Remember This Kid? Here Is What Happened To Him 41 Yrs Later

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
  • So back in 2015 I post this video clip of an outtake from my 1979 television film, The Information Society. I have no idea who the 9 year-old kid is. But the video takes off and over the next several years, hundreds of subscribers try to find the person. And one finally did. I thank him for that. I connected with Jeff Ehrlich whose dad was still alive and said that my subscribers wanted to know what happened to this Cedar Rapids computer genius boy. Did he stick with computers? Is he famous? Finally I got to interview them and this is what happened to Jeff and his dad and his dad's famous comment on robots/AI. "I believe they'll never take over." I asked him that question again. His response is included.

ความคิดเห็น • 869

  • @joshk7286
    @joshk7286 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2065

    "I made friends" - and just like that, we lost one more great programmer.

    • @AndddLegacy
      @AndddLegacy 4 ปีที่แล้ว +95

      truer words never spoken

    • @Mephitinae
      @Mephitinae 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @Omar Ignacio Silvestrini Athlete and musician aren't essential jobs, but a programmer is. Select few are simply allowed to pursue such dreams because the majority are willing to do all the "real" work.

    • @toasterr4238
      @toasterr4238 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@Mephitinae not really. The market demand for Olympic athletes and top tier musicians is on par with top programmers. (programmer in a loose sense, only like CTOs and such will come close)
      Entertainment is important for a diverse economy and a productive workforce.

    • @Mephitinae
      @Mephitinae 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      @@toasterr4238 There's a "market" for a lot of things that society doesn't need in order to function. Music is, and should always be a pursuit of passion. People would do it even if it paid nothing.

    • @leeham6230
      @leeham6230 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@Mephitinae Athletes ARE essential. People need distractions.

  • @AJxxxxxxxx
    @AJxxxxxxxx 4 ปีที่แล้ว +770

    David Hoffman isn’t just into film He’s also into investigating and tracking people down 😂

    • @domesticatedape9425
      @domesticatedape9425 4 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Definition of a great film maker/lover, Investigate and Pursue

    • @xxxanonxxx
      @xxxanonxxx 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      David Hoffman is a based film maker

    • @bruceschneider4928
      @bruceschneider4928 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      He's standing behind you right now.

    • @WillBlindYouWithLight
      @WillBlindYouWithLight 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Nice

    • @badreality2
      @badreality2 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Other people talked him down. David Hoffman interviewed him, because we, his viewers, were curious as to why this boy (now man), never pursued a career as a coder, and it piqued his curiosity, too.

  • @intrograted792
    @intrograted792 4 ปีที่แล้ว +455

    I was like, is 1979 over 40 years ago?!
    Then I remembered I was born in '79... I'm turning 41 this year.
    And now I feel old *and* stupid. smh

    • @TheMichelex20
      @TheMichelex20 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Intrograted 🤣🤣😂 I did the same thing.

    • @mystra13
      @mystra13 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Geeze, same

    • @mrcomenttoe2009
      @mrcomenttoe2009 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      😊 I was born in 1969

    • @tempesttking5715
      @tempesttking5715 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      😂😂😂 it's ok. Time flys❤️

    • @BenHall289
      @BenHall289 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      And yet you express yourself like a 17 year old.

  • @CShivery
    @CShivery 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    He wasn't a savant. He was one of the kids fortunate enough to have a parent who gave him the opportunity to learn and grow. This isn't to say that he was a failure, but rather that his dad was a good parent. Good for the two of them.

    • @nil0bject
      @nil0bject 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      spot on

  • @hahasimp
    @hahasimp 4 ปีที่แล้ว +332

    'my daughters think I'm a big dork" - sums up Fatherhood accurately

    • @drdr76
      @drdr76 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Doesn't matter who you are, even if you are famous, your kids will think this way about their parents.

    • @odar9729
      @odar9729 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      This is good actually...it’s called the “eww” factor...this keeps you safe...

    • @wetlettuce4768
      @wetlettuce4768 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      My Dad's mullet and moustache from the early 1980s still makes me chuckle.

    • @calisongbird
      @calisongbird 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@odar9729 ewwww. Do you realize what you’re actually saying, by “it keeps you safe”? Meaning if daughters didn’t view their dads as dorks then the dads would be tempted to molest them??

    • @odar9729
      @odar9729 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@calisongbird I should clarify. It’s a primitive factor. The “eww” factor keeps people safe. Safe refers to having the “eww” emotions. “You” as universal everyone. But I can see I wrote it wrong. I wasn’t referring the context your saying. But like eww to bad food. I don’t know how you thought “dads tempted to molest”? But I’m glad the daughter has the eww bc that means she will stay healthy and be cautious. So no worries I wasn’t implying such. Today I learned a lesson in writing sentences. Thank you

  • @Moneysreal
    @Moneysreal 4 ปีที่แล้ว +393

    They say he looked like a dork, but they probably think the Stranger Things kids are adorable 😂😭

    • @jesseomollo9405
      @jesseomollo9405 4 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      He does look like stranger things kid...

    • @deadchannel5018
      @deadchannel5018 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      He looked like Finn Wolfhard when he was younger.

    • @colossusforbin5484
      @colossusforbin5484 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Movies/TV shows always seem to make things 'cool' that once weren't. Look at comic books and Comic Con.

