Bob Metcalfe

Bob Metcalfe

Bob Metcalfe is a 21st-century Renaissance man—although he denies he ever considered himself a “medieval man.” Bob was an inventor, electrical engineer, publisher, expert, venture investor, professor, innovator and now a geothermal engineer. As Bob observes, on the verge of reaching the teenage age of 77 in just a few weeks, “I’m starting my seventh career!” Metcalfe is also now the recipient of the prestigious 2022 Turing Award, presented to him on June 10 in San Francisco is awarded. Earning the Turing is tantamount to being anointed as a Rock Star of Tech.

I first met Bob two decades ago at the Nantucket Conference, an industry gathering of business and technology founders and venture investors on the “island far away” of Nantucket, MA. Bob’s role at the Nantucket Conference was that of resident expert and wise man and final best of class for nearly a decade. As he describes it, “My job was to sit through each session for two days and then summarize the takeaways and key takeaways. Not everyone liked my conclusions.”

Bob has never been immune to strong public positions and provocative statements. In a famous 1996 incident, Metcalfe falsely predicted the collapse of the Internet and agreed to “eat his words” on a public stage. As Reuters reported at the time, “The networking pioneer-turned-computer-industry columnist who last year predicted the collapse of the internet Thursday kept his promise by literally eating his words,” noting that Metcalfe filled the offending column with liquid in a blender before pouring it into a bowl and “slurping down the contents of the bowl to the cheers of the crowd”. Metcalfe remarked wryly, “I was wrong. I ate the pillar. I’m sorry. I’m not worth it”. Always the graceful showman.

Over the decades, Metcalfe has built a legendary reputation in the world of innovation – from Boston to Silicon Valley to Austin (TX) and back. He is now returning to his roots at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he received his BS in Electrical Engineering in 1969 and his PhD in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science in 1973, in addition to an MS in Applied Mathematics from Harvard Business School. Metcalfe will return to his alma mater at MIT as a Research Affiliate in Computational Engineering at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, commonly known as CSAIL.

Metcalfe will forever be remembered as the inventor of Ethernet (he is nicknamed “Ether Dad”), which he introduced in a May 22, 1973 memo while working at the Xerox Research (PARC) computer science lab in Silicon Valley. He refers to Ethernet as an “installation for the Internet”, whereby PCs were initially connected via a local area network (LAN). Metcalfe founded 3Com (short for “Computer Communication Capability”), an industry pioneer in computer networking, where he served as founder, chairman, CEO, investor and “cheerleader”. The company was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2009 for $2.7 billion in cash. During this time, Metcalfe also became known for Metcalfe’s Law, which states that the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of users connected to the system, a fundamental premise behind the Internet.

After retiring from 3Com, Metcalfe moved on to his next career – as CEO/Editor of International Data Group’s (IDG) highly regarded InfoWorld Magazine, followed by a stint as a Limited and General Partner at Polaris Ventures, where he was a Partner Emeritus remains – previously in 2011 he relocated to Austin, TX to serve as Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Cockrell School of Engineering and the McCombs School of Management at the University of Texas, where he remains Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computational Engineering is.

Returning to work at MIT CSAIL brings Metcalfe closer to his summer home in Owls Head, Maine in the Camden, Maine area. There, Bob navigates the waters of Penobscot Bay in his fleet of small boats. In 1996, Bob, along with former Apple Computer CEO John Scully, launched the Pop Tech conference in Camden. The conference, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021, describes itself as a “global network dedicated to the vanguard of emerging technologies, science and creative expression”. Bob will continue to split his time between Maine, Austin and Cambridge (MA).

Long considered the Nobel Prize in computer science, the Turing Award was first presented in 1966 by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The awards were created in honor of Alan Turing, the British mathematician credited with founding the foundation of theoretical computing and artificial intelligence, whose tragic life was portrayed in the 2014 film The Imitation Game, which received a nomination for Best Picture and Best Picture received Actor nomination for Benjamin Cumberbatch’s moving performance at the 87th Academy Awards.

The Turing is awarded annually to individuals who have made a lasting contribution or great technical importance to the field of computer science. Widely regarded as the highest recognition in computing, the award is accompanied by a $1 million prize funded by Google. Metcalfe admits to being honored to receive the award, commenting, “Turing recipients include the greatest pioneers in the advancement of computer science, from Marvin Minsky to Tim Berners-Lee. I am grateful to be counted among these giants.”

