J J also co-created the very first audio forum on what would later be called the internet. In 1985 it became obvious to me that audio production was headed into computers. I started going to Berkeley McIntosh User Group meetings to learn about this technology. Being a life long audio nerd, I quickly started sitting with the computer nerds. One of the people I met there told me about a “back door” into usenet from a local dial-up bulletin board. (I recently learned that Steve Jobs paid for the dedicated phone line required for us to access “the net.”)
When I started prowling around, I found a newsgroup called rec.audio. This contained thousands of discussions about audio that were completely over my head. For me, it was heaven because since high school I’d always chosen to be the dumbest person in the room so that I could listen and learn more.
I learned an awful lot at rec.audio and have jj (along with Steve Jobs) to thank for that. I also met Bob Katz there. We are hoping to achieve the same quality of learning experience here for the next generation of audio people.