    • @Steve_305
      @Steve_305 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I would of said that's Andy from Childs Play

    • @Galidorquest
      @Galidorquest 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Imo, he looks normal by 00's standards, minus the tucked-in shirt and the short-shorts... People forget that mop-top Beatles hair was revived as *emo* hair in the 00's, and trendy Gangsta Rappers like Trick Daddy made sports jerseys popular from the Mid 90's to the Mid 00's. (During the peak of basketball, Hip Hop consumer culture and gang wars, when numbers signified fake or real gang affiliation... And then mop-top Beatles hair slowly died off when Justin Bieber went big in the year 2010... Dylann Roof was (sadly) the final nail in the coffin for mop-top Beatles hair in Western countries, although it's still cool with Asians because of tradition and K Pop stars.) History repeats itself. Fashion trends are almost always eventually resuresurrected or reincarnated in a different form -- The beard & undercut hipster-look we're seeing now for the last 8 years is a rehash of the 1970's Bob James look, but usually with a taper fade and thin chin shaved. Hipster fashion will *definitely* look dorky in the future if it doesn't already... Kids are even calling those lame hipster undercuts "combovers" nowadays, and I find that hilarious since combovers were typically sported by balding men in their mid-life crisis, like Al from the movie Toy Story 2... lol

  • @KyleInOklahoma
    @KyleInOklahoma 4 ปีที่แล้ว +155

    *_This is really a blast from the past. When they said one day a computer will be so small it will fit on a desk, I didn't believe it. When they said within 20 years every home will have a PC in it, I said no way. It's great to see this. I personally still have & love my library of books that range from the late 1800s to modern-day. I'll always prefer a solid book in my hand when reading. Thanks, David. Your the best_*

    • @bfkc111
      @bfkc111 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Sure, what should books even be replaced with. I mean even an E-Reader should be as similar to a real book as possible (with its "E-Ink" for proper contrast), and most stuff on the internet is just summaries or things of particular fields. Aside from the hopeless, useless babble which endlessly goes in circles and seems to degrade yet become more arrogant over time. Books are irreplaceable, be it fiction (still the "blueprint" or real place for proper narrative art) or certain theoretical works or treatises etc.

    • @hodgey7183
      @hodgey7183 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      We had an opportunity to buy a home computer with an interest free loan from work. My reaction, who the F*** needs a computer at home?
      Ans. Everyone

    • @WilliamParkerer
      @WilliamParkerer 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hmm, you read books but spell you're as your?

    • @tuttifrutti9698
      @tuttifrutti9698 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I want to take a look a your library heh

    • @bryancorts5389
      @bryancorts5389 ปีที่แล้ว

      Before books was hieroglyphics. Another style I swear and way of thinking!

  • @sirphineasluciusambercromb9114
    @sirphineasluciusambercromb9114 4 ปีที่แล้ว +902

    Being a programmer in the 70s potentially could have made him a billionaire by the 90s.

    • @SIRTACONATOR007
      @SIRTACONATOR007 4 ปีที่แล้ว +94

      there's more to life than just money

    • @jonrad5
      @jonrad5 4 ปีที่แล้ว +96

      tcl yeah oxygen

    • @mmille10
      @mmille10 4 ปีที่แล้ว +96

      Eh, it's not all it's cracked up to be, as far as the money. A relative few programmers become billionaires, because they become business executives. It's a popular misconception that programming makes you wealthy. The wealthy ones left programming to become top-level executives in what were small-cap, which became mid-cap companies. Most programmers make at best what we call a middle income. I was one of them. Some make upper-middle income. Some of them end up in poverty, after having an unsuccessful career in software engineering. I've seen some of those.
      It's a very risky line of work, because particularly with the booms and busts that happen in the tech industry, you can be out of work in your field for a few years. I know, because that happened to me. Outsourcing can kill people's careers in it, as well. A lot of people wash out when this stuff happens, and retrain for something else.

    • @danielfronc4304
      @danielfronc4304 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      And when his life is empty and without pleasure this rich adult computer genius would cap himself. Let's face it, a lifetime in computer science development and advancement is made for only two types, the Gates-like nerd to the core and the manipulative, controlling type A obsessive compulsive businessman like Steve Jobs.

    • @samsung-eh4dv
      @samsung-eh4dv 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @tcl that’s something a broke person would say.

  • @peterlee4682
    @peterlee4682 4 ปีที่แล้ว +187

    As Paul Harvey used to say: "and now you know the rest of the story...." Thanks for your work on this!

    • @santaclause4285
      @santaclause4285 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      And now you know your wasting your life.......

  • @MS-37
    @MS-37 4 ปีที่แล้ว +389

    I can’t believe you found them

    • @earthtantra
      @earthtantra 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Agree 🙌🏼😳

    • @Theomite
      @Theomite 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      It gives us hope for the others we're trying to find from those 1989 videos.

    • @santaclause4285
      @santaclause4285 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      He can find anyone, that is why student loan collectors love him

    • @SCU3A_S7EVE
      @SCU3A_S7EVE 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They just had to look in the upside down.

    • @youngrosco4515
      @youngrosco4515 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@SCU3A_S7EVE LMAO i thought it was will byers

  • @ArtificialBanana
    @ArtificialBanana 4 ปีที่แล้ว +324

    His daughters need to appreciate the greatness of his moppy haircut and ‘70s clothes!

