Under the Radar for a Generation

Under the Radar for a Generation

Wozniak will be trading in a life that's been basically under the radar for more than a generation for one that will get much more media attention.

"I have a pretty quiet life, and I like to watch technology evolve," Wozniak told Ashlee Vance of The New York Times. "In this case, I like the people and the product, and said I would like some greater involvement."

Wozniak told eWEEK at a recent Computer History Museum event that he's been enjoying his relative anonymity in the San Jose, Calif., suburb of Los Gatos since his high-profile days getting Apple up and running 30 years ago.

"It's really been nice to own my own schedule for all these years," he said. "When people recognize me, I always try to give them a few minutes of time and answer their questions or whatever. I enjoy talking to people about computers and their lives and stuff."

Wozniak said he had been "quietly" teaching fifth-graders science at a local school in Los Gatos for eight years.

"I enjoy working with children-they're so eager to learn, and when they are really interested in something, they learn very quickly," he said.

The city of San Jose immortalized Wozniak 10 years ago by designating a downtown street parallel to State Route 87 "Woz Way." Appropriately, Woz Way is the street where the Children's Museum of Science and Technology is located.

Wozniak has been keeping up-to-date on techno-advances.

"Solid-state is where everything is going eventually," he said. "There's been huge advances in SSDs in just the last few years, and that looks like the future to me, for sure."