You may not have heard of New York-based tech writer and software engineer David Auerbach, but you are almost certainly familiar with his work. In fact, it's possible you've used one or two of his innovations today.
He has had stints working at both Microsoft and Google. "Really arcane backend server stuff," he tells the Listener on Zoom from his home. While at Microsoft in 1999, he introduced smiley face emoticons to Messenger. And then, as the title of a blog he once wrote had it, "I Built That 'So-and-So Is Typing' Feature in Chat. And I'm not sorry." Yes, he's the three-blinking dots guy. "Unlike emoticons, this was done alongside some other people. But my name is on the patent," he says.
Since then, he has written widely, perceptively and often critically, mainly on internet and tech issues. Much of his work can be found at his website, davidauerba.ch. But it's his early hits that people remember and talk to him about.
The musical analogy is one with which he would be comfortable. Before we even start the interview about his new book, the ominously titled Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond Our Control Commandeer Our Daily Lives and Inner Realities, he has something he needs to say.
"I've been a close follower of New Zealand music for a long time. I've heard a lot of bands from Dunedin and Christchurch. I saw the Chills in New York last October. I'd last seen [Martin Phillipps] 25 years earlier. And actually, I don't know if you know Bailter Space, but they're playing here next week."
So far, so Flying Nun fanatic, but how did he get to be a software engineer and respected commentator?
"I always loved computers," he says. "I programmed from a young age. At the same time, I was very aware of how they didn't capture the world. And I was also into literature and philosophy."
Denne historien er fra July 15 - 21 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra July 15 - 21 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.