    • @yuvalkapellner2551
      @yuvalkapellner2551 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      They will but very late. when they are older and they have their own kids. Seems like his daughters are currently very narrow minded which despite any degree they are holding doesn't make them very smart.

    • @SilkyMilkyOriginal
      @SilkyMilkyOriginal 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      '60s and '70s fashion and hairstyles are the best and a lot better than today's.

    • @geraldjohnson4013
      @geraldjohnson4013 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I remember the 70s with fondness. Great music and great cars but horrible fashion.

    • @aVeryBmovie
      @aVeryBmovie 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yes! I agree 100%!

    • @mutantcyborg9185
      @mutantcyborg9185 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I really do appreciate short shorts and crop tops and being young and about as skinny as 70s males I wear them.

  • @themadmattster9647
    @themadmattster9647 3 ปีที่แล้ว +39

    I love when dads are so humble and encouraging to their sons. My dad always shot down my dreams. Once I have a son I’ll be like the father in his video. Edward Van Halen, despite his faults was also like that with his son and we have Wolfgang to thank for that bands second wind

    • @paradoxstudios6639
      @paradoxstudios6639 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Nothing like the power of negativity,,,lol..my family always tried to encourage me to do something, and when I finally attempted to do it, they discouraged me and said it was to hard and impossible and tedious and you'll tire out and spend all your resources.

  • @m0L3ify
    @m0L3ify 4 ปีที่แล้ว +34

    I remember my father brought home an Apple II from work in 1984 and my brother exclaimed "You got a computer!!!" My first question as I ran into the room to see what the fuss was about was "What's a computer?" I had never heard that word before. I had never seen one. I was 8. I instantly took to it and spent hours loading programs from disks and learning how to program in BASIC. I probably used that computer more than anyone else in the household. One of my favorite programs was Print Shop. I'd constantly make pictures and homemade cards for the whole family. I wasn't allowed to play video games, but when I discovered computer games were ok...oh lordy! I was in heaven! I'm female, but my dad encouraged me every moment he got. No one ever suggested computers were a 'boy' thing, for which I'm very grateful. My dad and I were the only tech-minded people in our family, so we bonded over computers and Star Trek. We'd take father/daughter trips to Fry's for fun. In college I learned how to build a computer from spare parts. I even majored in Engineering for awhile. Eventually I went on to become a Molecular Biologist and Geneticist, then a professional musician and composer. I do all my own recording engineering. I love manipulating sounds in the DAW and yes, I love using Photoshop to make artwork, too. And I owe it all to that big ol' Apple II with the noisy dot matrix printer and the support of my parents. I guess, in hindsight now, it's really amazing that my mother never discouraged me. She had a lot of rules about what was "appropriate" for little girls to do or not do, but computers were never on the 'no' list.

    • @juniperwildflowers
      @juniperwildflowers 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Print Shop! Everyone at school thought I was such a nerd because I was the only one printing my book reports- complete with a cover sheet with a fancy design I made from Print Shop. Lol.

    • @treintrien9918
      @treintrien9918 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Are you me? LOL I remember when I brought in my first Print Shop homework I had to do it again in writing. In hindsight it's a big laugh, but i was SO MAD at the time! I had inserted basic graphics and even made some 'art' to make it better.

  • @887frodo
    @887frodo 4 ปีที่แล้ว +212

    His mother embodied every single mother out there: “Oh cuz your dad such a SAINT! I Bust my-“

  • @Busolishi
    @Busolishi 4 ปีที่แล้ว +73

    Love this video. There is a pattern when there is so much attention to a child prodigy very early in life. They normally do not develop to achieve the anticipated expectation. Sometimes, it is important to protect your child from the camera very early in life so that they can grow to their fullest potential.

    • @kozmeetorez
      @kozmeetorez 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      So true, it’s quite common. Most people I know that haven’t had kids always said they want their child to be a genius. And I always say that that is not a guarantee to success.

  • @louieandtommysdiscountedit3177
    @louieandtommysdiscountedit3177 4 ปีที่แล้ว +94

    This is so frickin' cool, David! Glad to know he's doing alright.
    Edit: Glad to know BOTH of them are doing alright!

  • @cybersquire
    @cybersquire 4 ปีที่แล้ว +775

    Short answer: He discovered Girls. The End.

    • @salehmansour1
      @salehmansour1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      He discovered cats!

    • @MustObeyTheRules
      @MustObeyTheRules 4 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      Human biology just takes over, bye free will 😎

    • @ricolaw1033
      @ricolaw1033 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      My downfall too 😂😂😂😂

    • @Pllayer064
      @Pllayer064 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Damn sucks to achieve nothing but also not get any girls.

    • @damonwashington
      @damonwashington 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      I discovered the Victoria's Secret catalog 🤣

  • @MrHoward0007
    @MrHoward0007 4 ปีที่แล้ว +63

    I have wondered “what happened to that kid” at least 100 times since first seeing that video haha. Love your videos!!!

  • @jrbs
    @jrbs 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Fantastic to catch up with Jay and his father after many years. Many of us wondered.
    Thank you.

  • @THE_DOC_RAD
    @THE_DOC_RAD 4 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    This is beyond...time capsule...GOLD!
    Oh the irony...watched this update in the palm of my hand on my mobile device!

