Mike Nadelman -
Biography
Growing up, Mike
was awed by all things technical. His first foray
into technology when he was merely six was to put electronic controls on a model
train. Having discovered how to make switches, he also strung live wires
throughout the house, much to the concern of his parents and the local fire
department.
Mike was shy, nerdy, and for the most part kept to himself. He was teased
for being both nerdy and skinny — to defend himself
from classmates learned how to box. His parents offered a different kind of
challenge. When he was five, they tested his powers of understanding by floating
a bottle that held within it a hand drawn map. Mike’s instructions were to
retrieve the map and discover a treasure. The treasure box held bits and pieces
of Mexican art work, mostly cut from magazines. One
image was of a skull and crossbones, accompanied by
text that described the afterlife. Scared at the time, the event was a watershed
that enabled Mike to develop a sharp perception of others and the basis for
thinking beyond one’s obvious perceptions, to the metaphysical and scientific
world
When Mike was ten, his father — who at the time owned
a salvage business — brought home broken TVs, radios and x-ray machines.
Mike tried to fix them, and every so often got a TV to work. Like many boys
growing up before video games, he loved to blow stuff up and make things. He
spent hours alone in the library, reading science books, Scientific American
magazine and every James Bond story. His family lived near a military surplus
store, and Mike became a regular, rummaging for his own salvage such as signs
from taxicabs and step-up transformers that he could open up and experiment with
in order to complete his projects. From one such venture emerged a stun gun,
which he constructed using an old power converter and TV antennas. Mike
graduated from
Hollywood
High School.
In high School his class projects included a wireless telephone and Microwave
oven; things that did not exist for sale in those
days.
While studying computer programming, a couple of engineers at the
Burroughs Corporation befriended Mike. Under their watchful eyes, he built a
computer that won first prize at the county fair. The machine successfully
converted the pulse dial tone of a telephone to binary code. Although he
didn’t realize it at the time, Mike had taught
himself the concept of binary numbers, which are at the heart of all computer
functions.
The prize-winning computer was the first in a string of personal
achievements. He designed an automatic cable tester for the electronics giant
Siemens in 1975. Mike was given diplomatic clearance for the
People’s Republic
of
China
to install and train physicians in EKG electronics and computers in 1979 when
most Americans were not allowed to travel in
China.
He designed diagnostic software for Apple computers and published articles on
computer repair in the prestigious A+ computer magazine; wrote comprehensive
diagnostics for IBM and clone computers and printers; and developed a telephone
control system for in-house voice mail, which was used
to test parallel ports in computers and control devices using remote control.
Mike’s professional development was a trajectory that emerged from his
childhood fascination with technology. In 1974, he landed a Top Secret position
on the design team of the
Outer Planets Imaging Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Lab in
Pasadena,
California.
Mike designed the first system that monitored and evaluated slow-scan receiving
equipment, used in the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn Outer Planets Imaging Project to
receive photographs from those planets. From JPL, Mike moved to Siemens
Corporation, where he immersed himself in large electro-mechanical systems,
precision electronics and x-ray systems.
One year later Mike moved on to
Marquette Electronics of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. As Senior Field Service Engineer, he worked on a broad range of large
electronic and data transmission systems for the Medical industry.
Since 1982, Mike has owned his own computer business, now called San Francisco Computer. The company services, builds and sells a broad array of
computer systems and networks in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Spotting a trend, Mike founded one of the
first computer repair companies in the country, which was a time when
manufacturers held an exclusive on repairs and parts were hard to come by.
Mike is recognized as someone who can solve
difficult problems. Technical challenges delight him and keep the flame burning,
whether it’s a product he’s never seen before or
explaining the ins and outs of leading edge technology to technical and
non-technical people alike. He’s also known for being
able to calm customers angry about problems with their computers. “I bend like a
reed,” says Mike, who learned how to get along in a family whose members could
not or would not communicate with one another. Mike also has that rare ability
to spot trends in technology. At any moment his notebook is
chock full of observations about emerging technologies that are too early
stage to be on the radar screen, and predilections on mainstream technologies
that are on the way out.
In the last few
years, Mike has appeared on
TechTV.com illustrating 'how-to' repair and fix various computer and printer
problems.