Computing Across America (1983-1985)

Summary

Computing Across America (1983-1985)The original Winnebiko in January, 1984 - already 3,000 miles into an adventure that would total 17,000 miles. (photo by Katie Peden near Clearwater, Florida)The technomadic story begins at a time of primitive computer and communications technologies. Cellular phones did not yet exist, online services cost a few dollars an hour for cumbersome text-only services, and people were debating whether one could actually work at home instead of the office.I had just turned 30, and was on a quest for geek adventure fueled by publishing... a way to escape Ohio suburbia and combine all my passions into a nomadic lifestyle. After six months of obsessive preparation, I hit the road in September 1983 on a custom recumbent bicycle with solar-powered portable computer (the venerable Radio Shack Model 100), a CompuServe account, and a base office. The idea was to simply have a way to stay in touch with clients and publishers while traveling full time, and as the months passed I refined the toolset to render my physical location less and less relevant. "Work at home? Work anywhere!" I wrote, exuberantly, sensing that I was pedaling at the cusp of major cultural change.Steven K. Roberts riding the Winnebiko - photo by John Delzell in Palatka, FloridaThis started simply as a high-tech bicycle tour, but what I didn't expect was that the media would be enchanted by the idea of nomadic connectivity… combining new information tools into a mobile lifestyle that also happened to be visually distinctive with the recumbent bicycle, solar panels, antennas, and more. My bike trip was becoming a career.As the adventure unfolded, I wrote a book called Computing Across America, produced columns and features for various magazines, did regular interviews, and watched my whole life change. Ohio suburbia faded to a speck in my rear-view mirror, and I fantasized about the next generation of technomadic tools.This first trip took place between 1983 and 1985, but the te...