  • @itgetter9
    @itgetter9 4 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    A lot of parents were like that in the youth of GenX: fairly hands-off (in that they let kids have their own world) but very loving and letting you try different things you were into. It was a good parenting style for sure! And a special kudos to Jay's Mom! Thank you, Mr. Hoffman.

  • @tankerock
    @tankerock 4 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    I find it interesting in all these old videos people were more articulate even in a casual interview. They rarely used "um" and "ah" or any other filler words.

    • @JohnFekoloid
      @JohnFekoloid 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      They weren't bombarded with voluminous media on a daily basis. They had time to think.

    • @HoleDweller
      @HoleDweller 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Now all I hear are all the AHs and UMs. Thanks...

    • @blockpart2184
      @blockpart2184 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Its amazing. We need to fix up 21 century people hah

  • @snake_eyes_garage
    @snake_eyes_garage 4 ปีที่แล้ว +53

    Great follow-up. FWIW I was this same kid in my town and ended up working at Apple, for 25 years or so now. But similarly there were a few years in college that I had to take a break. 😎

    • @dirtisbetterthandiamonds
      @dirtisbetterthandiamonds 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Me too..gifted and advanced classes and ended up at Xerox. I've been a farmer for almost 20 years now and so much happier though!

    • @stephanipeloquin4631
      @stephanipeloquin4631 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@recoveringsoul755 that's fascinating. I felt that way in medicine...

  • @atomarkanov8201
    @atomarkanov8201 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I can't be the only teenager who understands why what he was doing was impressive in 1979. I've always been interested in computers, and when people are interested in something they usually seem to know the history of it, so maybe that's why?

  • @bhatkrishnakishor
    @bhatkrishnakishor 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    As a father of five year old, this serves me as a reminder to not be an overzealous father. I don't claim to know all and don't want to pass judgements on the prodigies father and sure hope they are all happy in their lives. I just hope I do good by my son and serve as a beacon to him.

  • @uhavemooface
    @uhavemooface 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    I am so happy that you found these two. I have been trying to look them up for a while now. I love that you were able to interview them again 41 years later. This is awesome.

  • @Mr_Santo5
    @Mr_Santo5 4 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Something that I really miss from that time period up to the 90s was how simple programming was. We all thought it was complicated back then, but compared to today, it has become much more complex.

    • @timothykeith1367
      @timothykeith1367 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@recoveringsoul755 Machine code or assembler too

    • @ladyofthecentury
      @ladyofthecentury 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I remember that I took coding in middle school in the end of the '80s. It was so much easier. But of course I thought it was hard then

    • @lumpytapioca5062
      @lumpytapioca5062 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​@@timothykeith1367 and COBOL, Fortran, APL, PL/1, and dozens of other, proprietary languages.

    • @OutyMan
      @OutyMan 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Depends what you're working in. I find it light years easier today. There's higher functions for everything. No need to try and describe something complicated using a convoluted web of "Yes" "No" "Yes" "No".

    • @surject
      @surject 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      ASM wants to have a word with you...

  • @starlitekaraoke113
    @starlitekaraoke113 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Ray Kurzweil ‘The Singularity’ came to mind here.
    I loved how this came full circle. It’s a great story and I’m sure their mother is looking down very proud. May she rest in eternal peace.
    You could tell they were a good family and I’m happy to see them both healthy and happy. I’m sure his daughters are proud too!!
    Great work.

  • @g1234538
    @g1234538 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    The interview has finally arrived! I'm glad to hear from them (and the wonderful mother, by proxy) and that they're doing well. It is really nice to hear how she pushed her son and husband to a new field. Plus, I imagine staying up to date on technology is hard.
    Also, I did not expect when we saw a wider view of the father's room that it'd be filled with rifles, haha!

  • @josephconsoli4128
    @josephconsoli4128 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    I was the same age, looked almost the same, and often wore my yellow football jersey and, always, the stripped dolphin shorts. The late '70's was a great time to be a kid.

    • @gumdokim
      @gumdokim 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Agreed, I was 8 in 79' and lol wanted the exact same hairstyle as Mindy from Mork and Mindy.

    • @luciehanson6250
      @luciehanson6250 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Dolphin shorts? Now I'm educated?

    • @josephconsoli4128
      @josephconsoli4128 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@luciehanson6250 Honestly, we didn't call them that back then. At least I didn't. Only learned that phrase in recent times. It's all kids wore in the summer.

    • @luciehanson6250
      @luciehanson6250 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@josephconsoli4128 Never thought a thing about the short shorts on basketballers, etc. They seem so odd to see now.

    • @josephconsoli4128
      @josephconsoli4128 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@luciehanson6250 Yeah, people say that in the '70's "everyone looked good". Kids and adults both wore short-shorts, tight jeans, tight shirts, cut-offs, etc. That along with the "big hair" styles made everyone look good!

  • @celticlightning9703
    @celticlightning9703 4 ปีที่แล้ว +34

    The clothes were typical 70s wear at the time. Even the clothes I wore looked the same at that time. Memories.....

    • @taoist32
      @taoist32 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Brian Gibson Mine too. That shirt looks very similar to the one I wore as a kid in the 70’s.

    • @wetlettuce4768
      @wetlettuce4768 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Scary thing is my parents dressed me up like this in the early 90s, what I dork I was lol.

