My
Friend Michael
by Jay Hauben
Michael was my
son. But more important we were friends. We did
physics experiments together. I was the Teacher. Michael was the
Student. But he was also the Principal of our home school. We did
magic tricks and serious research together.
Michael was a writer
and I wanted to be one to. Some articles we
wrote together. Most articles he wrote and I made comments for
his rewriting. We had some overlapping interests and some
different interests. For example he was interested in music
culture and I was interested lately in neuroscience. But even
these we tried to share with each other. We did tasks and chores
together. I helped him clean his apartment. He helped me with the
dishes when he visited Ronda and me. Sometimes, and even more
just recently, we went to plays, movies, museums and concerts
together.
In 1992, Michael
discovered there were Netizens, people who saw
that the newly emerging net held the promise of a fuller more
interesting life for everyone who could get connected. Michael
became very enthusiastic about the Net. It gave him a renewed
personal hope much the way the fall of the Berlin Wall had done
three years earlier. Michael shared his enthusiasm with a
professor at Columbia who did not realize the importance. But
Michael also shared his enthusiasm with the online world. He
gathered the documentation to prove his scientific discovery was
valid. His work inspired especially Ronda and that was the
genesis of the netizens book originally called "Netizens and the
Wonderful World of the Net".
When the Amateur
Computerist newsletter was born in 1988, it was
Michael who gave it its name. Amateur is from the Latin "to
love". The newsletter was aimed at people who used computers and
the Internet for the love of it.
On the personal
side, Michael grew up from my little son to a
full mature person. He had a mind and a personality and a
sensitivity that was unique and wonderful. He worked hard to help
Ronda and me grow. He wanted the best for us and for other
people. Michael wanted a better world for everyone. But Michael
needed some things back from the world, from each of us here and
from others. He needed to be listened to and heard better. He
needed encouragement to sing and to play a musical instrument. He
needed leads and introductions for jobs. He needed introductions
to eligible women. He needed to be invited to dinner more. He
needed help with his credit card debt, either consolidation or
paying it. He needed a compassionate roommate. He needed more
people to ask what are you thinking and what are you feeling and
how can I help. As a result each of us and the world have lost
something special, something irreplaceable. Our dear, sweet
Michael.
I will miss my
friend Michael without end. The hole that is left
is very deep. But the spirit and sensitivity Michael shared with
me have made me, and will continue to make me, a better person.