Is Infomagic really Ed Yourdon? In Cory #102, Infomagic describes himself as "a professional computer consultant with 30 years of extensive, hard won experience in many different areas of information technology. I have programmed at the lowest machine code level on everything from small embedded systems all the way up to the largest mainframes. I have co-invented computer hardware and developed novel solutions to very complex problems. . . . " Sound like anyone we know? Infomagic displays a knowledge of northern Arizona ecosystems, where Ed has settled. He/she writes cogently and in a style altogether consistent with Ed's own posts and his writings in TimeBomb 2000, with one little quirk: Infomagic has adopted Paul Milne's charmingly geekish -- if grammatically inept -- use of "it's" (the contraction for "it is") when s/he means to say "its" (the possessive form). Adopting the Infomagic persona allows Ed to take a more doombrood (realistic?) stance than Ed Yourdon, computer guru, can to maintain his public credibility. He would also be able to throw out ideas without the response being colored by his reputation/personality among the geek community. As for that throwaway last graph about his English childhood -- for someone hiding behind a pseudonym, that is far too distinctive an indentifier to be anything but disinformation. (Let's see, alpha geek, northern Arizona, English childhood and accent, how many fit that profile?) And sooner or later I will remember the name of the book that graf comes from -- set in WWII, about an English family named Ramsey, during the London Blitz. Your turn.

-- JDClark (yankeejdc@aol.com), November 28, 1998

Answers

Sorry, folks, but I'm not Infomagic and I have no idea who he/she is. I gather from previous postings that he/she spent early childhood in England, and now lives in Arizona. I never set foot in England until I was 27, and I now live in New Mexico. Also, I never "co-invented" computer hardware; I'm strictly on the software side...

Hope this doesn't disappoint anyone....

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), November 30, 1998.

When I started calling this forum, I thought Arnie Rimmer might be Ed Yourdon... 8-)

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), November 28, 1998.

I know you're being facetious, JD. Y2000@infomagic.com (who we know as Infomagic)is a diehard, sweaty gearhead, according to Cory Hamasaki, another hard-core, hairy, big-iron geek. If you're really that interested, you could ask him---or Cory.

Hallyx

"I'll lead if it's a dance, not if it's a march." --Barbara L. M. Handley

-- Hallyx (Hallyx@aol.com), November 28, 1998.

Thought Ed is in New Mexico?

I know he likes to experiment but that may be "too" out there even for him. Anyone know? Uncle? Hardliner? Donna? Richard? Robert?

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 28, 1998.

Yes, Ed is in the Taos, New Mexico environs from all I've read. I've no clue about Infomagic, however.

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), November 28, 1998.

YOU'SE BUTHEDS ARE ALL MORONS IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS DAT INFOMAGIC IS REEALLY WILLIAM CASEY JR.!!!

AND FURDERMOR INDEED, Y2K WILL BE A MAJOR DISASTER BECAUSE OF YOU LOONIES!!!

NOTWIDSTANDING YOU Y2K CULTISTS SHOULD BLAME YOURSELVES IF EVER THIS TURNOUT TO BE A MAJOR DISASTER ON, UH, UH..... DA FOIST OF JAN '99!!!

-- Andy (andy_rowland@msn.com), November 28, 1998.

I own some property out on the Coconino plateau of the Kaibab Forest area.

I didn't see anybody running around in a "Merlin Suit" though.

S.O.B.

-- sweetolebob (buffgun@hotmail.com), November 28, 1998.

Andy! Don't scare me like that. I thought he was back!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 28, 1998.

Kevin wrote:

"When I started calling this forum, I thought Arnie Rimmer might be Ed Yourdon..."

I'm honored but unfortunately for me, Ed is a much better spellir than I are most days :-o Sorry, I'm not Ed -- nor am I Infomagic, but I really do live in Iowa.

Andy: ROFL! That's a great mask you're wearing!

As for Infomagic, his latest scared me into the closet... I'll be peeking out shortly and if I don't see any really gruesome monsters, I'll have a bit more to say about this...

-Arnie

-- Arnie Rimmer (Arnie_Rimmer@usa.net), November 28, 1998.

Yeah Hallyx, maybe my tongue was slightly in cheek on that one. But the Infomagic persona would certainly be a convenient cover for some major name to use to spread the (more realistic?) word. I was sort of hoping Uncle Deedah would 'fess up. I know he's in Florida, but the Arizona thing could be disinformation, right Unc?

-- JDClark (yankeejdc@aol.com), November 29, 1998.

I don't think Unk D is Infomagic, he might not even be a real person. What if some group of teens were using Unk D as a front for their class project? Maybe Unk D is really Arcy?