    • @celticlightning9703
      @celticlightning9703 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@wetlettuce4768 Nah!! You were just before the style repeats itself. Lol!!! Back then I don't remember Nike and the rest. Converse was big. Like Nike is today

    • @stefankaiser3354
      @stefankaiser3354 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I had similiar shirts. And I grew up in Germany! lol
      Oh, and I would still wear those today. They're classic👌🏼

    • @celticlightning9703
      @celticlightning9703 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@stefankaiser3354 that's funny I would too. I have a pair of jeans from my teen years that I keep in drawer . They don't make anymore so I just keep there for the memories. Those I tracked down on internet.😂

  • @imeggscellent7117
    @imeggscellent7117 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    the interview with the shop owner was super insightful as someone living in the present and seeing what folks envisioned the future as in the past. my father was a truck driver, and i always wondered how difficult his job was before even mapquest was a thing. i would love to do an interview like this was filmed, cause they asked all the right questions and they got all the right answers. its insanely strange how right they were about the future than they were wrong about it.

  • @ComdrStew
    @ComdrStew 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I got married in 1992 at 19. My wife hated computers and said she will never touch them. I told her she will not have a choice, since she is a nurse. One day everything will be computerized. There will be no cable, all TV will be over the internet when it gets faster. Just download or watch a video over it.
    Well I was wrong about the no cable. My wife always uses a computer now hooked up to our main TV for all of our entertainment. She does Ancestry, Facebook, watches TH-cam, and we don’t have cable. I have always been into computers, since my first one the Commodore Vic 20 in the summer of 1980. Hooked up to the internet with AOL in 1993 with 5 free hours a month. Was in the beta program with Cincinnati Bell being one of the first 50 families to have DSL with a 768 KB connection. Went from downloading 2 megs that took 14 minutes to DSL that took 30 seconds. What a big leap that was. DSL also freed up the phone line.

  • @dietrevich
    @dietrevich 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Lol, the guy looks just like his dad back in the '79 video! 😆 🤣 😂

  • @mostlypeacefulrowan8747
    @mostlypeacefulrowan8747 4 ปีที่แล้ว +48

    He is like 99% of software engineering and computer science graduates

  • @mrmike2119
    @mrmike2119 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I appreciate the update. I also appreciate the open honesty of these men. Thanks, David.

  • @aaleeksii
    @aaleeksii 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    Thank you David, appreciate your work!

  • @jasonhatt4295
    @jasonhatt4295 4 ปีที่แล้ว +42

    8:20 That's one mystery solved.... now we got to find THIS GUY

  • @masterman3178
    @masterman3178 4 ปีที่แล้ว +160

    I bet he “burned out” in high school........it was the 80’s baby.

    • @bauhnguefyische667
      @bauhnguefyische667 4 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Fast Times at Ridgmont High

    • @Shay-nu7id
      @Shay-nu7id 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Dude that was my face ..

    • @HeadNtheClouds
      @HeadNtheClouds 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      He burned something 😎

    • @situated4
      @situated4 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      You put your weeeeeed in there, maaaaan.

    • @karlmuller3690
      @karlmuller3690 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@situated4 - I was 16 in 1979, and the only places that had computers,
      were the big government Departments, and at the Banks, but not every
      Bank branch of every bank, all over the country. I live in Australia, by the way.

  • @thegardenoffragileegos1845
    @thegardenoffragileegos1845 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This is why this channel is in the TH-cam 1% for quality of content.

    • @DavidHoffmanFilmmaker
      @DavidHoffmanFilmmaker  4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I wish that were true for TH-cam. I think that those of you who watch my material feel that way but unfortunately that is a small group.
      David Hoffman-filmmaker

  • @LindaCasey
    @LindaCasey 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Oh how I remember this time .. I'm still pretty much an amateur on the computer, but a lot less intimidated by them than I was back then. Classic material.

  • @ocpud2999
    @ocpud2999 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Back then the idea of a smartphone was something that science fiction barely could imagine

  • @yogidemis8513
    @yogidemis8513 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm 41 and grew up with the NES on the mid 80s in fact I was the first kid on the block to have one and it was "Amazing" on how many friends I never knew I had wanting to stop by and play when word got out. Anywho, I was watching my friends 10 year old boy a few weeks ago while they were out and I wanted to show him the NES on what I grew up with. So I hooked it up and had a few hundred games in my collection to pick out. The kid looks at me and says "Man you're old, my grandpa has one of these. These are old! So you must be old too" He's a little smart mouth kid but a good kid. I just stood there wanting to laugh which I chuckled and gave him the eye stare for a few haha. He actually had fun playing since I have all the good games and told him stories about when I was his age and showed him pictures of my friends and I. He made fun of our hair and clothes. I told him "Don't laugh, you're kids will make fun of you're hair cut and clothes style just like their kids will make fun of theirs and that's how it goes" this video reminded me of that. BTW, his parents told me that he now only wants me to watch him from now on, they said "Because I have all the cool games" I thought that was cool.

  • @SheevieWonder66
    @SheevieWonder66 4 ปีที่แล้ว +77

    He didn't need to fear AI in the future. Just the year 2020

  • @shanenejad
    @shanenejad 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Your channel is one of the best things I’ve found recently. Internet can be a force of good. All your films are Unpretentious, real and educational. Thank you.

