An Historic

My first computer in 1980 was an Atari 800 with, gasp, 64K memory. There wasn’t much software, so I dove into BASIC language, which led me to VBA and HTML and that sort of thing. This describes basic addiction, doesn't it?

By 1985 Ad Hoc Associates was born and doing great things with Lotus/Symphony, Ventura Publishing, and computer graphics on an actual PC. Yes, I even bought a copy of Windows 286, but that’s a sad story.

By 1989 AHA! was in full swing with presentations (Harvard Graphics) and databases (Superbase and later MS Access), which kept us pretty busy until Web site design reared its head.

In the interim I also taught computer hopefuls and wrote irreverent manuals for Harvard Graphics, Superbase, PowerPoint, and MS Access. Since I was self-taught except for an advanced programming course in Superbase, my qualifications were based on solutions sweated out in learning and actually using the programs.

2002 brought videos into my life, thanks to my ever persistent gauntlet-thrower of a client, Pete. I used Ulead Movie Studio to edit innumerable tapes, threw in some PowerPoint slides, and scored all the videos with royalty-free music.

Who knew what Pete will come up with next? He assured me he’d stay up all night to think of a killer app.

There isn’t a person in this business who knows everything, so we all have our areas of expertise. I've become more of a specialist in my favorite programs as each new version has emerged. My best advice is not to buy a version X point zero of anything unless you are sincerely into self-flaggelation.

Details from the BC Period (Before Computers)

Computer knowledge is great, but it’s also necessary to “speak” business. Prior to my marriage to a keyboard, I did some "real work", which included being a paralegal for a Wall Street firm. In addition:

Market Research

I cut my teeth on market research for teens on Madison Avenue and wrote an Associated Press by-lined column for them three times a week.

In Oslo, Norway, where I was assistant to the President of Royal Caribbean Cruise lines, one of my duties outside of office management was international market research for its Miami cruise ships.

Real Estate and Urban Economics

After receiving a real estate license, I worked for Denver developers trying to figure out what to build where and how much to charge for it.

Fund-raising

In New York I managed fund-raising campaigns for The English-Speaking Union and Planned Parenthood. My Denver project was setting up computer assistance for the Girl Scouts’ fund-raising program.