Metcalfe looks forward to continuing its efforts in educating the next generation of innovation leaders. He welcomes the advancement of what he sees as a collaborative innovation ecosystem stretching from Silicon Valley in the west to Austin in the southwest and Boston in the northeast. His conclusion: “I am motivated to learn. I enjoy learning!” Congratulations to Bob Metcalfe on receiving the 2022 Turing Award and we look forward to seeing what the next 20 years will bring. We are confident that it will be an innovative and fun journey.

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Kronos Quartet, a staple of the San Francisco music scene since 1978, is returning to Rancho Nicasio on Sunday, July 24 for the venue’s BBQ on the Lawn series. The night promises to be clement, with plentiful brews flowing freely and eclectic music emanating from the Kronos Quartet’s strings.

Kronos Quartet is decidedly not the traditional string quartet experience. Those concerned about a sleepy performance featuring snoring seatmates need not worry. Not only is Rancho Nicasio a lively and refreshing outdoor venue; the group is known for taking audiences along for an often unexpected, always exciting, classical thrill ride. According to its website, the quartet exists “to create, perform and promote music from a global perspective that responds to the world we share and expand the understanding of music’s role as a powerful force in society.”

Think of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” which for those unfamiliar features live cannon fire, chimes and brass fanfare, for a general sense—minus the cannons—of Kronos’ adventurous, explorative and invigorating productions. This musical institution, including a nonprofit branch dedicated to developing the musical capacities of future generation artists and listeners, honors the profundity of music that only music can convey.

Kronos Quartet was first founded in 1973 in Seattle, WA, by violinist David Harrington and moved to its now home of San Francisco in 1978. Made up of four members, the quartet currently consists of Harrington on violin, John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola and Sunny Yang—the newest member—on cello.

The group has performed worldwide, recorded over 40 albums and is considered by many to be the most famous contemporary classical music group in the world. Their repertoire is expansive, with over 1,000 pieces commissioned over their nearly 50 years of performing. The group plays a strikingly diverse range of music, from work by minimalist composers such as John Adams, Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass, to pieces composed for them by Frank Zappa, to adaptations of works by Prince and Sigur Ros.

Kronos Quartet has performed alongside Allen Ginsberg, Björk, the National, Tom Waits and David Bowie. They have received over 40 musical awards, including two Grammy awards, the Polar Music Prize, the 2018 WOMEX Artist Award, and the Rolf Schock Prize and the Avery Fisher Prize, among others. They are constantly revolutionizing the quartet music experience and pushing the boundaries of classical music. The quartet tours five months of each year, appearing in the world’s most prestigious music venues,

The Kronos Performing Arts Association gives back to the music community in myriad ways, both in the Bay Area and internationally. Photo by Lenny Gonzalez.

Says founder Harrington of the group’s ethos, “I’ve always wanted the string quartet to be vital, and energetic, and alive, and cool, and not afraid to kick ass and be absolutely beautiful and ugly if it has to be. But it has to be expressive of life. To tell the story with grace and humor and depth. And to tell the whole story, if possible.”

Along with their illustrious and lengthy career transforming the landscape of classical music, their nonprofit arm, the Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), has also built and sustained programs for mentoring emerging musicians and composers, both in the United States and abroad.

“There are certain experiences in life that set the bar higher,” says Harrington. “One of them for me was when in 1974 Rostislav Dubinsky, the Borodin Quartet’s first violinist, spent three hours going over with me every question I had about Shostakovich’s 8th Quartet. This lesson set the bar for me as to what an elder musician ought to do for a younger musician. Each member of Kronos has received this kind of generous guidance from many people over the years. We have been given a wealth of spirit and knowledge that we hope to share.”

In 2015, Kronos Quartet and KPAA, which manages all aspects of the Kronos Quartet, launched 50 For the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire. This project is commissioning and freely distributing 50 new works for string quartets, designed specifically to educate and train new to mid-career string musicians and quartets. These commissioned pieces of music play many roles, including being used as remixable samples in KPAA’s collaboration with Sunset Youth Services, which supports young music producers, engineers and hip-hop artists. These remixes will be released by Sunset Youth Services’ in-house record label, Upstar Records.

Their ongoing dedication to keeping the history of classical music alive, contemporary and valuable to the community has made Kronos Quartet a musical institution and a gem in the crown of the Bay Area arts scene.

Check out Kronos Quartet this Sunday, July 24 at Rancho Nicasio, playing a set including works by Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Mazz Swift, Peni Candra Rini, Philip Glass and Michael Gordon.

For information and tickets to BBQ on the Lawn, visit www.ranchonicasio.com. More information about the quartet can be found at www.kronosquartet.org.