  • @jayjaytailor
    @jayjaytailor 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    This was just terrific to see; I remember the original clip and wondered at the time where he was now.

  • @Repudiate
    @Repudiate 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I felt like I waited so long for this. Your channel is amazing, man.

  • @brpitrepeters7983
    @brpitrepeters7983 4 ปีที่แล้ว +218

    He discovered Girls and Beer.
    Probably at the same time..

    • @seagrey75
      @seagrey75 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Maybe even more than beer...

    • @lumpytapioca5062
      @lumpytapioca5062 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@seagrey75 Nah, probably just alcohol. If it was hallucinogenics, he's still be programming, doing CG work.

    • @alexalexander5628
      @alexalexander5628 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @youtube-ventura
      @youtube-ventura 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      These were the Reagan years, so you know there was some good Thai stick or sticky skunk buds, too.

  • @magzlomeli6110
    @magzlomeli6110 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This is so wonderful 👏 🙌🏽We're all honoring your mother now too!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽 Thank you Mr. David Hoffman!

  • @23ofSeptember
    @23ofSeptember 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Thanks for tracking down these guys. I love finding out what happened to these people. I'd love to see what happened to that Boston accent guy.

  • @Brian0wns
    @Brian0wns 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    To go full circle it would be amazing to get his daughter on there, and have a similar set up interview to the one from 79.

  • @LadyBeeSting2434
    @LadyBeeSting2434 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    It’s so awesome to know the rest of the story. I’m sorry that people tracked them down though. That’s creepy. With exception of your investigative skills David.
    We honor parents that always give their kids the opportunity to be more.
    This is fun. It would be interesting to do interviews right now when times are more uncertain than in recent history (40 years) and ask what the future looks like.

  • @WTFJOYA
    @WTFJOYA 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    What a shame that he stopped using the computer. What a rare position that kid was and what a futurist his father was.

  • @RandySchartiger
    @RandySchartiger 4 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    "once you start you can't stop" lol he was sooo right! I went back to college in 1987 learning computers and programming in different languages and quickly learned that I want to learn everything these things are capable of!! lol

  • @retro13roxas
    @retro13roxas 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This is one of the most underrated TH-cam channels.

  • @techo4Ugeeks
    @techo4Ugeeks 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you for uploading this, keep making these awesome videos 📹

  • @carlosb1
    @carlosb1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    He discovered social life, good for him! I myself did not get my first computer until 2002. Even throughout the late 90's not all of us had computers.

  • @njamiso2
    @njamiso2 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wow, he looks lile the kids from Stranger Things. It's amazing how accurate that show is with fashion, timeline, and setting.

  • @shaunw9270
    @shaunw9270 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Wonderful catch up with the father & son . The son is only a few years older than me and I remember in the early 80's my friends saw me as some wizard because I used to write programs in BASIC for my Atari 400 ,the school's BBC Model B and friends' Sinclair ZX81, Spectrum , Commodore 64 & Vic 20 .. At 51, I'm a computer Dunce lol .

  • @bobbycrosby9765
    @bobbycrosby9765 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I find the burn out factor with kids interesting. When I was a kid I did a lot of sports. I did really well in them. But junior year of high school, I completely burned out. Something I used to do for multiple hours per day - I completely stopped. I started using the family computer more. I got a degree in computer science. And have been doing software development for the past 20 years now.
    Whenever I met people after that burnout, they were surprised I used to be so into sports.

    • @bryancorts5389
      @bryancorts5389 ปีที่แล้ว

      I went from a professional gymnastics to mental gymnastics 20 years apart from each other. Now the damn does it's own mental gymnastics. Damn harry your fukin WIZARD!

  • @nathanjamesbaker
    @nathanjamesbaker 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    This 1979 video was the reason I subscribed to your channel.

    • @DavidHoffmanFilmmaker
      @DavidHoffmanFilmmaker  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you for saying this. I hope you found the new one satisfying.
      David Hoffman-filmmaker

    • @codeblue2532
      @codeblue2532 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      David Hoffman : where can I see the original video (?) 1979 ?

  • @ninthcar9030
    @ninthcar9030 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Can't imagine 50 years from now if I'm still alive, I will say wow this thing should be recorded in history. Nice info btw 👍🏻 love from 🇲🇾

  • @migjtyalfie4501
    @migjtyalfie4501 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It’s a wonderful peak back to and you can feel the peace from that time -
    Just lovely thank you

  • @Plexll
    @Plexll 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    He says he’s not as good of a father but he’s still a good man.
    The fact he’s able to look back at what he has said in the past and change his mind or grow his perceptions attests to that.

  • @snowfox-xc1qq
    @snowfox-xc1qq 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    impressive work David!

  • @browardperson
    @browardperson 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Amazing, great work. Now to find the kid who made the 8mm movies.

  • @nolagirl7082
    @nolagirl7082 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I definitely didn’t think the story was going to go this way! I thought Jay would have been a computer geek to this day! It makes sense that he got burned out, but I think it’s a really unique story and so interesting to take a step back into time and see the perspective of the computer world/technology in the late 70’s. And it was really interesting to see Jay and his families perspective on it. I think it’s funny that the mom thought the husband was such a dork and didn’t deserve the credit for being such a cool dad, LOL! Gotta love the realness in that!

  • @slythdreams
    @slythdreams 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank you for the update, Mr. Hoffman!

