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Commodore 64 Confuses Austrian Police
toomanyairmiles writes, "It seems that Wolfgang Priklopil, the communications technician who kidnapped Austrian pre-teen Natascha Kampusch, relied on a Commodore 64 as his primary machine. Interestingly this is presenting some problems to the Austrian computer forensics people. Major General Gerhard Lang of the Federal Criminal Investigations Bureau told reporters it would 'complicate investigators' efforts' and would be difficult to transfer the files to modern computers 'without loss.' Could this be the latest in the criminal world's security strategy? Can we expect to see Spectrums, Archimedes, and Atari STs turning up in police investigations soon?"
Conan O'Brien, the late-night comedic genius who entertained millions of viewers in the acclaimed "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," died yesterday of natural causes. He would have turned 40 in less than six months.
Conan Christopher O'Brien was born April 18, 1963 to Thomas and Ruth O'Brien in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. Mr. O'Brien was raised in an Irish Catholic household as the third of six children, and his struggle for attention as a middle child became a theme throughout life. In a 1998 interview with Irish Independent, Mr. O'Brien said, "My Irish background has had a huge effect on my comedy...I grew up in a large family and there was a lot that went unsaid, so the way we would communicate was through humor. It was the only way we could really express ourselves."
Both of Mr. O'Brien's parents were successful professionals. Dr. Thomas O'Brien graduated from Harvard as an epidemiologist, and taught at Harvard Medical School. Meanwhile, Ruth Reardon O'Brien, Esq. practiced law with a degree from Yale. With strong parental support, Mr. O'Brien was active in youth, taking tap dancing lessons and writing comedic plays that later formed the basis of his career. Mr. O'Brien entered Brookline High School in 1977 and joined the debate team as well as the editorial staff of the student publication "Sagamore." He graduated as Valedictorian in 1981.
Mr. O'Brien then studied at Harvard University as an undergraduate from 1981 to 1985, studying American History and American Literature. He wrote for the comedic publication "Harvard Lampoon" all four years there and was elected president for two consecutive terms, becoming the first student in about 60 years for such a distinction. Mr. O'Brien described his Harvard thesis on Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner as "the least funny thing I ever wrote," in a 1996 interview with Chris Mundy from Rolling Stone magazine. Mr. O'Brien graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1985 with a B.A. in American History.
After graduation, Mr. O'Brien went to Los Angeles seeking career opportunities. After writing for the networks HBO and FOX, then working for a short-lived stage show in Chicago, he moved to New York. In his native east coast, Mr. O'Brien finally got his big break in 1988 as a staff writer for the late-night sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live." His SNL team was recognized with a 1989 Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy or Variety Series.
Mr. O'Brien left SNL in spring 1991 to explore other career interests. He wrote an unsuccessful TV pilot called "Lookwell," starring Adam West, the former Batman, for whom Mr. O'Brien had an "obsession." After that, he wrote for the FOX hit series "The Simpsons," and later became the show's supervising producer.
Mr. O'Brien's next opportunity in April 1993 secured his long-term future as a talk-show host. Despite his onscreen inexperience, he successfully auditioned to become host of a late-night talk show replacing David Letterman's show on NBC. "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" premiered September 13, 1993, and Mr. O'Brien with his self-deprecating humor entertained a national audience throughout the show's run. Mr. O'Brien and the "Late Night" crew won Writer's Guild Awards in 1997 and 2000, and were consistently nominated for the Emmy Awards from 1996 to 2002.
Mr. O'Brien earned other distinctions throughout his career. Entertainment Weekly magazine featured him as one of "50 Funniest People Alive," and People magazine noted him in 1996 among the "25 Most Intriguing People." In addition, he spoke at Harvard University's Commencement 2000 and hosted the 54th annual Emmy Awards.
In his personal life, Mr. O'Brien tried to achieve consistency between his lifestyle and career demands. For five years, he dated and lived with Lynn Kaplan, the talent coordinator for "Late Night." After the dissolution of that relationship, Mr. O'Brien met advertising executive Liza Powell during a skit on the show. Mr. O'Brien and Liza
YHL. HAND.
Throw some chicken on the barbie, mate! :-)