The Amp Hour Electronics Podcast #684 – Lee Felsenstein: The Computer Revolution & Counterculture
Dec 10, 2024
Lee Felsenstein, a legendary figure in the computing world, designed the Osborne 1 and is credited with inventing social media. In this engaging discussion, he shares his experiences from the Berkeley Free Speech Movement to the dawn of personal computing. Fascinating tales unfold about his interactions with pioneers like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Felsenstein elaborates on the design challenges of the Osborne 1 and how grassroots innovation shaped early technology. His reflections on the evolution of social media reveal a rich intersection of community and technology.
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Birth of Social Media
- Community Memory, an early form of social media, was launched with a public terminal in a record store.
- The project aimed to connect people through technology, facilitating information exchange.
Social Media as a Utility
- Future social media should be a public utility with verified accounts, promoting open transactions.
- It should be supported like public parks and regulated like commons, fostering public interaction.
Atari and Jobs
- Atari, spun off from Ampex, initially rejected Felsenstein's social media pitch.
- He pitched the idea to Steve Jobs, who was dismissive, before pitching it to Al Alcorn.
A full 3 hour discussion with the legendary Lee Felsenstein, designer of the Osborne 1, SOL computer, VDM-1, Pennywhistle modem, and the inventor of social media. Covering everything from the Berkeley free speech movement, the counterculture movement, his career, through to Obsorne and how he invented social media with Community Memory.