  • @sanguinelynx
    @sanguinelynx 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I remember this 'kid', wow time flies, it's really cool to see what he was up to and how life went for him.

  • @JoeBlow_4
    @JoeBlow_4 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    This was cool David. Well done. Full circle.

  • @bumsharvest5493
    @bumsharvest5493 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you David, that was fascinating. I watched both parts.... It' s amazing to see 41 years condensed down to several minutes.

  • @uralbob1
    @uralbob1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This is a terrific video David. I have two sons, twins, that took off like rockets after we bought a TI 99 home computer in 1980.
    My son is now building a computer with components I can't even recognize now. He has also built three 3d printers that he runs simultaneously.
    This may be nothing to some, but to me, he is brilliant.
    He works as a computer engineer in the auto component industry.

  • @Alex_Plante
    @Alex_Plante 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    I was 14 years old in 1979. That year my father bought his first computer, a Texas Instruments TRS-80. He was a university professor and used it for his statistical simulations. I learned to program BASIC on it, but never became obsessed with computers (mainly because my father would hardly let anyone touch his computer). When I decided to do a B.A. in economics, my parents were so upset (I was supposed to become an engineer or architect) that they insisted I take programming courses in the summer, which I duly did for several years. After my economics degree I did an engineering degree (I'm a now a professional engineer), and my first jobs were essentially programming jobs, but I would get terrible head-aches. I had a talent for programming, but would become far too focused on it. I haven't done any programming in over 20 years now.

  • @ambikawolf664
    @ambikawolf664 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    Interesting! I was 23 in 1979 and have until 2020 refused to get a laptop. It's a case of realizing you can't avoid it and so you play along. I have been very slow to adopt new technology. That's because I like analog methodology. My artwork and writing is all analog.
    I would like see your work on this subject. Your channel is fascinating.

    • @USMCLP
      @USMCLP 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Nice! Weird question but since you like analogue technology, have you ever fiddled with some of the old music synthesizers from the back in the day? Like the Minimoog, Prophet 5, ARP Omni 2, Yamaha CS-80, etc? Just curious because I have a real liking for those things.

    • @mariadasilva6953
      @mariadasilva6953 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I'm 69 and use my phone for many reasons but will only work on my desktop and cannot get used to a laptop.

    • @codeblue2532
      @codeblue2532 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      USMCLP ::::I remember the Moog & TELSTAR and since have discovered "HumanBeams".....and a rendition of that called the "LaserHarp". Let me know.

    • @Galidorquest
      @Galidorquest 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @ambika wolf Did you know it's still possible to watch analog TV?

    • @juniperwildflowers
      @juniperwildflowers 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Analog is awesome.

  • @demitraferles7970
    @demitraferles7970 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    David, I am so thankful to you for your work. It is history being recorded as it happens, which history books do not do because they are all written in retrospect. God bless you. I hope many young people find your work for many years to come. ❤❤❤

  • @melloone611
    @melloone611 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was the best “Where are they now?” Thanks again David for great content!

  • @johnpersechini4951
    @johnpersechini4951 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Wow his dad looks great after 41 years later. He only aged like 20-25 years lol.

    • @uts4448
      @uts4448 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Exactly my thought! He must’ve taken great care of his health. He looked healthy back then. I was expecting him to be shaky and have a hard time talking but he looks great!

  • @TheBricksAndIvyArchive
    @TheBricksAndIvyArchive 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Cool retrospective! Now, since I live within an hour or so from Cedar Rapids, I wonder if that building still exists and what purpose it serves over 40 years later.

  • @TheMantis25
    @TheMantis25 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Seeing this video takes me back. I was 8 years old in '79. My father worked as a programmer when I was growing up. I was learning Basic early on myself. When I went onto college I didn't bother to further my interest in computers. I had other intersest. I went on to work in Finance. What amazes me though nowadays you can't get around not knowing Tech. It can be death of you in the current work environment. I do miss the simple days when people would interact. Now, it's all through your phone or online. Loved this video! Thanks for sharing.

  • @lrow5416
    @lrow5416 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    David, thanks for bringing this full circle by tracking down and interviewing Jeff and Jay! I saw your original film but this is like going to a surprise party in the future except that the future is now! How exciting! ❤️

  •  4 ปีที่แล้ว

    In 1979 I was 9 told too. But learn to code (BASIC) when I was 12. My father give me my first PC, a ZX81 and later a PCJr. Never studied CS, nowadays my life always round about computers. Graduated in BA today I’m full time CS K-12 teacher 😄 and my son started learn to code since his 9. What a life.

  • @chickennugget6233
    @chickennugget6233 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you sooo much for a follow up!! It is so rare someone does this!

  • @FlatEarthMath
    @FlatEarthMath 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Bless you for this, Mr. Hoffman. I think I'm about a year older than "that kid" and I definitely was neck-deep into programming, at the time the TRS-80 (Model I, naturally). This video put a huge smile on my face. Thank you again.

  • @MrJessejamesharris
    @MrJessejamesharris 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you for tracking this wonderful family down. Interesting to watch

  • @ninoenriquez2431
    @ninoenriquez2431 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I literally just watched that clip yesterday from my suggestions, and TH-cam recommends this to me today. Amazing follow up

  • @MattieCooper10000
    @MattieCooper10000 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for making this video, David!💖

  • @poppop-oj6by
    @poppop-oj6by 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I sometimes forget that you still are a filmmaker. You not only show us the films you made when you were a filmmaker, you still are making them. And you are very very good at it. Thankyou!

