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1979 Cedar Rapids computer genius

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All-Conference
Jul 27, 2004
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Was browsing youtube while bored at work today and found this video. It's of a computer boy genius in Cedar Rapids, filmed in 1979. The guy who posted the video is looking for the kid in the video to see what became of him.

Pretty neat video and I figured I'd post it here to see if anyone recognized him.

The kid's name was Jay and he was 12 in 1979.

 
I wouldn't consider the boy a computer genius but he definitely got interested in that stuff at the right time and was clearly goal oriented. He's around 48 today and probably retired sipping a pina colada in silicon valley somewhere. I know of a family of Iowa farm kids who got interested in computers. They're in their late 60's now and carved out a nice life as computer engineers in silicon valley.
 
Was browsing youtube while bored at work today and found this video. It's of a computer boy genius in Cedar Rapids, filmed in 1979. The guy who posted the video is looking for the kid in the video to see what became of him.

Pretty neat video and I figured I'd post it here to see if anyone recognized him.

The kid's name was Jay and he was 12 in 1979.


Here is what I found in 5 minutes of Google Searching. The name of the movie is "The Information Society" and was directed by David Hoffman. It was created for PBS

Link
 
My guess is that he got hooked on LSD and quaaludes a couple years after this video. Then when crack came around a few years later, he was out on the streets blowing dudes for $10. Now he's probably a preacher.
 
He now goes by the name of Harold Finch. He designed an AI machine that supplies him with the social security numbers of people who are in imminent danger.
 
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