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This issue of the San Francisco Bay Times introduces two legends of women’s music: Melanie DeMore (see pages 10–11) and Barbara Higbie. Women’s music – which emerged during the second wave of the feminist movement and the workers’, civil rights and peace movements – is music by, for and about women. DeMore and Higbie shine in this and other genres and work skillfully with many artists. The San Francisco Chronicle even referred to Higbie as the “High Priestess of Collaboration” as she worked with Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, jazz greats, classical stars and many others, to name them here. The Grammy-nominated, Bammy-award-winning productive pianist, composer, violinist, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has played on well over 100 CDs!

Born in Michigan and raised in Indiana, Higbie spent several years with her family in Ghana as a teenager. She worked one summer in Honduras as a medical volunteer with the non-profit organization Amigos de Las Americas, completed Phi Beta Kappa at Mills College here in the Bay Area, attended the Sorbonne in Paris and received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for collecting traditional music in West africa.

In Paris she met the jazz artist Darol Anger and began a fruitful musical collaboration. In 1984 she was co-director of a group live album recording at the Montreux Jazz Festival, which then became the successful group “Montreux” with Anger, Mike Marshall, Todd Phillips, Andy Narrell and Michael Manring.

She was the first female instrumentalist to sign with Windham Hill Records and also recorded solo and duo projects for Olivia / Second Wave Records and Slowbaby Records. As a folk, jazz, pop and fusion composer and singer-songwriter known for her highly melodic jazz / folk performances, she has toured nationally and internationally since the early 1980s. While the pandemic stopped such trips for her and other artists, she will soon celebrate her return to live performances with the 35th anniversary of Windham Hill’s Winter Solstice album series. The wonderful song collections are so timeless that, like Vince Guaraldi’s work for the Peanuts Christmas specials, they never seem to lose their impact and relevance.

Higbie spoke to the San Francisco Bay Times ahead of her national anniversary tour. There will be a stop at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on Friday, December 17th. Todd Boston, Mia Pixley, and other artists will also appear on the shows.

San Francisco Bay Times: How was it for you to get out of the COVID-19 shutdowns and not only prepare for a national tour but also go to shows by other artists?

Barbara Higbie: It’s great to be back on stage and share our love for music with the audience. This will be a cross-generational, multicultural festival. These venues (on the new tour) all respect secure protocols. Everyone is pissed off and the HVAC filter systems keep fresh air circulating on a regular basis.

COVID has hit musicians hard. Our livelihoods went “Phew!” Making online shows was fine, if far from reality. It was relaxing being away from the street, but it was long enough. I am so ready to get out again! This tour begins in the Midwest, then goes to the Northwest, the Southwest, and then to California. I can barely wait for it!

The concerts at Windham Hill are perfect for getting back into the swimming pool. Since we are all locked in our homes it is a treat to see live shows. It’s emotional. Get ready – put on real pants! Standing in line, then being part of a spontaneous, non-choreographed and interactive event as an audience. It’s exciting and emotional.

San Francisco Bay Times: Who are you working with now on the new tour?

Barbara Higbie: I’m so looking forward to this tour! First of all, it will be the first live concerts in almost two years! Second, Mia Pixley (cello / vocals) and Todd Boston (guitar) together with our special guests Jasper Manning and VOENA (multicultural youth choir) are simply phenomenal young talents. I am totally overwhelmed with her talent.

Third, we’ve been rehearsing for months, first through Zoom and now in person. Mia, Todd and I each released brand new studio albums. With all of the new material and preparation, I can’t wait to get out the starting gate and hit the streets. It feels like spring is awakening after a harsh winter – there is a lot of new, exuberant energy in the air!

San Francisco Bay Times: Please let us know about the upcoming Windham Hill Winter Solstice Shows.

Barbara Higbie: The Winter Solstice show is inspired by the 8 million sold Windham Hill Winter Solstice album series that began in 1985. The concept of celebrating all seasonal holidays by recording acoustic music with high fidelity was groundbreaking. The albums have been the backdrop for millions of folk festivals for 35 years. We flew in entire families from Australia to see our shows. It is truly an intergenerational, multicultural, longstanding phenomenon that we are honored to be a part of.

Todd Boston plays acoustic guitar, inspired by Michael Hedges, Will Ackerman, Alex DeGrassi and all the great guitarists who recorded for the label (Windham Hill). In addition, he has a strong kirtan and Indian music background. Mia is a beautiful singer-songwriter-cellist, comparable to Zoe Keating, whose career is just exploding. I am a pianist, composer, singer-songwriter and championship violinist and the first female instrumentalist to sign with the Windham Hill label in 1981 at the age of 23. At the time, Windham Hill was a startup in a garage in Palo Alto, like some other companies that took off. Steve Jobs was a huge Windham Hill fan. The great success of George Winston made Windham Hill a household name.