    • @DavidHoffmanFilmmaker
      @DavidHoffmanFilmmaker  4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      thank you so much for your comment.
      David Hoffman-filmmaker

  • @nerdbamarich2063
    @nerdbamarich2063 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow can't thank you so much for this wonderful footage and I hope all is well my friend.

  • @iwanttosurvive3992
    @iwanttosurvive3992 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is so awesome, David and everyone involved! Great job and thank you for coming on David's TH-cam and giving the people an update. This is truly wonderful and wholesome to see.

    • @DavidHoffmanFilmmaker
      @DavidHoffmanFilmmaker  4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you for your comment.
      David Hoffman - filmmaker

    • @iwanttosurvive3992
      @iwanttosurvive3992 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker My pleasure. Thank you for such awesome, positive videos. You are enriching all the lives of people who watch your channel. 🤗

  • @jimflagg4009
    @jimflagg4009 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love how every one keeps saying that there is nothing to be afraid of. The computer will not take your job or become self aware. There was a big fear of computers back then.

  • @Modeltnick
    @Modeltnick 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Such a great story! Wonderful family story! Thanks for posting this update!

  • @johnc2438
    @johnc2438 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Reminds me when I transferred to the Naval Reserve in 1972... and two years later was assigned to Submarine Group 5 in San Diego. They had "computers" on the ship we trained on. We began using them to help get through the mounds of paperwork the military loves (and must do, of course). First computer was an "IBM magcard writer" or some such thing. Instead of using punch cards, we had magnetic cards of the same size that we fed into a slot on a container almost the size of a two-drawer file cabinet. Attached to the container box was an IBM Selectric typewriter. Imagine! One mag card per page... and you could record your typewritten page on it and then play it out later (or make changes and record the revision). Manna from Heaven! All we needed were shoe boxes to lug around the mag cards! We quickly moved to desktop computers with slots for two 8-inch floppy disks (spreadsheet or word processing program on one disc; recording your work on the second disk). And then the improvements just kept on coming. I remember, when I was working at Bechtel in 1981, that we all stood up from our cubicles and watched in awe as the new, "ultra-powerful" IBM PC (two smaller floppy disks and a whopping 640K of RAM!) rolled by us to some manager's office, accompanied by a security guard. A decade later, I was working at JPL... and computers were everywhere, crowding our desks and being upgraded to faster machines at a blinding pace. I was working full-time on the computers by then... setting them up, upgrading them, installing software, tweaking the memory setups, networking them... what fun it was to see technology changing before your very eyes. Because I was at JPL, I began to hear about "ARPANET"... and then, as the Internet, it came on like a tsunami. There were two "camps" at JPL: one favored IPX/SPX (Novel Netware) or TCP/IP (the Internet's protocol) for our local are networks. Who won that!?!? More big arguments raged as to whether the Internet should become "commercial" and be sullied by tawdry capitalism or stay experimental and pure in the scientific quest for knowledge. Silly fun! Thanks for the video! Takes me back.

  • @storyteller1749
    @storyteller1749 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you David for these glimpses back in time. It's a great reminder of where we came from what thoughts were back then and a little help in reconciling how we have gotten where we are now.

  • @eileen1820
    @eileen1820 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    God bless his Mom! I hope to be as good with my sons - appreciate the inspiration from way back when to now. Thanks Mrs. Ehrlich! 💗💗💗

    • @jeffehrlich6511
      @jeffehrlich6511 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Thank you Eileen D! Jay's mom and my late wife was one of the most amazing, nurturing and supportive human beings I have ever had the fortune to spend 53 years with. Jay inherited all of her good qualities and his intelligence from his mother, who received her Doctorate in 1984 from the University of Iowa at the age of 41 and went on to become a full Professor at Northeastern Illinois University for 25 years, where she chaired the Department of Higher Education prior to her retirement in 2016. And, she was a "hoot"!

    • @eileen1820
      @eileen1820 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@jeffehrlich6511 Awww that's so sweet! What a woman!

  • @dcbeez5956
    @dcbeez5956 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A guy who saved his sanity and followed his heart 😇 fabulous ❤️ what a great family, Hallelujah 🙏💞

  • @scottieray
    @scottieray 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Three day work weeks do exist. I'm a pediatric ER RN and I work three 12hr shifts per week. However, the computer really didn't facilitate the 3 day work week so much as it allowed one single worker to be able to perform more tasks in the same amount of time as the traditional 8hr/day five day/week employee. Also want to say that very 70's building they are in looks just like our Community Center did in (now) sad little Parma, MO. That color of brick is so specific to that time.

  • @ricardomartin6961
    @ricardomartin6961 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Your videos are amazing. I'm not even from the US, I'm argentinian but it's so interesting to know what people years ago thought and feel, they way they saw and see the world and how they experience it

  • @mariaq8087
    @mariaq8087 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Oh goodness!! So glad i saw this! ❤️❤️

  • @thatwasprettyneat
    @thatwasprettyneat 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    this is incredible. thank you!

  • @pavelow235
    @pavelow235 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    You did it, extremely exciting, you found one!!!!!