For a second I thought it was Nick Nolte. 🙂
Your son is Fallon Cringely or Fallon Stephens?
Until he gets his own pen name, we’ll temporarily call him Fallon Cringely.
Bob, leave it to you to put it all out there … just like stripping down for the hot tub interview in Triumph of the Nerds. Speedy healing. And there’s an article and slideshow on the CNET site about the reunion. Look forward to whatever you reveal next.
Take this opportunity to reshoot your banner photo. You can use it on special occasions.
Man, looks like Ginni Rometty really worked you over.
So the picture at the top isn’t you?
the picture at the masthead is 10 odd years old as I remember.
the identity of the guy who tripped him is unknown, but the flash drive left behind has a scad of secret IBM documents. unfortunately, they are all bad old Babelfish translations from India…
It’s hard to convince people that some fraction of one cent per hour for a night bulb’s electricity is worth it to avoid medical bills and pain. (That’s not just undirected-passive-agressive for “You tripped in the dark, didn’t you, hmm?”, I’m venting a pet peeve 😉
Get better, and congrats to Fallon.
P.S. Delete this blog post and claim dashing Heidelberg-style duelling scars.
Come back on Wednesday, he says. I come back on Wednesday. Nope, no change. Refresh, nope, no change. Have lunch, come back, nope, no change. Afternoon coffee break, nope, no change.
And then it dawns on me … He didn’t say which Wednesday.
He means one minute before midnight in the last time zone to still be on Wednesday. Or maybe he’s on Microsoft time (where the 2nd Tuesday of the month doesn’t arrive until 10 am PST Tuesday morning). Let’s not forget about “extraordinary time”: “Sometimes there is an extraordinary Patch Tuesday, 14 days after the regular Patch Tuesday.”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_Tuesday . Of course all this depends upon Fallon’s busy schedule.
Ginni Rometty Retaliates! Bob Cringely ends up in ER.
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ER doctors X-Ray Bob Cringely’s head, find nothing.
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Bob Cringely makes his own headline.
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Several years ago I took my kids to a place like Chuck-E-Cheese. I noticed a group of men with many cuts and bruises on their faces, deformed noses, missing teeth, etc. At first I wondered if it was a battered husbands support group. On further observation I discovered the men were players for a NHL hockey team. They wore their scars with great pride. You should too. But you need a better story.
Wow…those NSA guys don’t like you posting negative articles about them, eh Bob? Good cover story though!
Or perhaps it was IBM? Either way, get well! 😉
Not to make a fine point of it, but your picture does not remind me of Yelsin but Mikhail Gorbachev. Is that outline of Kamchatka peninsula!?
выздороветь
Wednesday’s come and gone and now the page says the big announcement is today. When? We’re waiting…..
Never too early to have the boys learning the family business. Get well and remember – you have a face for shadowed profiles anyway.
Something similar happened to me a few years ago. I tripped in the dark and my body naturally oriented itself for a floor impact. So when I smashed into the side of my garage, there was no reflexive preparation or softening of the blow. My face looked a lot like yours, but, thankfully, no stitches. If anyone asks, say they should see what the other guy looks like! Best -J
I believe your presence was a “must” at the HCC Reunion. I attended and it was great. Woz, indeed, in doubt, but he attended and his presence was really noticed. But, there were a lot of great people too. And, of course, Marty Spergel attended by “surrogate”, driving a robot from Las Vegas. It was awesome! I met many interesting people, and I was expecting to meet you. Anyhow, get better! And don’t stop writing.
Wishing you a speedy, full recovery!
You did miss a golden chance to come up with a more impressive story. I recently hurt my knee in a stupid trip and fall. I told friends who asked that the injury was embarrassing and sexual and was caused by my misjudging the distance from the pommel-horse to the bed.
what happened to the big announcement? was it the mainframe post?
some 11 years ago, the fiancee and I scored Wild tickets, and parked down by my hospital (yes, they have a signed and patrolled space for me, just for me, by the cardiac building, but that’s a long story with no computer linkage and too much pizza) and walked over. having a great time. tripped on the street ridge of the handicap sidewalk ramp, staggered, and headed a support post. which holds up one side of the building. of the hospital’s fitness center.
so we lurched in, and my friendly exercise assistants got a bandage on me and some Advil in me. a few minutes until all the little birdies around my head were all cheeping in the same key, and we lurched on. to the nosebleed seats.
good game, but I was the most banged up in the arena.
oh, the support post. they examined it, and decided they didn’t need to fix the damage, it was over-engineered enough.
your stone wall is probably OK, too.
Look on the bright side: You still look far, far better than John McAfee.
https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2013/11/john_mcafee_hit_with_protectiv.html
http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/width620/img/silicon-forest/photo/13837938-mmmain.jpg
I hope that you feel better soon (and your editor too).
Get better soon, are you sure that IBM didn’t send some thugs out to your place after some of your articles?
Yo Bob, don’t do anymore tripping. We need you at your peak article writing capability to help us cope with all the IT churn. Seriously, try any be a little more careful!