Editorial Note: The original post was published September 9, 2008 under the title Now we know who is responsible for Excel! This post was updated in 2009, 2012, and 2020.
Every day there's a new invitation to a network here in NYC. Some groups are "out of the wrapper, still have styrofoam peanuts in the nooks and crannies" new, others have been laboring online for years. Few have hit the sweet spot combination like The New York Tech Meet Up. Started only a few years ago, the numbers of registrants increases every year. In June 2009, the Meet Up had over 10,000 members. Held in the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT -- gotta love it!) Auditorium, attendees listen to speakers from every aspect of application development.
I was pleased to see the presentation by Dan Bricklin, founder of the first spreadsheet, VisiCalc. Now a spreadsheet does not sound sexy, but think about how much can not be achieved without a cell to hold important information (Update: Here is an All Analytics post "Don't Toss Out Excel Yet" that notes how far Excel plug-in development has come). Zimana's business, along with many other analytics tools, business firms, consultancies and organizations, rely on the ol' spreadsheet as a starting point for data analysis. This movement owes much to VisiCalc.
But Dan did not bore the audience with just column-and-row talk. His autobiographical book Bricklin On Technology covers the early days of his start up and serves as a window into the early days of the computer industry. Bricklin spoke to the New York Tech audience about entrepreneurship, how many people are looking for the pot of gold, but should just try to run a solid business. Says Bricklin, "You'll end up in an nice home, just focus on what you love to do." I personally like that statement!
You can find Dan Bricklin site, including more details on his book Bricklin on Technology here.
bugger.. I should have had a picture taken as well that evening. This is great (in a cool nerdy kind of way)..
Cheers 🙂
Dennis
I'll send a note for the next time I go to the NY Tech Meet Up and seek you out (I recall a notice from Facebook - I'll make a point to respond). My camera is a bit bulky for pics, but the pics come out pretty well.