-- Dieter (questions@toask.com), November 29, 1998.

"Maybe Unk D is really Arcy?"

ROFL! That'll be the day!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 30, 1998.

Infomagic is a company in Flagstaff, AZ that has developed LINUX, a flavor of Unix. Infomagic himself is probably the owner or founder. I have this idiot fantasy that he's G. Gordon Liddy, or at least Infomagic hangs out with him.

-- lisa (what@brainhehas.com), November 30, 1998.

According to www.infomagic.com/staff, the prez and CEO is one Joel Goldberger. I have always appreciated Infomagic's contributions to the discussion in c.s.y2k, most especially his recent, extremely well-reasoned analysis of the probabilities of system-wide failures.

Having recently spent some time in the Pacific Northwest, I must say that a move to some nice small town (pop. 40,000 or less) near, say, Medford, OR (which is reportedly doing a very good job of community preparedness) is looking more and more attractive. Shelter/housing looks very do-able, water is no big deal, and food for 2-3 months wouldn't cost all that much. Hmmmm....

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), November 30, 1998.

Mac, the Pacific Northwest is wet, very wet, and cold in Winter.
But the rest of the year, it is breathtakingly beautiful.
Housing prices can run high.
If one has money, quality of life is very high.
Oregon is naturally full of independent, survivalist-oriented folks.
We move about frequently in the Pacific Northwest, and wouldn't consider living anywhere else. Chose this in 1984 while living in Tucson, Arizona where born, after researching for greenest, most beautiful place in USA to live.
Come on up and join the fun! Spring time would be easier on you for the move. We're expecting a rough Winter.
Ashton & Leska in Cascadia
xxxxxx xxxx

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), November 30, 1998.

Ed,

Was that really you answering? I mean REALLY? Inquiring minds ... would also love to see you come out of the Y2K posting shadows.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 30, 1998.

Diane, Ed posts here periodically. He is also very good at answering e-mails sent directly to him. Just lately, when you send an e-mail, you will get an electronic response notifying you the message was received. It says he is getting about 300 e-mails per day, and that it might take a little while for him to get back to you. But he DOES get back to you.... and he is VERY nice!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 30, 1998.

Leska -

Thanks for the invite! I may just take you up on it. Main issue is gainful employment if we relo. I'll keep doing my research (and stocking up on food while I do so.)

Just heard on the radio that there was a drive-by shooting in LA that eventually resulted in exchanges of gunfire (and scattering travelers) at LAX. Oh, yeah, we've got nothing whatsoever to worry about come 01/01/2000... 8-{

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), November 30, 1998.

Ed does indeed read this forum; he wrote to me once, when I praised this forum on a thread started by someone else. I forget what I said exactly, but it was something in passing, like "This forum is the best I've found about Y2k, very informative, easy to use and a good mix of views" etc. and gave a high 5 to Ed for it and thanked him. He sent me an email, which starts with "Chris,

Thanks for the compliment, but I don't deserve it -- it's the forum participants who have made this a success. If anyone else deserves to be thanked, it's Phil Greenspun, a graduate student at MIT whom I've never met in person. Phil provides a mechanism that allows anyone to set up a forum on any topic at all, and at NO cost to anyone." and ends with "Glad to see that you're enjoying it. I read every posting, but am so overwhelmed with all the other stuff I'm doing that I almost never have the time or opportunity to post my own reactions to some of the messages and discussion threads.

Keep up the good work -- and pass on my congratulations to the other participants for making it such a useful, thought-provoking mechanism for all of us."

In between, he proposed me in mariage...shhht...I'm not supposed to tell anyone ;)

hehe..all kiding aside, I hope he doesn't mind me reposting part of his email, but I never got to "pass on" his congratulations to all the participants of his forum, so now I did :)

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), November 30, 1998.

Infomagic is more properly Y2000@Infomagic.com. I started calling him Infomagic by chance and the name stuck. Infomagic is a programmer with significant expertise. He posts intermittently to comp.software.year-2000. c.s.y2k is a tough neighborhood but it is also where the best and most current information on Y2K is first "floated". Unfortunately c.s.y2k has an mean streak as well.

-- cory hamasaki (kiyoinc@IBM.net), December 01, 1998.

Cory,

Sat behind you at the Jim Lord event in Annapolis. Your daughter drew an excellent sketch of him. Dissappointed you didn't bring any food 8-( At least none anyone could see.

I assume you don't know infomagic. His view of the future makes North look like a pollyanna. I wonder if others of his computer ilk disagree with his analysis? Will we ever know who he is?

-- BBrown (peace2u@bellatlantic.net), December 01, 1998.