We recognize the top nerds that we lost in 2013, and note the effect that they had on computers, technology, or other nerd areas.
-THIS IS RAW MATERIAL FOR VERBAL EDITING ON-AIR-
MOUSE INVENTOR – DOUGLAS ENGELBART (1925 – 2013)
MOVIE EFFECTS NERD – RAY HARRYHAUSEN (1920 – 2013)
SOUND NERDS AMAR BOSE (1929 – 2013) AND RAY DOLBY (1933 – 2013)
GUN NERD – MIKHAIL KALISHNIKOV
PRIVACY, MILITARY AND VIDEO GAME NERD – TOM CLANCY (1947 – 2013)
Clearly was involved in many works of military fiction. He also was the president of the chess club at Loyola University, and owned one of the larger names in video game development, Red Storm Rising. Development there was in tactical along with strategy, and an immersive first person experience.
ROGER EBERT
Embraced the internet and the power of it, far before others realized it was even there. Roger Ebert represents a nerd in so many ways, from his opinions and his intricate knowledge that he wished to share in easy terms with everyone, but still pushing new boundaries like few can.
HIROSHI YAMAUCHI (1927 – 2013)
Hiroshi Yamauchi served as the president of Nintendo from 1949 until 2002. He is widely credited with turning the company into the video game empire it remains today. The Internet responded with several touching tributes when the video game magnate died of pneumonia in Japan on Sept. 19.ad-tributes/”>Hiroshi Yamauchi served as president of Nintendo from 1949 until 2002. He’s widely credited with turning the company into the video game empire it remains today. The Internet responded with several touching tributes to Yamauchi when the video game magnate died of pneumonia in Japan on Sept. 19.
• Overall console and handheld sales by manufacturer… 1st, 662 million… more than the rest of the companies combined… Sony, Microsoft, Sega, and Atari
• Best selling games… 21 of the top 27 games sold of all time
• 4th best selling arcade game of all time – Donkey Kong
• Best selling video game franchise – Mario
• Best selling video game – Super Mario Bros
• Second best video game franchise – Pokemon
Pitting three research and development teams against each other, the teams competed for the attention and pleasure of Hiroshi. Hiroshi personally chose the best in his opinion, which seemed to match what we loved so much.
One of the most fitting quotes to be applied this year, with his passing, is a commentary on why this seasons response to the Xbox One, and the PS4 are really lackluster in comparison to previous years: “People do not play with the game machine itself. They play with the software, and they are forced to purchase a game machine in order to use the software. Therefore, the price of the machine should be as cheap as possible.”