San Francisco Bay Times: You are also known for your involvement in women’s music. Please give us some thoughts on this, both in relation to your past and current work.

Barbara Higbie: In 1983, at the height of the Windham Hill craze, I was fortunate enough to make music with Teresa Trull, Cris Williamson, Linda Tillery, Meg Christian and Holly Near. Teresa and I recorded for Olivia Records in 1983 and became a national sensation. We were, so to speak, the pre-“Indigo Girls”. We toured with the great Cris Williamson, who is giving two album release concerts at Freight in Berkeley on January 14th and 15th. She calls these shows “the big reunion” because they feature Vicki Randle, Skip the Needle, Julie Wolf and many more. Cris and Teresa are two of my very best friends. They are both geniuses. Teresa is now a horse trainer in New Zealand. She and her kiwi lover Michaela recently got married.

We will all be on the Olivia 50th Anniversary cruises in January 2023, and many of us will be at the Olivia 50th Anniversary event at the Academy in Castro on January 13th.

Women’s music saved my life, like so many women. In the early 1980s, I experienced stalking, bullying, and severe harassment in the very male-dominated music industry. Without the support of the women’s community, I would probably have resigned. It’s easy to take for granted what the pioneers of women’s music did. I can attest that you have moved mountains and deserve our deepest respect. So the Smithsonian is now documenting the whole movement. It’s a strong, loving community that is still thriving.

San Francisco Bay Times: The Freight and Salvage has always been important to you beyond your work as an artist. What do you have in common with the venue now?

Barbara Higbie: Speaking of community, the Freight is the center of a huge community of musicians. It’s a phenomenal place: a 53-year-old non-profit that owns its own building and raises funds to continue to showcase various music artists from around the world. If you’ve never been there do yourself a favor and go to Freight! I am currently the co-chair of the board, along with the conductor and community activist Elizabeth Seja Min.

I believe in the importance of cargo to my core. Thanks to loyal donors and government grants, it survived COVID. Visiting shows is the best way to ensure that places like the Freight stay in business. It is a real cultural treasure that has exceeded all expectations. I want people to know that they can be sure that all of these venues are compliant with COVID protocols. We’re getting back to live music in a safe way.

For tickets and more information on the 35th anniversary of the Winter Solstice in Windham Hill with Freight and Recovery on December 17th, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/4ax5uhu2

To learn more about Barbara Higbie and to purchase her recordings, visit https://barbarahigbie.com/

Published on December 2, 2021

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Running back on Frank Gore was the timeless wonder long before Tom Brady took over that coat. Best known for his time as the dominant running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Gore has played in 16 NFL seasons.

In an era where Brady and players like Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger seem to play forever, Gore deserves a little more credit in this regard.

He was one of the tougher running backs you will ever see, and he supposedly brings that toughness to the boxing ring.

Frank Gore is one of the toughest running backs in NFL history

Rank Gore # 21 of the San Francisco 49ers before a game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome | Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images

Gore was a physical running back, which speaks for the most physical position in sport. It’s hard for many running backs to make it into the league for four seasons, let alone 16. Gore has delivered penalties in each of his seasons. He was a terrifying combination of size and speed, and he was known more as a hammer than a nail.

Most impressive in researching Gore’s NFL legacy is the fact that he wasn’t just an honorary member of the teams he played on later in his career. He has been productive throughout his NFL career. In 2020, he stormed 187 times for 653 yards and two touchdowns for the New York Jets.

Gore stormed 3,735 times in his illustrious career, collecting an incredible 16,000 yards and 81 rushing touchdowns. As a five-time pro bowler, he influenced five different teams: The 49ers, Colts, Bills, Dolphins, and Jets.

He is the third largest rusher in the NFL of all time, behind Emmitt Smith and Walter Peyton. Without a doubt, he’s a future Hall of Famer.

Gore has entered the boxing ring and will fight NBA star Deron Williams in December

Utah Jazz’s Deron Williams # 8 against the Atlanta Hawks | by Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

Although he hasn’t officially retired from the NFL, Gore has transferred his interests to the boxing ring. Despite taking calls from interested NFL teams last September, Gore has found his passion for boxing. Ian Rapaport reported that the running back has been saving up over the course of his NFL career to stay in shape, but now he’s training fully to fight.

“I just fell in love with how hard it is,” said Gore Rapaport. “I thought, ‘Man, I couldn’t fight.’ And I always like challenges. So I went on and did it and I saw how I got better and better. “

Gore’s training paid off with a place on the map of the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight in mid-December this year.

He will officially have a four-round heavyweight match with NBA superstar Deron Williams, who has spent 14 seasons in the federation. Best known for his time with the Utah Jazz, Williams is a three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-Pro. He also won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA and is widely regarded as one of the best point guards in league history.

Although this will be the first official bout for both athletes, Gore has been sparring and Williams has trained with Fortis MMA in Dallas and apparently has a strong right hand.

The two fighters are contracted to perform at 215 pounds, but it’s worth noting that Williams has a notable height advantage. He checks in at 6-foot-3 while Gore, always known for being stocky, is 5-foot-9.

Gore will always be remembered for his time with the 49ers

Frank Gore # 21 of the San Francisco 49ers storms during the game against the Arizona Cardinals | Michael Zagaris / San Francisco 49ers / Getty Images

Although his career was long and he played for multiple teams, Gore was at the peak of his powers from 2005 to 2014 when he was the most dominant and consistent back in the league as a member of the 49ers.

San Francisco is a franchise with legendary names. Players like Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Joe Montana and Terrell Owens have all donned 49ers jerseys, and that doesn’t even include short stints from Randy Moss (2012), Deion Sanders (1994) and Rod Woodson (1997). .

The 49ers boasted one of the best players in NFL history, and when all is said and done, Gore will be on that list too.

Gore spent 10 seasons on the bay, collecting 11,073 yards and 64 touchdowns. He also caught 342 passes for the 49ers and scored 11 touchdown receptions.

He ran over 1,000 yards twice for four seasons in a row and stormed over 1,000 yards in eight of his ten seasons on the bay. He averaged 4.5 yards per attempt for the 49ers, which is more than enough to keep the chains moving at a constant pace, and all five of his Pro Bowl appearances came as a member of the team.

Despite becoming a little journeyman towards the end of his career, Gore will always have a special place in the history of the 49ers. A legendary place.

Gore’s retirement from football could come sooner rather than later after entering the boxing world. If he officially hangs them up, it will be as a niner.

“I started there and I’ll stop there when I’m done. Whenever I feel like I’m done, I’ll come back and retire as a niner, “said the running back in 2019.

Statistics courtesy of ESPN and Pro Football Reference.

RELATED: Joe Montana Reveals He Wishes The San Francisco 49ers Drafted Another Rookie Quarterback In Place Of Trey Lance

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LENOX, Massachusetts – A curator who specializes in historical decoration, Lisa Singleton Boudiette, will present her talk on “Colfax & Fowler, Legendary Designers of the English Country House Style.”

She will make her visual presentation on Zoom, offered by the Ventfort Hall Mansion & Gilded Age Museum on Friday March 12th at 11:00 AM as part of the Morning Diversions series.

According to a press release, three key personalities were the first to shape the history of Colfax & Fowler and the direction the company took. John Fowler was a self-taught decorator fascinated by 18th century architecture and styles who began his career in the early 1930s. He joined Sibyl Colfax in 1938, whose business was in Mayfair, London. Nancy Lancaster was an aristocratic Virginian with important international social connections who became Fowler’s partner when she bought Lady Colfax’s company in 1944.

The English country house style emerged after the Second World War, in a world that was still characterized by two world wars and the austerity measures that followed. Chintz in faded colors, fringed and tasseled curtains, painted Regency furniture, sofas designed for years of fireplace comfort, and expertly applied surfaces that are subtly lit to show off beautiful antiques and paintings – these are the hallmarks – something Fowler called “modest elegance” “.

Colfax & Fowler has influenced some of the leading design firms such as Michael Smith, David Mlinaric, Bunny Williams and the late Mario Buatta.

Boudiette’s talk will include the homes of Nancy Lancaster and John Fowler. From Buckingham Palace to the London apartment of Ambassador David and Evangeline Bruce.

Lisa Singleton Boudiette is a heritage specialist with expertise in historical interiors and decorative arts. She is a former employee of the late US Senator Frank R. Lautenberg with a focus on art and conservation policy. She also worked for The Wiseman Group, a high-end home design company in San Francisco, California.

As an alumni of the Attingham Country House Studies Program and a founding member of the American Friends of the Soane Museum, Boudiette is a founder of the Institute for Classical Architecture and Art in San Francisco, California. She is currently completing a master’s degree at the University of Buckingham (England), which, among other things, worked as a conservation assistant at Syon House for the Duke of Northumberland.

The event is offered exclusively via Zoom. Tickets are available for a donation with a recommended donation of $ 20 and can be purchased at https://ventfort03122021.eventbrite.com. Call Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206 for information.

Tags: design,

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